By Marcus Uhe
BUCKLEY RIDGES
LAST SEASON: Premiers of Turf 1
COMING: Prav Chahal (England), Dale Tormey (Pakenham)
GOING: –
STAYING: Michael Davies, Ben Wright, Jayson Hobbs, Ishan Jayaratne, Roshane Silva
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dale Tormey, Ishan Jayaratne, Jake Cronin
Buckley Ridges is set to be a force to be reckoned with once again, with the defending premiers welcoming every member of the premiership-winning senior side back to Park Oval for another shot at glory.
The Bucks survived a mid-season stumble to storm home to a historic and long-awaited Turf 1 premiership last summer, finally overcoming their nemesis in Springvale South on the final day of the season at Berwick’s Arch Brown Reserve.
Over the off-season, they welcomed one of the best cricketers from the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association, in multiple-time Terry Stephenson medal winner Dale Tormey, and English all-rounder Prav Chahal, creating an embarrassment of riches, and making for an enviable selection squeeze at Park Oval.
Tormey, Roshane Silva and Ben Wright will offer one of the competition’s premier middle order combinations, and present a daunting prospect for teams coming to Park Oval.
Master coach Manjula Munasinghe, however, knows that they cannot simply expect to be a contender again, stressing the importance of hard work.
A perennial contender in recent years, the target on their back has never been bigger, now as the defending champions.
“We need to be better than last year,” he said.
“Everyone will compete hard with us.
“To get into the four is our key at this stage and following the process is the most important part.”
