Retired Casey South Melbourne bat Michael Wallace has made a DDCA return

Retired Premier Cricket star Michael Wallace will finish his cricket career where he started it, saying there was always an intention to go “home”.

Michael Wallace batting for Casey. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Berwick “feels like home” for Michael Wallace.

Wallace has retired from Victorian Premier Cricket after 12 years and will return to junior club Berwick in the Dandenong District Association.

He started a small leg-spinner moving through the grades but returns a towering batter with five Premier Cricket tons to his name.

“I started out at Berwick … I played my first few senior games with my dad which was really cool at the time,” Wallace recalled.

“I moved up the grades and played a few senior T20s and a lot of Turf 2 as a leg-spinner.

“They, along with Will Carr, who was at Berwick at the time helped me move to St Kilda, I have good memories there.

“I always thought I’d go back there once I was done at Premier Cricket and obviously now is that time.”

Wallace crunches a drive. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Wallace, who is a one-point player for the Bears, can’t remember the highest he batted before his Premier Cricket career but is assured it “would’ve been no higher than nine”.

The classy left-hander has never toasted to premiership success but is keen to resurrect the heartache of the agonising loss to Carlton.

“We got so close at Casey,” he said.

“I had a lot of fun working hard with the boys there, that was a lot of fun but I didn’t have the time and energy left to compete at that level.

“You’re coming up against professional cricketers and if you’re not putting in the work, you get found out pretty quickly against them.”

Wallace has ruled out bring back his leg breaks back is happy to be thrown the ball if needed.

“I don’t think it’ll be leggies,” he said.

“If the captain asks me to bowl, I’ll bowl, but there’s some pretty good bowlers down there so I don’t think I’ll be needed much.”