As usual, when selecting the Pakenham Gazette WGCA Premier Division Team of the Year (TOTY) – it’s the list of players left out of the side that give an indication of the overall quality of the competition.
Exciting batters like Anurudda Fonseka (Carlisle Park), Alex Nooy (Cardinia), Tom Hussey (Tooradin) and Karanvir Singh (Cranbourne Meadows) – for different reasons – were unlucky to miss out, while star all-rounders Russell Lehman (Tooradin) and Jake Prosser (Cardinia) were also pipped at the post.
Only four players return from last season’s TOTY, with Chris Bright, Cal O’Hare, Dylan Sutton and Travis Wheller all proving their credentials as the pre-eminent players in the game.
O’Hare, Tooradin’s skipper, is captain of this year’s side, with Bright is a more than capable deputy.
Some new faces like Ravi Kodithuwakku, Luke McMaster, Kallan Braid-Ball, Matthew Bright and Jason Hameeteman make their TOTY debuts, while Pakenham youngster Tom Brennan has emerged as the real surprise packet after an outstanding season with the new ball.
Gazette Sports Editor DAVE NAGEL takes an in-depth look at the superstars of the competition in 2021/22.
1. Ravindu Kodithuwakku (Carlisle Park)
Runs: 651 at 54.25. Wickets: 5/153.
Best: 129 not out.
What an astonishing season from the gifted left-handed opener, crunching two tons and four half centuries to be the standout batter in the competition. Kodithuwakku had made solid starts up to round seven – including a half-century against Cardinia in round four – but upped the ante with consecutive scores of 60, 76, 107 and 52 from rounds eight to 11. His brilliant 129 not out, against Cranbourne Meadows in round 13, put the rubber-stamp on a season from the absolute top shelf. Will be rattling home late in the WGCA Player of the Year Award. Also took five wickets with the ball.
2. Cal O’Hare (Tooradin – Captain)
Runs: 525 at 52.50.
Best: 111.
One of the most respected figures in the WGCA for over a decade, O’Hare scaled new heights with his batting this season. The Seagulls’ skipper overcame an early hiccup in his first hit (1) to produce a staggeringly consistent season, including a century in round 11 against xxx and a further three scores above 77 to boot. And there were another four scores of between 30 and 46 as well…what more can we say! Of course, those figures will mean absolutely nothing to ‘Big Cal’ if he doesn’t lead the Gulls to their first premiership since 2013. Premiership or not…Cal O’Hare is captain of the 2021/22 Team of the Year.
3. Chris Smith (Pakenham)
Runs: 515 at 57.22. Bowling: 6/180.
Best: 101 not out.
Elegance, class and finesse, combined with the ability to hit the ball hard, make the Pakenham champion clearly the most attractive player to watch in West Gippsland. The brilliant right-hander started his season with a bang – crafting 52 and 96 in his first two games – before his 101 not out against Cranbourne Meadows in round six made us all aware that we were witnessing something exceptional. The Lions champ should poll votes in rounds 2,3,6,8 and 9 – maybe even three voters…so the rest of the competition might be fighting for second place in the WGCA Player of the Year Award. Although four starts, without getting to fifty in the latter rounds of the season, may cost him in the final wash up.
4. Chris Bright (Kooweerup – Vice-Captain)
Runs: 482 at 53.56.
Best: 84.
The most brutal and damaging player in West Gippsland cricket visited the crease 11 times this season and walked away with six half-centuries. ‘Wombat’ didn’t crack it for three figures this season but his ability to be consistent, but also punishing at the same time, make him one of the most unique propositions in the game. He had just two failures (0 and 10) as captain, with his match-winning knocks being spread consistently throughout the season. Can blast from the top of the order, he hit first balls for six, but has also learnt to build through the middle overs. A worthy vice-captain to O’Hare and the Team of the Year wicket-keeper.
5. Jason Hameeteman (Clyde)
Runs: 417 runs at 46.33.
Best: 104 not out.
Jason Hameeteman, Anurudda Fonseka or Alex Nooy? The battle for the last of the ‘exclusive’ batting positions was a difficult one to assess, but Hameeteman’s ability to post big scores and bat through an innings gave him the final nod. It was hold-your-breath stuff early for the Cougars’ enforcer, he failed often, but once he got a start, he really did cash in. Although inconsistent, scores of 104 not out, 86 not out, 81 not out and 71…they’re the numbers of a pretty impressive season. Just like Kodithuwakku, Hameeteman was so far ahead of his teammates it wasn’t funny!
