The Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 1 season is upon us.
Well… nearly!
While this weekend’s matches have been withdrawn to the following weekend, the season is only sleeps away.
Star News Group DDCA reporter TYLER LEWIS has spoken with each of the eight Turf 1 clubs in order to get a deep understanding of where they all sit.
Here is part one of the DDCA Turf 1 season preview…
BUCKLEY RIDGES:
Captain: Ben Wright
Last Turf 1 premiership: 2018/19
Last season: It was an incredible summer for the Bucks, who collected 11 home and away season wins to finish on top of the Turf 1 ladder. After defeating Berwick in a dazzling qualifying final, the Bucks fell short of the ultimate prize with a loss to arch-nemesis Springvale South in the grand final.
Most runs: Mahela Udawatte (572 runs at 40.86, five half-centuries)
Most wickets: Hussain Ali (22 wickets at 20.32, BB: 5/53)
Ins: DJ Watson (returning), Ishan Jayaratne (Sri Lanka).
Outs: Nimesh Kariyawasam (North Dandeong), Shiv Patel (Casey-South Melbourne, VPC)
What we say:
The Bucks will be a team to beat once again.
With a supreme balance between bat and ball, it’s hard to find a weakness in this group.
In saying that, the top four with the bat are going to eviscerate some sides this summer.
Each of the top four would admittedly prefer the two-day format and on the small confines of Park Oval, will make a stack of runs this season.
Expectation should be to play in a grand final, and it’s hardly out of the Bucks’ reach.
What they say (coach Manjula Munasinghe):
“We always want to do well, not only the grand final,” he said.
“Yes unfortunately we couldn’t get through it, but we learned a few lessons from it.
“Myself and Ben (Wright) are very new to the DDCA, so we will come back very strong this year.
“When I first started, there were a few very promising cricketers, but they couldn’t get their shine out.
“We worked with those players and now it’s fantastic to say they’re now at Casey and the other at Dandenong.
“That’s our aim, to improve our cricketers and distribute them to a higher standard at the right time.”
Round 1: v Springvale South at Alex Nelson Reserve October 8
