Matt Chasemore wins Wookey Medal in first season back at Cranbourne
CRANBOURNE superstar Matt Chasemore has capped off a great first season back in the DDCA by winning the prestigious Alan Wookey Medal.
South East
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CRANBOURNE superstar Matt Chasemore has capped off a great first season back in the DDCA by winning the prestigious Alan Wookey Medal.
Chasemore polled 32 votes, holding on to win last night’s tightly contested count by three votes from Berwick’s big Boppa Jarrod Goodes. Eagles teammate and four-time winner Steve Spoljaric was next with 27. Bear Ryan Crawford was fourth with 26 meaning the top four placegetters were from Cranbourne and Berwick.
It could be the start of a big week for Chasemore with his side Cranbourne into the grand final and aiming to win only its second ever Turf 1 premiership, 26 years after its first in 1990.
The star signing of the winter started the season, like the weather, very coolly but as the weather has warmed up since then, so has Chasemore.
He and Spoljaric hold the keys to the Eagles’ premiership aspirations. Chasemore ended the home and away season with 428 runs and 15 wickets. Spoljaric made 467 runs and took 31 wickets.
With one round remaining Chasemore was one clear of Crawford with Spoljaric and Goodes a further two votes back. With big last round performances coming from Goodes and Spoljaric, Chasemore was confident after making 75 and taking two wickets in the final round. He was correct, polling the maximum 6 votes on offer.
Chasemore said he was a little bit surprised to win, after three times finishing runner-up in Premier cricket’s Ryder Medal.
He left Cranbourne as a 15-year-old to play Premier cricket, enjoying remarkable success at Dandenong, Frankston and St Kilda.
Chasemore said while he would cherish the win, team success was more important.
He was rapt to be back playing at his local club and was hoping to put a run of five grand final losses to the side by winning this weekend. “It’s a massive week for me. Hopefully it doesn’t go down that path again.”
Chasemore has admitted it took him time to get used to the DDCA.
“I really struggled at first, due to the lack of pace with the bowling. It’s really different. When you have trained your body to face guys bowling 130 to 140km/h for so long, it is hard to untrain that and get used to the lack of pace”.
WOOKEY MEDAL TOP FIVE
Matt Chasemore (Cranbourne) — 32 votes
Jarrod Goodes (Berwick) — 29 votes
Steve Spoljaric (Cranbourne) — 27 votes
Ryan Crawford (Berwick) — 26 votes
Michael Davies (HSD) — 22 votes
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