By Marcus Uhe
Master tactician Manjula Munasinghe believes the balance in his side was the key to Buckley Ridges winning this season’s Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) Turf 1 premiership.
A top order of left and right handers, stroke players, and players who can occupy time, with hitters late, and a bowling attack that offered variety and complemented each other’s strengths and weaknesses, all made for a premiership-winning mix.
Depth players, meanwhile, such as Josh Holden, Westley Nicholas and Faridullah Khil, didn’t secure their places in the side until late in the piece, but each went on to play crucial roles.
It takes a squad to win a championship , and in Khil and Nicholas, Munasinghe never underestimated their value, and used them expertly as he and the leaders calculated plans for each player in the Springvale South line up.
Plenty rested on the shoulders of Jordan Wyatt for Springvale South, and his wicket was the one the Bucks wanted the most in the decider.
In Khil, the Bucks unearthed a weapon that delivered in spades, with the wickets of Ryan Quirk, and Wyatt shortly after, to put his side right on-top before lunch.
“We kept Farid (Khil) for a reason,” Munasinghe said.
“I was thinking from the mid-season, if ‘Jordy’ (Wyatt) comes to the scene, this guy could be a difference.
“People are saying that spin is easy to get him out, I felt that spin is his strength.
“If it’s a seaming wicket, this Farid is going to be an x-factor.”
Nicholas, meanwhile, made an impression on Munasinghe in his early days at the club, and the coach kept his skillset up his sleeve.
When it came down to a decision between Nicholas and Sanka Dinesh for the spin-bowler’s spot in the grand final side, it was Nicholas’ height, and the variations he could offer, that got him over the line.
“As I walked into Buckley for a senior role, when I saw Wes bowling, (he was the) number one bowler I have seen for a long time,” he said.
“I reckon when you come to the finals, Sanka was in our team, the left-armer, but when you come to the two-dayers, Sanka’s skill set is so different.
“I was going to go with Wes more than Sanka; we back him up more, we gave him more confidence to rest and change a few things.
“… He’s been around for a long time in the DDCA and I hope he gets his other side of his body right and can play more years to come.”
At stumps on day one against Springvale South in round 12, when their season looked on the brink of catastrophe, Munasinghe had already formulated a plan with checkpoints to outline how they were going to chase what seemed like an impossible score of 361 on day two – a job they completed with five overs to spare.
But his crowning glory came in the grand final win, putting the despair of previous grand finals behind his side and piloting them to a famous premiership.
Having become so adept at chasing targets this year, Munasinghe believes their prowess impacted Springvale South captain Quirk’s decision to send them in to bat.
The Bucks, hwoever, were ready to flip the script, according to their coach.
“(Our) Main weapon was, Springvale (South), mentally, they were focussed on (us) chasing the targets,” Munasinghe said.
“We knew that if we lose the toss, they were going to come back to give us a bat.
“Me and (Jayson) Hobbs, in the morning… we were trying to bat first.
“Finals, it’s always a bit hard to chase.”
Munasinghe marshalled his men expertly throughout the season and relayed positive feedback at all times, even when the going was tough.
The continued belief in their approach, and the resilience they showed throughout the year, steeled their resolve, and made them believe that anything was possible.
“When things go wrong, we bounce back,” Munasinghe said.
“If you talk about lots of negatives, they will be seeing the negative side only.
“What I did was, I took those negative ones to me and I applied in the training sessions, and make them to do better in the next game.
“(It was) not an easy year this year, we had a bit of a tough time and it’s turned out alright.”
