By David Nagel
CARLISLE PARK
Captain: Anurudda ‘Teddy’ Fonseka
Coach: Prabath Fonseka
Last Season: Last
Most Runs: Ravindu Kodithuwakku (651 runs at 54.25); Anurudda Fonseka (421 runs at 42.10)
Most Wickets: Aaron Straughair (10 at 26.00); Kasun Balasuriya (9 at 40.67)
In: Shalika Karunanayake (Sri Lanka First-Class), Ben Perry (Koonwarra Leongatha RSL), Senal De Silva (Returns), Mahie Bodahandi and Videsh Dassanayake (Kooweerup).
Out: Ravi Kodithuwakku (Mt Eliza – MPCA).
Carlisle Park may have lost its number-one gun but the Vikings now have a wider array of artillery that will make it more competitive in the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Premier Division this season.
The loss of Ravi Kodithuwakku, the association’s leading run-scorer last season, has been off-set by an influx of quality players that will provide the Vikings with more depth across the board.
Shalika Karunanayake is a high-quality Sri Lankan all-rounder with over 5000 first-class runs, while Ben Perry will add strength to the top-order and versatility with the ball.
Perry has been a star for Koonwarra Leongatha RSL in the Leongatha and District Cricket Association for the last few years and has experience in seconds, thirds and fourths at Casey South Melbourne.
The Vikings also regain their leading wicket-taker from their District Division premiership season of 2020/21, with Senal De Silva set to bolster a bowling outfit that struggled to make an impact last season.
The Vikings have also picked up Mahie Bodahandi and Videsh Dassanayake, who both played first-XI cricket with Kooweerup last year.
Coach Prabath Fonseka is hoping an influx of players, and a strong pre-season, will hold the Vikings in good stead as they look to climb from the bottom reaches of the ladder.
“It’s definitely a tough competition, there are some very good teams, but the guys that have come across have a lot of experience and I think we will acquit ourselves well,” he said.
“We started our pre-season in late June, so we’ve done a lot of fitness work to make sure we’re ready for two-day cricket.
“We’re used to playing one-day cricket over the last couple of years, so conditioning our bodies for the longer form has been the main focus for the club in the pre-season.”
The Vikings kick-off their season by hosting Cardinia at Carlisle Park Reserve this Saturday 1 October.
For a full preview of the Vikings season, including more comments from Fonseka on how the list is tracking, grab a copy of the Wednesday 5 October edition of the Berwick-Pakenham Gazette.
