By Jonty Ralphsmith
With the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) season about to resume from its Christmas hiatus, STAR NEWS journalist Jonty Ralphsmith takes a look at some storylines that have so far dominated discussion.
Cranbourne yet to find its groove: Viewed by many as the clear favourites to take out the Turf Two premiership, after back-to-back strong home-and-away campaigns where they have just fallen short, the Eagles have underwhelmed in the first part of the season. Granted, three of the losses have been in tight battles: a last-ball thriller against Parkfield; a two-wicket loss to Lyndale and a 16-run loss to a charging Beaconsfield. But with their talent and experience, you would expect them to be on the right side of at least one of those. Fast bowling recruits Jakeb Thomas and Jayden Scotland haven’t had the expected impact; Thomas has taken six wickets from five matches, but at an economy rate of more than five, and Scotland has just two wickets to his name going at 4.19 runs per over. From a batting perspective, they’ve been unsettled at the top of the order, trying several different opening combinations and the Sweeney boys have just one half-century between them so far this season which has exposed a slightly soft underbelly. They both sit just outside the top 10 run scorers in the league after both finishing the last two seasons in the top six. Regardless, rivals still view them as a competition pace-setter so their second half to the season will be intriguing.
K.M Reedy Reserve: The state of Heinz Southern Districts (HSD’s) home ground has been an issue for several seasons now, but it was particularly on everyone’s lips at the beginning of this season. Narre South’s unsuccessful Liberal candidate made a commitment to improve the facility which gave club-people hope that their voices were being heard. Not only was she unsuccessful, but the ground still has not had cricket played on it at the halfway mark of the season. Casey Council ticked off the 17 December match against Narre Warren being played at KM Reedy Reserve, but the outfield was deemed unsafe by the umpires forcing the match to be abandoned. The issue lies in the fact that grass has overgrown at the venue, with the unseasonal rain exacerbating the issue by making the field soft underfoot. At one point, the club brought individual lawnmowers down to training to cut the grass, with their efforts getting a plug on Triple M.
Doveton finding its feet: The rinsed and repeated narrative from First XI skipper Nanga Wilson pre-Christmas was that if they could scrape their way to a couple of wins before the break, it would give them a launchpad for when they field a stronger XI thereafter. After a difficult first couple of weeks through unavailability, Doveton established itself as a competitive club in the Turf Two competition. They did it with strong bowling performances, led by the slow bowlers, particularly Ryan Hendy. They’ve scored 207 fewer runs than the rest of the competition, yet sit just outside the four; if they can get their batting sorted out, you’d back them to make the four, particularly given the inclusion of Darren Pattinson, among others.
Beacy opening partnership: In Beaconsfield’s first three hits of the season, Tyler Clark and Mark Cooper combined for opening partnerships of 78, 162 and 52 which essentially drove the momentum which has carried them through a prepotent start to the season. Cooper was always going to bring runs and experience, but his combination with Clark has worked wonders for Beacy. Two of those partnerships have occurred at Perc Allison, a ground where run-scoring can be tricky, so their strike rotation in a left-hand, right-hand partnership is a point-of-difference. Cooper was dismissed cheaply in his last couple of hits but will no doubt find runs again post-Christmas, and if he can continue to do it with Clark who he has developed a strong relationship with, Beacy’s excellent season will continue.
Evenness of competition: Every team in Turf Two and Turf Three has tasted victory and all but Beaconsfield in Turf Two and Dandenong West in Turf Three have been defeated. Ten of the 16 teams have won at least two and lost at least two making for a logjam in the middle of the table and creating an unpredictability going into each round. Lyndale in Turf Two have surprised many by starting the season 4-1, while Cranbourne and Springvale, both viewed as strong contenders entering the respective seasons, sit outside the four. If there is one team that has looked a little weaker, it’s Berwick Springs, yet they upset second-placed Lynbrook at the end of November, typifying a host of unexpected results in both Turf Two and Three. If they can get help for all-rounder Josh Amsterdam, you could see them making a fist of a few more games, and Doveton, in their first season back in Turf Two, could well make the four. Whoever gets promoted will need to play mightily good cricket and it’s a lottery picking which teams will be relegated.
Washouts: Perhaps the defining pre-Christmas storyline, the constant October Saturday rain was unprecedented and comical. After keen anticipation for the return of two-day cricket, the Dandenong District Cricket Association was forced to scrap those plans to retain the integrity of the fixture after five missed weeks to start the season. Some were left frustrated by the competition making blanket calls a couple of days out, as a ‘report-to-grounds’ scenario would have seen them get some cricket. Was also an amusing time for Star News journalists, who listened to clubs indicate how much they would be suited by the return of red-ball cricket, before said clubs spoke just weeks later about how much they would benefit from a full one-day fixture.
Nuwan Kulasekera: The former Sri Lankan international has brought crafty changeups and searing accuracy with the ball, a middle order anchor who can go through the gears with the bat, and professionalism which infiltrates Dandenong West. And for good measure, he has the most catches in the competition, too. Has contributed in at least one discipline in each game he’s played and has lifted Dandenong West from a contender to outright favourite to win the Turf Three competition. Statistically, his season was highlighted by a century against Springvale, but a knock of 42 late in a tight run chase against Coomoora was just as crucial and is among a host of cameo knocks he’s played. With the ball, he may have ‘only’ nine wickets, but certainly his bowling partners get the fruits of Kulasekera’s economy rate of 2.24.
All-rounders dominating: We’ve talked about Kulasekera’s dominance in Turf Three, but he’s far from the only one having impact with bat and ball. Dishan Malalasekera has played three strong knocks for Parkfield and skipper Stephen Cannon also hails him as a dependable bowler; Triyan De Silva’s all-round capabilities are known, and he’s shown it in spurts this season; Yohan Arumadura produced a game where he claimed five wickets and scored 169; Peter Sweeney’s leading the wicket taking and been around the mark with the bat; Mark Cooper’s leggies have been as important as his batting. Turf Three leading run-getter Nuwan Mendis has also nabbed a wicket in all but one of his matches. Joshua Amsterdam, Jay Walia and James Kellett are among the others who have delivered with both bat and ball this season.
