**We all know that CARDINIA skipper Jake Prosser is a very ‘handy’ cricketer, but it’s those very hands that have been causing him great pain this season. Prior to Christmas Prosser punched a ball in frustration, breaking his right hand. While his right-hand is still not 100 percent, it’s a lot more functional than his left after a bizarre mishap against TOORADIN on Saturday. Prosser appeared to lose sight of a Brad Butler thunderbolt while batting, simply standing still and allowing the red-leather rocket to cannon into his gloves. Prosser ‘bravely’ batted on, but at the completion of his innings his left hand was heavily strapped and in need of attention. It’s hard to see Prosser being right for Sunday’s KOOKABURRA CUP grand final against KOOWEERUP, but he does have an extra week up his sleeve to prepare for the Bulls’ next Premier Division game against OFFICER.
**While on Jake Prosser, rumours have been circulating for some time that the CARDINIA captain will head back to his former club LANGWARRIN in the MPCA next season. Prosser was open and honest with Cricket Snicks on the weekend, saying he had spoken to both clubs and will return to Lloyd Park in 2023/24. Prosser is super-competitive, and that has ruffled opposition feathers during his three seasons with the Bulls, but there’s no doubting his impact. Prosser brought a missing hard-edge to the Bulls that was critical to their 2020/21 premiership win in his first season at the club. Prosser still has high hopes that the Bulls can repeat the dose this season, but let’s get in early and wish him well as he heads back to Langy next season.
**It was a ridiculous day for the Lehman family on Saturday, with brothers Russell and Troy taking a remarkable 14/53 off 36 overs in two different competitions. Russ took a hat-trick – and five wickets with his last nine balls – on his way to 8/34 for TOORADIN against CARDINIA in CCCA Premier Division, while Troy was almost as impressive with his 6/19 for DROUIN against YARRAGON in the WDCA.
**Congratulations to BEACONSFIELD’s Don Kerslake for bringing up game 400 on the weekend when Beaconsfield’s third XI beat Doveton North by 23 runs. The lefty scored 49 opening the batting before bowling a couple of his overs upfront for Beaconsfield in a game that added to a remarkable career of milestones. He is the club’s all-time leading run-scorer, closing in on 9000 runs for Beacy, and he also has 174 wickets. He is also a life member, six-time premiership player, named in two separate teams of the decade, and has held many off-field positions.
**On face value it looks a nice innocent post, with the TOORADIN Facebook page congratulating Ben ‘BJ’ Parrott on his 25th birthday on Saturday. But, upon deeper inspection, it’s been discovered that BJ posted the message himself, in a display of self-absorbance rarely seen on social media these days. BJ’s teammate Tom Hussey summed it up best with his reply “you haven’t”, which attracted much laughter. For what it’s worth, happy birthday BJ, not that you really care what anyone else thinks!
**While on TOORADIN and its President BJ Parrott, what a great gesture the Seagulls are doing by supporting the PAKENHAM Pink Ladies Day on Saturday 11 February. The Seagulls have booked two tables of eight for one of the biggest social events on the cricketing calendar, and are inviting the partners of players to enjoy the 16 seats on offer. At $50 a pop, that’s $800 that Tooradin is donating to the McGrath Foundation via Pakenham’s big day. From what we’re hearing, this could be one of the biggest, and funniest, Pink Ladies Day’s yet. It’s mighty work from the Lions, and great support from Tooradin.
**”Who wants the snip.” Legs were crossed and hands were covering private parts as CARDINIA leg-spinner Lachlan Volpe walked around his teammates with a pair of scissors on Saturday. But it was all very innocent, Volpe was simply snipping the tops off some Zooper Doopers that had been passed around.
**Grand finals of the CCCA Kookaburra Cup will be held at PAKENHAM on Sunday, with arch-rivals CARDINIA and KOOWEERUP looking to take home the title of the champion short-form team in the association. The Bulls and Demons will lock horns in the Premier Division grand final at 2.30pm, following on from the District decider which will commence at 11am. At time of going to press, the District semi-finals were still to be decided, with UPPER BEACONSFIELD hosting CRANBOURNE MEADOWS on Tuesday afternoon and GEMBROOK making the trip to LANG LANG on Thursday. Cardinia will be looking for back-to-back titles in Premier Division after defeating TOORADIN in the grand final at OFFICER last year.
**A couple of CARLISLE PARK youngsters are beginning their cricketing journey in the VIC PREMIER competition with opening bat Ethan Davies making his debut for the RICHMOND fourths on Saturday, lining up alongside Vikings leg-spinner Robert Fuller. Davies made a rock-solid 30 against FOOTSCRAY on the weekend, while Fuller has taken 10 wickets in the thirds and fourths this season. Let’s hope both players thrive and make their way through the grades in a hurry!
**Some congratulations are in order across the CCCA this week. On the playing side of things, congrats to DEVON MEADOWS treasurer Peter Deighton on playing his 150th game. While on the Panthers, we’d also like to congratulate Riley Worsteling for surviving the worst ramp-shot attempt in history, with all regions of his body in serious threat. And a couple of fair dinkum ones to finish off; well done to LANG LANG trio Bob Taylor, Steve ‘Brutus’ Dalgleish and Harry Jenkins for earning Australia Day awards, and to OFFICER’s Leigh Boyle and his better-half Roana on the safe arrival of their daughter Luna. From all reports, Luna has already been pencilled in as a gun all-rounder for the Bullants women’s side for the 2040/41 season!
**SPRINGVALE SOUTH opener Mitch Forsyth finally hit his first century after 287 matches on Saturday in his side’s thumping win over ST MARY’S in DDCA Turf 1. But the moment of glory was somewhat anti-climactic, requiring a signal, or on this case, a non-signal, from the umpire to determine whether the stroke to reach the milestone was a leg-bye. After a few seconds of staring at the umpire, he was ordered by his Bloods teammates to celebrate, and the look of relief was palpable as he got a warm embrace from his captain, Ryan Quirk, to mark the momentous occasion.
**The walking track around Carroll Reserve in Dandenong was a dangerous place to be on Saturday when SPRINGVALE SOUTH was humming along against ST MARY’S. One spectator, seemingly oblivious to the action in the middle, was nearly sconned by a Ryan Quirk six at cow corner, and then nearly stood on the ball a few overs later as he made his way down the path. Later in the innings, as the ball was deposited into the housing development construction area on the far side, ST MARY’S fielders were getting inventive as they attempted to fish the ball back from beyond the temporary fencing. We hope Work Safe isn’t reading this!
**Spare a thought for ST MARY’S all-rounder Susantha Pradeep. In the muggy heat on Saturday he was made to bowl 12 overs consecutively as the SPRINGVALE SOUTH openers set about accumulating their massive total. His off-pace and slower balls deceived the batters on a couple of occasions but they weren’t enough for a breakthrough, finishing with 0-58 off his 12. But if that wasn’t bad enough, he was dismissed for a first ball duck with the willow. How good is cricket?
**OUCH. That would’ve hurt. BEACONSFIELD ‘keeper Michael Dunstan got low to a ball off Lyndale quickie Farzur Rahman in his team’s batting innings. Dunstan misjudged the ball which saw it just miss his pad and strike him in the kneecap resulting in a brief stop in play as he collapsed to the ground in agony. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it happened in the final overs when he and teammate Lachie Ramage were dropping and running. At one stage in the final over he got halfway up the pitch, backing up, before Ramage bunted it back to Surien Silva who had all the time in the world to dislodge the bails from a metre away with Dunstan limping back. But the spinner somehow missed the stumps, cuing laughter from all.
