By David Nagel
A full complement of eight teams will begin the battle for the CCCA District Division premiership when the covers roll back on the 2024/25 cricket season on Saturday.
Reigning District Division champions Upper Beaconsfield have been elevated to the elite Premier Division this season, replaced by Carlisle Park; who was relegated from the top flight.
And the inclusion of Melbourne Sixers gives a complete look to the second tier of the CCCA this summer.
Last season’s minor premier, and defeated grand finalist, Officer, begins its season on the recently rebranded Rob Porter Recreation Reserve with a challenging one-day contest against Emerald.
The Bullants were the best team all summer, with Jaswinder Gill, Chathura Imbulagoda, Ash Smith, Cooper Pursell, Sam McDavitt and Kade Perkins providing spark with the willow in hand, while Pursell, Devon Gabriel-Brown and Jonty Bennie combined for a three-pronged attack to be feared.
Pursell took 34 wickets for the season, with Gabriel-Brown the only other bowler to reach 30 poles across the competition.
The Bullants have been bolstered by the return of hard-hitting top-order bat Nick McLennan, who returns from NNNG/Maryknoll, while Kuldeep Singh Sidhu will be a player to watch this summer.
Sidhu was a key performer for Williams Landing in the Suburban Churches league last season, and the Bullants have high hopes that the all-rounder can transport his form to Starling Road.
Jacob Carroll is a strong inclusion for Emerald, who makes his way across from Boronia.
The Bombers were super-reliant on Chathura Lakshan last season, with his 631 runs dwarfing that of the next best batter in Owen Thorne (265).
The Bombers will be a good first-up challenge for the Bullants; but Officer will be too good.
Expect Pursell to make some early breakthroughs and the Bullants to win comfortably.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc scraped into the top four last season, and the Yabbies will be out to prove that was no fluke when they host NNG/Maryknoll on Saturday.
The Yabbies were consistent more than blistering last summer, with Brian Kulasena, Mitch Mibus, Matt Zios and Danuka Prabath all racing past 200 runs; but with no-one getting to 300.
The return of Prabath Kobbekaduwa from Lang Lang will solidify the top order, and indications are he will cruise through that 300-threshold this year.
Syed Akbar Shah will be key recruit for the Yabbies, while the return of Ben McLeod from injury will be a huge boost; particularly in two-day cricket.
McLeod is the definition of a workhorse; bowling lengthy spells at a tidy economy rate.
Lucas Plozza also looks a new-man this summer, and his improved fitness could cause some real carnage amongst opposition batters as the season rolls on.
The Marygoons have recruited well, with the inclusion of experienced campaigners in Troy and Luke Ferguson, both from Iona, sure to be a huge bonus.
Skipper James Markland will look to turn starts into bigger scores this season, with a top-score of 43 in 2023/24; while his vice-captain Troy Ferguson will provide rock-solid reliability in the top four.
The Marygoons slipped out of contention last season, finishing sixth, and Markland and Ferguson look to be the key players in a rise up the ladder.
But it’s the Yabbies to strike first; but only just, in a very tight first-round contest.
Elsewhere this week, a highly-entertaining Cranbourne Meadows will be out to inflict some early pain on District Division newcomers Melbourne Sixers; at Lawson Poole Reserve.
The Rebels had three players; Rohit Sharma, Karanbir Tiwana and Jass Dhaliwal all score over 300 runs last season; and all three go at a good clip!
The Rebels are short-form specialists, and provide a huge obstacle for the Sixers in this elevated grade of competition.
The Sixers have a plethora of players to choose from, and it will be interesting to see who they roll out to the centre wicket on the weekend.
This one could get interesting, but expect the Rebels to have too much fire-power and get the job done in a hurry.
And last, but certainly not least, is the contest between Lang Lang and Carlisle Park at Lang Lang.
The Swamp Tigers finished last in the District competition last season, while the Vikings did likewise; but in a higher-grade of competition.
The Vikings were competitive on occasions against some of the best teams in Premier Division, with players like Trevor Bauer and Ben Perry set to lead from the front once again.
Bauer is a classical left-hand opener, while Perry could do some real damage when he does take to the field on limited occasions this season.
His work in the police force will limit his playing this summer.
The Vikings could be the main challenger to expected front-runner Officer this season, with Sean Hinkley making his way across from Cranbourne, while Jarrod Armitage is a formidable force when in full flight with either bat or ball.
Hasintha Jayasuriya and Shakila Perera are key losses for the Vikings; who should still be a much-improved unit
Ethan De Vries, Rob Fuller and Ethan Davies all played sporadically for Carlisle Park last year between commitments for VPC club Richmond.
That all provides added depth; which was the difference between being relegated or not last summer.
The Vikings will have a key focus on bowling fuller, after dropping short repeatedly last year, and fielding will also be improved after dropped catches and poor body language both infiltrated the group.
Having brought in players and not lost anyone of note, the club is also speaking highly of its versatility, a contrast to last year when the first XI was essentially a set team.
Shayne Larner takes over as coach, with Perry to continue as a player only.
Fuller and De Vries will be assistant coaches.
It’s the Vikings to open their account in impressive style.
Round 1 Tips: CRANBOURNE MEADOWS v Melbourne Sixers, OFFICER v Emerald, PAKENHAM UPPER/TOOMUC v NNG/Maryknoll, Lang Lang v CARLISLE PARK.
