By Tyler Lewis
VICTORIAN SUB-DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION
NORTH-EAST
Cricket lovers have been forced to wait another week to watch the newly-invigorated Endeavour Hills unit take the field, after the rain kept the Falcons supreme talent on the sidelines.
This week, however, the Hills will travel to take on last year’s runners-up, Kew.
The match-up is a perfect test to see where the Endeavour Hills outfit really sits after a frantic recruiting spree in the off-season.
Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne certainly have to be a contender for the best pair of recruits in local cricket this off-season, and onlookers will be watching the duo’s performances with a keen eye.
Noble Park, meanwhile, will play host to the Brunswick Cricket Club in its opening match of the year.
Respected coach Dale Christie will coach the group this year as it looks to reel in the VSDCA silverware.
Robbie Ewing (Frankston Peninsula) and Prabath Hewage (St Mary’s) frontline the clubs recruits, but the loss of Isi Perera is going to leave a gaping hole.
The Parkers enter the season as a little bit of an enigma, with its performances looming as a bit of an unknown, but with Christie at the helm, one can safely assume the side will be a tough opponent.
While the opening round was a wash-out, the VDSCA have re-scheduled the fixture to be played Sunday 5 December.
WARRAGUL DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION
DIVISION 1
After getting on the park a week earlier than most, a fortnight ago, WDCA was also silenced by the conditions.
While no one cheers for rain to completely annihilate a weekend of cricket, the unequivocal winners of the weekend are Warragul.
As it had a bye scheduled anyway, the spread competition only gaining half-points does wonders for the Warragul outfit.
While Warragul have benefited from the weather and a coincidental bye, Catani are yet to take the field, as it had a bye in the opening round.
But this week the Cats will host last year’s sixth seed, Yarragon.
If any club is watching the forecast this week, it would be the Cats, as its assault on the new competition has been forced to take a back seat for the opening fortnight of the competition.
In other matches across the competition; Drouin will welcome the reigning premiers Neerim District, last season’s runners-up Hallora will look to make it two from two when it takes on Warragul, and the ever reliable Western Park side will trade blows with Ellinbank.
MORNINGTON PENINSULA CRICKET ASSOCIATION
PROVINCIAL
It’s going to be hard to look beyond any game that includes Red Hill this season.
This week is no exception to that, when the Hillmen host Provincial newcomers Long Island.
After signing former Frankston Peninsula skipper and Pearcedale Cricket Club royalty, Chris Dew, the Hillmen were in a strong position to contend for the premiership in the top flight.
But with the re-injection of Simon Dart from his Japan cricketing duties, Red Hill suddenly become one of the teams to beat.
In conjunction with Red Hill being unbelievably strong on paper, its opponent this week – Long Island – is also a contender on paper, especially if ex-Victorian and MPCA run-machine Nick Jewell gets going.
Jewell has one of the finer MPCA resumes, while Simon Dart isn’t far behind.
Despite the smaller time in the synthetic competition, Dart has accumulated 5175 runs from 112 innings with 13 centuries and 33 half-centuries at an average of 63.11. By-passing 50 on 46 occasions from his 112 knocks, Dart has a 41 per cent chance of raising his bat when he walks out to bat.
Add in the countless runs Jewell has collected across his three clubs within the competition, it’s a mouth-watering clash of the titans this week in the top division of the MPCA.
Other matches include: Langwarrin hosting Baden Powell, Sorrento travelling to Baxter and old foes Mt Eliza and Old Peninsula facing off on the Mounties home deck.
PENINSULA
Mornington are most certainly the side to watch in the early rounds of the Peninsula competition.
The Doggies are out of the Provincial flight for the first time in its prolific history and its reaction on field is set to be heavily monitored by opposing clubs.
Anthony Gapes will lead the young side into battle this year, with a heavy turnover hitting Alexandra Park in recent years.
The loss of names that have delivered for the Mornington unit in years gone by has definitely hurt, but the young talent is beyond exciting.
Though relegation is rightfully frowned upon, the drop down a grade for the fledgling group provides an opportunity for the Pups to develop a thirst for domination before it launches an assault back into the top tier.
21-year-old Zac Garnet is the well-documented young star for the Doggies, as a result of impressing last year at the top of the order with 328 runs at 27.33 including two half-centuries against some fine bowlers.
Ryan Smith will walk out to the middle with Garnet, while Tom Panich is set to bat at three. The trio of 21-year-old guns hold the key for the club this week against Somerville and its future endeavours of returning to the top flight.
Somerville most certainly won’t be a walk in the park for the Dogs, as it’s also a contender come March.
Other contender Pines will welcome Seaford Tigers; while Flinders host Moorooduc and Rosebud welcome Heatherhill.
DISTRICT
Carrum Downs enters the District competition with full steam ahead after last summer’s drought breaking premiership in the Sub-District competition.
The Cougars secured the double in the First and Second XI in the Sub-District competition, defeating Tyabb in both grades.
Boasting one of the finer batting cards in the competition, the Cougars won’t be shy of talent when it hosts Main Ridge this weekend.
In fact, the Cougars’ batting line up is so strong that its top line batters Gordon Waterfall and James Quarmby secured first and second for runs scored in the sub-district competition.
Ex-Frankston Peninsula opener Waterfall nudged 437 runs at an average of 36.42, while Cougars skipper Quarmby blasted 436 at an average of 39.64.
And if that wasn’t damming enough, Michael O’Driscoll also polled in seventh with 160 at 36.00.
Quarmby – who captained the Cougars to premiership glory last season – is focused on not forgetting, but also not accepting that last year’s premiership is the pinnacle of what his Carrum Downs side can accomplish.
“I am very confident to be honest, we have a really good team, we have kept pretty much everyone (from last season),” he said.
“One of the pleasing things from last year was not only the ones and twos that won the premiership, but the under-16s too so there is a good group of kids in the wings as well.
“We don’t play to come second; we have a really motivated and driven group of cricketers.
“I don’t think I have ever worked with a team that is so focused on improving; just the little things, every player is working on something.
“The challenge for us is that it’s a reset, it’s a blank canvas, basically.
“We have to do all the hard work all over again,” Quarmby said.
The Cougars opponent this week is Main Ridge, the outfit that was relegated from Peninsula in the season just gone.
The match-up looms as a fascinating one for keen MPCA observers who are interested in the difference between the four tiers of the competition.
In other matches, Delacombe Park will travel to Crib Point, Carrum will host Frankston YCW and Dromana’s new bowling attack will have its first audition when it welcomes Hastings.
SUB-DISTRICT
Pearcedale will host Rye for its season opener, avoiding potential premiership favourites Tyabb in the washed-out opening round.
There is no hiding the fact that the Dales have had a difficult stretch of seasons, falling from the top tier of the competition to the bottom in a number of years where they have only managed three wins in as many seasons.
But the Sub-District competition holds hope for the Pearcedale unit, especially in the opening match this week against Rye – who finished second last on the ladder last year with five wins.
While the expectation for the Dales to bounce back grows larger as it relegates down the grades, the Sub-District competition is still rather strong.
While the Dales won’t be expected to finish cellar dwellers this summer, the side will need to play strong cricket to contend, and a win over Rye would be a great start in doing so.
In the other matches across the league: Tyabb will travel to Ballam Park, Skye will host Mt Martha, Balnarring will host Seaford and Boneo will take on close town rivals Tootgarook.
