By Jonty Ralphsmith
It was the fitting celebration.
In his 100th match for Casey-South Melbourne, Jackson Fry got two top-order wickets in a similar manner to so many others throughout his career: with steady and smart bowling after a sustained build-up of pressure.
The left-arm quick’s two scalps came after Nathan Lambden got the wicket of Camberwell Magpies’ opener Chris Thewlis first ball, which was symbolic of the visitors’ dominance.
A bowler who has long been loyal to his Premier Cricket side, Fry is highly valued internally, close friend and teammate Luke Manders setting up the celebrations with a swashbuckling 150 not out.
“In recent times, he has grown into a spearhead for us, a leader of our bowling unit, he’s very reliable,” said Manders.
“He’s not overly quick but if he’s not getting wickets, he’s bowling in partnerships with someone who is.
“He’s a bit of a ‘Mr Fix It’ who you can fall back on if batters are getting away – he’s passionate, hard-working and he’ll bowl all day for you.”
After several starts in the first few games of the season, Manders carried his bat and his 22 boundaries including six maximums off 162 balls.
“He batted beautifully,” Fry said of Manders.
“He was a bit slow to start on a pitch that was pretty tricky, a bit two-paced.
“He played with soft hands and once he got going, he went from 100 to 150 in (22) balls so he ramped it up which was a pleasure to watch.”
Following some ill-fortune with his dismissals in recent weeks for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, Ash Chandrasinghe returned to his Premier Cricket Club with the four-day state competition taking a hiatus.
He opened up with Manders but was unable to cash in, dismissed for 10 off 11 balls.
Spinner Ruwantha Kellapotha was promoted to number three and proved his batting credentials at Vic Premier Cricket level, playing second-fiddle to Manders in a 192-run partnership.
Kellapotha finished with 85, his late dismissal bringing Lachlan Sperling to the crease who capitalised on a fatigued bowling attack, smashing 25 off 11 balls.
He and Manders took the 47th over for 25 runs, with at least one boundary scored in each of the last seven overs, a period Casey South Melbourne scored at better than two runs a ball.
The mammoth total set up the Casey South Melbourne bowlers well to supercharge the result.
Kellapotha picked up 3/27 while young quick Devlin Webb, who is new to the Premier Cricket firsts scene for Casey South Melbourne, got a confidence-boosting three wickets.
Manders added that Fry brings great energy to the group.
“I could talk about ‘Jacko’ all day, he’s a great friend, he does some funny stuff and he doesn’t mean to do it,” he said.
“On the weekend he was running in to bowl and took his vest off and realised he was still wearing his warm-up shirt!”
Manders is among four close mates who Fry has helped bring to Casey-South Melbourne, a list which also includes Luke Shelton, Michael De Iacovo and Callum Dodson.
Fry said his consistency has grown during his seven years at the club and he values getting the most out of himself, adding that he still has a few years left in his legs to help Casey-South Melbourne break its premiership drought.
“A lot of people have told me along the way that I’ve been unlucky because I might have beaten the bat, but it is good, anytime you can contribute to a side when you’re winning is a great thrill,” he said.
“That half an hour after the game when you can sit down and reflect and know you’ve helped the win is the best part about it.”
Meanwhile, Dandenong’s sorry season continues, falling by seven wickets to Carlton at home to remain winless and planted firmly at the bottom of the table.
Stalwart Brett Forsyth was dismissed cheaply, but 50s to Sahun Perera, Ben Allison and Gehan Seneviratne gave the hosts something to work with at Shepley Oval.
However, none were able to kick on, all dismissed soon after passing the milestone.
Dandenong, defending 210, then found wickets hard to come by, with each Carlton partnership exceeding 35, all coming at a decent run-rate as the visitors controlled the run-chase, reaching the total with 29 balls to spare.
Allison was the pick of the bowlers with 1/23 off 10.
