DDCA: Jesse Walia takes 12 wickets as outright win keeps Lynbrook’s Turf 3 season alive

This Lynbrook cricketer took eight wickets in an innings – and it wasn’t even the best first XI spell of his career – as an aggressive outright kept the Lakers season alive.

Lynbrook Lakers paceman Jesse Walia took 8-22 and 12 wickets for the match in his side's round 13 Turf 3 match against Doveton. Picture: Supplied.

Jesse Walia’s done it again.

Remarkably, the Lynbrook cricketer’s first innings haul of 8-22 against Doveton in the DDCA Turf 3 round 13 clash isn’t his best first XI spell.

That feat came almost a decade ago when he snagged an incredible 9-13 off six overs in a Turf 4 one-day match against Parkdale. He was voted Cricket Victoria’s club cricketer of the year for his efforts at the time and won Lynbrook a signed Victorian Bushrangers bat.

“To take eight wickets is no easy feat, he bowled really well,” reflected Jesse’s brother and Lakers captain Jay Walia of his latest effort.

The quick finished the match with figures of 12-55 – and was on a hat-trick in the second innings – as Lynbrook routed Doveton outright to pick up crucial bonus points and keep its season alive.

The return was just reward for Jesse, who had painfully missed 12 months of sport after he tore his ACL playing footy for Lyndhurst in 2023.

“There’s no stopping him, he’s an energiser bunny, so I think he struggled with (the injury), but he’s just glad to be out there and getting back into footy and cricket,” Jay said.

“I think he missed cricket a lot more … the longer the season’s gone on the better he’s looked.

“It’s definitely one of his best spells in recent years, he’s coming back from injury and hasn’t really done much, he started slow. He’s still fairly fit and active so I think he thought it was going to come back into place but it’s been a slow slog for him this year.

“It’s starting to click at the right time I guess.”

Jesse Walia celebrates a goal while playing footy for Lyndhurst in the Southern FNL. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Doveton has endured a testing Turf 3 campaign as it struggles for personnel and has gone without a win this season.

For Jay, the equation was simple for his side, who needed to secure the maximum 10 points to keep its season alive – and did so in a hurry.

After rolling the Doves for 49 on a rain-shortened first day, Lynbrook batted just 11 overs and raced to 4-60 before declaring.

Jay’s side then kept Doveton to 90 in the second innings and chased down the remaining 82 runs needed for victory with six wickets to spare.

“We knew we needed an outright going into the game to keep our season alive, I just said to all the bowlers that we’ve got to be as aggressive as we can and hopefully results go our way and we can keep our season alive,” Jay said.

“It all fell into place really … we go out hard and go down swinging I guess, if we didn’t get (the outright) we didn’t get it but we were always going to chase it.

The outright victory meant the Lakers have now jumped Berwick Springs, who they are equal on points with, despite an inferior net run rate.

Their fate is in their own hands heading into the final round, although they face a tall task and will have to topple ladder leaders Fountain Gate, to progress to the finals.

“We put together a few good batting performances and bowlers are starting to come together at the right time,” Jay said.

“We’ve got a good balance of experienced players and some real youth.

“I think we do have a shot at (the premiership) provided we keep this form going and we keep positive.

“I think any team on their day has a chance in that top four or five.”