Noble Park newcomer lighting up Sub-District cricket

Former first-class player Amal Athulathmudali is making a big impact in his first season at Noble Park.

Whack: Oakleigh’s Graham Vimpani hits out against Croydon.

Runs are coming early in the season for Noble Park recruit Amal Athulathmudali – quickly and powerfully.

Word about the left-hander’s clean hitting has been getting around Sub-District cricket since his Round 1 hand against Elsternwick.

He blitzed 66 not out off 33 balls that day, with 5 sixes and 5 fours, and followed up with 41 off 41 deliveries against Oakleigh.

On Saturday the player his teammates call “Mikey’’ thrashed the Bayswater bowling to set up the Parkers for a strong win at Bayswater Oval.

Athulathmudali cracked 84, with 15 fours and 1 six, in a 55-ball stay to hoist the visitors to 9-233 off their 40 overs.

Baysy were 7-181 off 36 – four overs were lost to rain – and DLS calculations gave the points to Noble Park.

Noble Park newcomer Amal Athulathmudali has made a cracking start to the Subbies season.

Champion Issy Perera (24), youngster Blake Hinchcliffe and fellow newcomer Heshan Perera (40) complemented Athulathmudali’s innings.

And Noble Park president Craig Ortland complimented it.

“He hits the ball very hard – I don’t think I’ve seen anyone hit it as hard as he does, to be honest; he gives it a whack – but he plays proper cricket shots,’’ Ortland said.

“One thing I like about him … he got out yesterday caught on the boundary at mid-wicket, when he could have made 150 or 160 … and he was shitty when he got out, really shitty. I like seeing that.’’

Athulathmudali, 33, was recruited from Dandenong District association club Parkmore, where he played for five years.

In first-class cricket in Sri Lanka he played 58 matches from 2008-15, hitting 2789 runs at 28.45.

Athulathmudali’s day wasn’t done after his innings against Bayswater. He opened the bowling and, coming off a short run with an all-shoulder action, took two wickets.

Ortland said John Salter’s knock of 55 for Baysy was terrific too.

Timber: Oakleigh’s Graeme Vimpani is castled.

Former Test spinner Michael Beer made his return to Sub-District cricket as Malvern defeated Mt Waverley in a high-scoring affair highlighted by a Michael Sheedy century at the Malvern City Oval.

Left-armer Beer had last played for the Roosters in 2002-03.

He opened the bowling with a five-over spell, returned to send down three more and finished with 0-26 off his eight, respectable figures compared to some teammates who felt the force of Sheedy’s bat.

The right-hander cracked 12 fours and 4 sixes in his innings of 119 not out off 108 deliveries.

It was his second century for Mt Waverley, which he joined in 2017-18. He also made two for Plenty Valley.

Lifted by half-centuries from captain Luke Walker (65) and Tom Rickarby (66), Malvern sped to 2-149 off 22.3 overs when rain arrived. A revised target of 180 was calculated and it got there in 26.5 overs.

Medium pacer Kurt Benjamin (3-30) bagged star Roosters trio Walker, Rickarby and Glen Parker (2). He possesses a “heavy ball’’ and has picked up some pace after a strong pre-season.

Walker said the club was chuffed to welcome back Beer.

“He’s fitted in really well, very keen and engaged, and he took the new ball and tied them down at the start,’’ he said.

As for Sheedy’s innings, he said it was a fine knock.

“He batted brilliantly, kept the good ones out, hit the loose ones,’’ Walker said.

“There was a very short boundary – the wicket was on that far side near the school – and he certainly took advantage of that.’’

Croydon’s Tom McQuinn.

Sheedy, 39, said he enjoyed coming up against Beer again: they played a lot of cricket against each other in Premier ranks, including in three consecutive One Day finals.

He said Beer had a big say on the result.

“He’s still a quality bowler … so crafty. He really did teach our guys about having to rotate the strike against quality bowling. He tied them down. He was good, and it was good to see him back out there playing,’’ he said.

Sheedy had no complaints with the result.

“They most certainly deserved to win,’’ he said of Malvern.

“They were 1-76 off 10. They came out all guns blazing with the Duckworth-Lewis system in the back of their minds.

“We were just disappointed they gave ‘Walks’ (Walker) and ‘Rickers’ (Rickarby) what they wanted, where they could whip and cut. First time with the white ball this season against a couple of quality batsmen and our bowlers struggled a little bit.’’

But Sheedy is satisfied with his team’s start to the season, thinking Mt Waverley has already come up against two top-four teams in Malvern and Brighton.

Brighton continued its rousing start to the season, speeding to 3-113 off 28 overs in reply to Balwyn’s 170 and getting the points on the DLS system.

The Tiger total was built around opener Luca Gambell’s 75; Brighton’s reply centred on opener Brenton Murphy’s 55 not out off 87 balls, with 4 fours and 1 six.

Oakleigh recruit Ryan Pearson took the applause as the Oaks (7-220) had their way with visiting Croydon (5-89 off 30).

Pearson went in at No 3 and hit 95 not out off 103 balls.

Alexander Jones added 23 not out off 24 as the hosts edged past 200.

Box Hill’s Ryan Webster prepares to drive.

Promising Caulfield batsman Josh Agar played his best innings in Subbies as the Fielders ran down Box Hill’s 5-150.

The 18-year-old batted through for 75 not out, off 115 deliveries, with the visitors easing to 4-151 after a short delay for rain.

Aaron Fetter (17no) kept him company at the end.

“He was brilliant,’’ Caulfield captain Jacob Thorne said of Agar.

“It was an outstanding knock, to be honest, pretty much a perfect knock when chasing. Opened up, faced the first ball and was there when we got there. Exciting to see from an 18-year-old. He’s already a good player and he’s going to get better. He’s got shots all around the ground. He’s a proper batsman.’’

Whack: Box Hill’s Hayden Rayner pulls out his pull shot.

Box Hill coach Ryan Webster made 54 not out off 77 balls against his former club, and Hayden Rayner (23) slapped quick runs in the late overs.

Endeavour Hills (239) notched its first win, defeating Moorabbin (5-117) at the Moorleigh Community Village Reserve, and Ormond (2-91) swept past Elsternwick (89), with the great left-arm paceman Rodney Bird grabbing 4-15 and young offie Tom Buchanan 3-15.