Inside Dandenong West’s three-step plan that delivered back-to-back DDCA flags

Just days after Dandenong West completed its second successive DDCA flag, Bulls stalwart Peter Lindsay recalls the meeting that sparked the club’s revival.

The Bulls are back in Turf 1.

Dandenong West stalwart Peter Lindsay remembers the meeting that turned his beloved Bulls around.

The Bulls had just been relegated from Turf 2 and were at the “lowest point” in their history.

Remaining optimistic, Lindsay, then president Jack Wind and the other brains of the club fashioned a three-step plan to regain its position as a Turf 1 power.

It was an ambitious view for a club facing its first season in Turf 3.

“It’s fair to say it was the lowest point the club has been at,” Lindsay said.

“I started at Dandy West in 1975 and it was a lowest point in that time, we were a little bit unlucky to get relegated at the time.

“Nonetheless we’d never played Turf 3 as a first XI before – things needed to change.

“A few of us decided to get together and see if we could turn things around … got together and put some plans in place, short term and long term.

“We were able to recruit a couple of decent cricketers and galvanise our 20-year-old guys.

“We felt if we got some experience cricketers who can play and teach then we’d be heading in the right direction and that is pretty much how it’s gone thus far.”

Dandenong West celebrate its second flag in as many years.

The Bulls are back in Turf 1.

Two seasons on, the Bulls have advanced into Turf 1 after clinching the Turf 3 grand final over Coomoora last summer before clinching the Turf 2 title over Parkfield on Sunday.

Proud the Bulls have ticked off two of the three steps in their plan, Lindsay believes they “still have a bit of work to do”.

“We’re under no illusions of the jump from Turf 2 to Turf 1,” he said.

“When we started to have a look at how things were going to go, it was a three-step plan … two of those steps have been made and we’re now on the third.

“In the first year I said ‘we’re a Turf 2 club playing Turf 3, don’t lose sight of that’ and then this year I said ‘we’re a Turf 1 club playing Turf 2’.

“Now we’re a Turf 1 club playing Turf 1 … this was the plan but it’s one thing saying it, now we’re doing it.”

The Bulls reached the second step of their plan by chasing Parkfield’s 207 five wickets down.

Ex-Test man Malinga Bandara took 5-79 from 26 overs on day 1 before Shaun Weir (55) and Riley Siwes (37 not out) saw the Bulls home.