VSDCA 2018-19: Chris Spinella in superb form for St Bernard’s
AFTER ending last summer with a sense of frustration, St Bernard’s batsman Chris Spinella has started the VSDCA campaign in a blaze of glory.
North West
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CHRIS Spinella ended last summer with a sense of frustration.
The St Bernard’s batsman ranked as one of the top-20 batsmen in the VSDCA’s North-West group in 2017-18, compiling 383 runs at an average of better than 40.
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But a failure to convert a series of starts at the beginning of the campaign left him intent on atoning this season.
“I have just felt like it has been going all right the last couple of years,” Spinella said.
“I just haven’t really been able to convert.”
With 844 runs in the past two seasons, Spinella has been a key figure at the top of the batting order for St Bernard’s.
In his first six innings last summer, the right-hander scored between seven and 22, unable to convert several starts.
He peeled off 23 not out in a Round 7 victory against Brunswick, the start of a golden finish to the campaign during which he posted 64 not out, 74, 114 and 42.
Spinella has carried that form into 2018-19, opening the season with 101 against Box Hill and compiling 118 not out against Coburg.
He said relinquishing wicketkeeping duties two years ago had been a “blessing in disguise” and led to a more relaxed approach to his batting.
“I’ve had some big partnerships,” he said.
“I had one with Tim (Grant) and one with Tristan (Kassis) the other day.
“Having other experienced batters at the crease (has helped).”
The 28-year-old said new Snowdogs coach Nigel Freebairn had given him a simple message, one which has clearly resonated with the No. 3 batsman.
“He gives us some tasks to go into as individual batsmen,” he said.
“Just to go out and bat time, bat as long as I can.”
Spinella has also taken on added responsibility with the ball, filling a spin-bowling void left by Sanjaya Fernando’s departure.
Bowling what he describes as “a stock standard leg-break”, the tweaker has snared seven wickets in the opening two games of the campaign.
“We haven’t got a full-time spinner at the moment,” he said.
“Tim bowls a bit of off-spin as well. We don’t have Sanjaya (Fernando) playing for us anymore, so someone had to do it.”
Spinella has relished the batting-friendly conditions at Murphy Oval as St Bernard’s chases a maiden finals berth in its third year in the VSDCA.
The Snowdogs have amassed 579 runs in two innings on their home ground to start the season and lost only 11 wickets.
“It’s pretty lush, good ground cover and it’s really fast. Bit of a batter’s paradise,” Spinella said.
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