By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong Cricket Club captain Brett Forsyth has further solidified his status as one of the all-time greats of Victorian Premier Cricket by claiming a second Jack Ryder Medal on Friday night as the competition’s best player for the 2023/24 season.
Forsyth joins an illustrious group of now-six players to have won the award multiple times, such as Warren Ayres and Keith Stackpole, having also won the award back in 2018/19.
The Panthers legend finished second in the home-and-away season for total runs scored, having hit 781 runs at an average of 78, with four centuries and one half-century.
He began the year with consecutive unbeaten hundreds, against Casey South Melbourne (135) and Prahran (113), then repeated the feat late in the season with 137 and 122 in rounds 16 and 17 respectively.
While back in round 10, he hit his 10,000th run in the competition in a T20 contest at home against Richmond.
He finished the vote count with 27 votes, two ahead of Footscray’s Dylan Brasher on 25 and four clear of Fitzroy-Doncaster’s Sean McNicholl on 23.
In addition to his individual accolade, Forsyth was also selected in the Men’s Premier Firsts Team of the Season for the third occasion, the first since back-to-back selections in 2017/18 and 2018/19, but for the first time as captain.
With close mate and former opening partner Tom Donnell choosing to step away from playing this season, Forsyth was tasked with carrying an additional load at the top of the order as the club blooded new talent in Donnell’s first season as coach.
He fulfilled the role brilliantly by leading the Panthers back to finals contention after a down 2022/23 season.
Joining him in the Team of the Season is batting prodigy and Panthers teammate Dhanusha Gamage, who was selected as the 12th man.
Gamage hit 516 runs at 57 in his debut season at the top level of Premier Cricket, beginning his career at First XI level with hundreds in his first two innings, including sharing in a 237-run partnership with Forsyth on debut when they chased Prahran’s total of 256 at home.
