The monkey is off the back

WGCA Premiers, Carlisle Park Vikings. Picture: FIELD OF VIEW SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

By Nick Creely

As Devon Meadows mounted a late surge towards the WGCA District Division premiership, Aaron Straughair concedes that the dreaded ‘Vikings curse’ was playing on their minds.

After getting close numerous times to silverware but falling agonisingly short in the past, the Vikings were in the box seat as the Panthers stumbled to 9/103 in pursuit of 190, but put on a stunning 61-run stand at the end to fall just 26 runs short.

Utter relief, pride and emotion reverberated around Carlisle Park Reserve in the aftermath of a famous win.

The monkey is now well and truly off the back of the club.

“It was a big sigh of relief for the players and everyone that’s been around the club for 30 odd years– there’s been a lot of hard work,” Vikings president and now premiership player Straughair said.

“When you’ve got them 9/103 or something, you think ‘alright, this is happening’, but the last two for them batted superbly.

“They were really good, and we just couldn’t get them out and it was getting closer and closer, and to be honest we were starting to shit ourselves.

“We all talk about internally that there’s a Vikings curse at the club – we get there but not win them, in all of the grades.

“We thought that it would strike again, but we held our nerve and went back to what we knew and finally got that wicket.”

On what Straughair describes as one of the greatest days in the club’s history, the Vikings have certainly celebrated accordingly with many past and present players.

“It was a massive relief (as a club), there was celebration from people no longer playing at our club, whether through retirement or down the lower grades,” he said.

“It was a really proud day for our cricket club.”

The Vikings were certainly the benchmark this season, finishing a game clear on top of the ladder, but its grand final opponents, Devon Meadows were one side that they were unfamiliar with through circumstances not within its control.

“It was hard, we didn’t really play them this year,” he said.

“The first one was washed out halfway through and the second was during the snap lockdown, so we had no idea what they were like.

“They’re a different side to the one we lost to in the grand final three years ago, so it was an unknown – we knew some of them personally, but it was pretty tough, and we had to trust our process.”

There was many great performers for the Vikings on the day, with Michael Sinclair crunching 42, while a superb spell from Praveen Perera saw him snare 3/8 from eight overs.

But Vikings opener Ravindu Kodithuwakku set the scene with a blistering 51 from 51 balls that ultimately helped guide his side to the match-winning total of 189.

Ravindu Kodithuwakku on the attack for the Vikings during his half-century. 232578 Picture: ROB CAREW

“He’s been struggling for form, he got the 100 against Pakky Upper and then got out first ball against Officer last week,” Straughair said of the gun opener’s turnaround.

“Cricket’s a funny game, you can be brought down to earth pretty quickly, but he just loves batting, and he just trains a lot.

“On Friday night he spent about an hour just hitting balls on the bowling machine, and we know that if he gets going that he’ll set the tone for the day.

“We told him to have fun, and if the ball is there to hit, just hit it. As soon as he got the first cover drive away, he was off.”

Straughair said he was proud of the club’s ability to adapt to the difficulties faced this season – from snap lockdowns, to weather, the uncertainty that this period of time brings, and playing the entire season in the one-day format.

“You don’t have a pre-season with Covid, and in one-day cricket you have to be batting and bowling every game, you don’t really get a rest, so it was tough,” he said.

“We’ve always been told we’ve made finals where we’ve only won one-day games and not two-day games, and people have always joked to us that if it was a one-day final you would win it and have a lot more flags.

“We’ve always said, we do always like the one-day game, but if you’re going to win a grand final in two-day cricket you have to play well in two-day cricket.

“Over the last few years, we’ve transitioned to play two-day cricket, so we’ve had to go back a bit this year, obviously with a new coach and no pre-season, so it certainly was hard.”

On a personal note, it was Straughair’s first ever cricket premiership – just reward for tremendous loyalty to the club.

But hungry to continue the success, Straughair said the club will not rest on its laurels as it prepares to enter the association’s top-flight next season.

“It’s one of the greatest feelings ever– it’s been an amazing last couple of days,” he said.

“There’s a part of me that’s like, ‘I’ll enjoy it while I can’, but after presentation night in two weeks, you start again.

“We don’t want to be the club that goes up to Premier and gets relegated the next year, we want to be competitive.

“We now know there’s a bigger challenge coming going up a grade, you look at the clubs that challenge for finals every year, and even in the Premier final Cardy defending 110-odd, you have to be on top of your game every week.”