Mordialloc captain Damith Mapa Ralalage leaves CSB, joins DDCA
Former first-class player Damith Mapa Ralalage will be returning to the association where he played in three Turf 1 flags.
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What a blow for the Bloodhounds.
Mordialloc has lost its skipper, wicketkeeper and leading batsman, Damith Mapa Ralalage.
The 35-year-old captained the Bloods to the Division 1 premiership in Cricket Southern Bayside last season, but he won’t be around to lead it back to the Championship.
Mapa Ralalage said today he wanted to play closer to home – he lives in Cranbourne North – and with less responsibility because of increased family demands.
He will playing in Turf 1 of the DDCA next season; he’s agreed to a two-year deal with Berwick.
Mapa Ralalage said he was sad to leave the Bloodhounds, whom he joined in 2013-14.
He played in the club’s 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2017-18 Turf 1 premierships when it was in the Dandenong association, and was among its leading players in the switch to Cricket Southern Bayside Championship two years ago.
Mordialloc was relegated in its first season in CSB but bounced back in 2020-21.
Mapa Ralalage made 40 in the grand final victory over Mentone and finished the season with 415 runs at 41.5, as well as 25 catches and three stumpings.
Mordi great Aaron Martello said Mapa Ralalage was one of the best players he had seen at the club.
“Superstar,’’ he said.
“I don’t look at the stats but he would have made something like 2500, 3000 runs in his years with us.
“And there was a period there of three or four years when he didn’t let one bye through.’’
Mapa Ralalage played 52 first-class matches in Sri Lanka, as well as 30 List A matches.
Two of Mordialloc’s young premiership players – Brendan Morris and Lucca Parkinson – are set to try their hand at Premier Cricket next season.
But the Bloodhounds have recruited a star from the Box Hill Reporter District association, as well as a former Sri Lankan Under 19 representative, as they prepare to resume in the CSB Championship.
Mordi have signed Chamindru Mathra, who has put up good numbers for Blackburn South and then East Burwood in the Box Hill competition.
His run aggregate of 667 at 66.70 in 2016-17 included an unbeaten 203 for Blackburn South, as well as another century.
In 2019-20 he hit 629 runs for East Burwood, and last season he came in with 370 at 26.42 for a side that reached the grand final.
The right-hand batsman and handy off-spin bowler played 14 first-class matches in Sri Lanka.
The Bloodhounds have also snared AK Tyrone, who has spent the past three seasons at Garfield Tynong. Like Mathra, he’s a batsman and offie.
Playing in Division 2 of the Warragul association in 2018-19 he plundered 1088 runs at 98.91 – with five centuries – and took 31 wickets.
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