6. Luke McMaster (Kooweerup)
Runs: 358 at 35.8. Wickets: 14/312 at 22.29.
Best: 89 not out and 4/22.
If Chris Bright was Kooweerup’s Batman this season, then McMaster was clearly Robin, with the exciting all-rounder elevating his game to new levels. McMaster hits hard with the bat, and hits the bat hard, with his enterprising play in both forms of the game one of the keys to the Demons’ finishing second on the ladder. Had a horror run between rounds three and five, but bounced back with impressive performances, including 86 and 89 not out with the willow. In a season where slow bowling has been the dominant force – exemplified by this team – McMaster’s ability to back-up the opening bowlers would be a key to this team’s success.
7. Jason Williams (Pakenham)
Runs: 336 at 67.20. Wickets: 18/282 at 15.67
Best: 66 not out and 4/20
One of the most popular figures in the WGCA, ‘Boof’ bounced back to his brilliant best this season after a horror 2020/21. An average of 67.20 with the bat needs no clarification, while 18 wickets with his crafty right-hand off-spin put him equal third on the list of wicket-takers. Williams can bowl either up front with the new ball – in the same style as Kooweerup’s Matt Bright – or is equally adept at restricting teams through the middle overs. His economy rate of 3.36 is second only to the miserly Bright this season. Was one of the key players to turn Pakenham’s season around after a shaky start.
8. Dylan Sutton (Tooradin)
Runs: 242 at 30.25. Wickets: 16/332 at 20.75
Best: 47 and 3/18
No-one in the WGCA has adapted quicker or better to the crucial mid-to-lower-order…all-round position…than Dylan Sutton. We’ve only had two pure seasons of one-day cricket in the WGCA and he has been selected twice in the Team of the Year, it doesn’t get any better than that. Sutton has split his time between five, six, seven or eight with the bat, and loves the big stage, with some of his best performances this season coming against the Seagulls’ biggest threats for the title. He has also been crucially important with the Kookaburra in hand, taking wickets on all but two occasions this season. Looms as a massive piece of the Seagulls’ premiership puzzle!
9. Kallan Braid-Ball (Tooradin)
Wickets: 20 at 19.50
Best: 3/30
In a season where slow bowlers have hogged the lime-light, Kallan Braid-Ball has been the standout pace-bowler in the competition. The slippery right-hander doesn’t have the pace of his teammate Brad Butler, or the rat-cunning and guile of Russell Lehman, but what he has had this season is an innate ability to take wickets. He finished equal second in the competition with 20 victims…and importantly nine of those came in three games against Cardinia, Kooweerup and Pakenham. High-quality opposition doesn’t faze him…and his death bowling was crucial in the Seagulls’ round-three victory over Pakenham.
10. Matthew Bright (Kooweerup)
Wickets: 22 at 12.73
Best: 4/9
Matt ‘Mushie’ Bright was dirty on himself after taking four wickets for just nine runs against Clyde in round 14. His four maidens from his eight overs put a smile on his face…but he was unhappy that he did bowl two loose balls! That’s the level of control and precision that the Kooweerup off-spinner has delivered this season, leading the competition in aggregate wickets (22), average (12.73) and economy rate (2.96). Bright took wickets in all 13 games, and in six games bowled eight overs for under 25 runs. The facts and figures don’t lie…he’s been the best slow bowler in the competition for the 2021/22 season.
11. Tom Brennan (Pakenham)
Wickets: 18 at 15.22
Best: 3/19
Every season there are players that elevate their status in the game, and this season the most impressive of those performers has been Pakenham opening bowler Tom Brennan. He doesn’t bowl quick, and he’s certainly no enforcer, but Brennan’s ability to bend the ball both ways and to stick to a steady length has given opposition batters all sorts of headaches this season. Third in the comp for wickets (18), average (15.22) and economy (3.38) it’s simply impossible to leave him out of this year’s starting line-up. He takes the new ball, takes on the oppo’s best bats, and bowls out his eight overs…Brennan has a reliability that can be banked on.
12. Travis Wheller (Cardinia)
Wickets: 20 at 17.30
Best: 4/17
The slow-bowling of Travis Wheller verses the medium-pacers of Russell Lehman…that’s what the remaining all-round position in the Pakenham Gazette WGCA Premier Division Team of the Year came down to this season. Lehman’s late-season heroics are fresh in our memories, but Wheller’s start to the season was equally, if not more, impressive. It just feels right that in a season where spin bowling was prominent, that Wheller should join Matt Bright and Jason Williams in this year’s team. Two four-wicket hauls, and two bags of three…Wheller has certainly earned his back-to-back selection this year.
