Plenty Valley makes strong start to off-season with new coach, two recruits

After a winless 2021-22 season Plenty Valley has made a stunning start to the off-season by securing an ex-international coach and two recruits.

Plenty Valley has made a strong start to the Premier Women’s off-season securing a new coach and two international recruits.

Former Sri Lanka international Suraj Randiv will take the coaching reins at War Memorial Park.

It’s a much-needed coup for the Bats after several key departures in recent years and enduring a winless season in 2021-22.

Plenty Valley president Darren Callahan was looking forward to seeing Randiv’s impact on the club’s talented young players.

“Suraj is a great guy, very accomplished from a cricket perspective and exactly the type of high-profile appointment we needed for our female program,” Callahan said.

Suraj Randiv celebrates with Kumar Sangakkara after dismissing Brad Haddin.

“We’ve lost some players in the last couple of years, which hurt us this year, but we’ve put a really good coaching structure together and working hard on our academy to develop talent.

“He’s a friend of a friend is the best way to say it.

“He’s still a young man, he’s only 38, and looking to expand his coaching career and really keen to get into a Premier environment.

“He was put in our lap, which was great, and he’s going to run our high-performance program and instrumental in improving our pathway.”

Outgoing coach Brett Cole will shift to assistant while taking on a head of female cricket role.

Randiv moved from Premier Cricket outfit Dandenong to Eastern Cricket Association club Edinburgh this season in a playing-coach role.

It’s expected he’ll remain with Edinburgh on Saturdays and mentor Plenty Valley’s young talent on Sundays.

Randiv will be joined by fellow Sri Lanka internationals Nipuni Hansika and Rebeka Vandort at Plenty Valley next season, set to cross from Premier rival Carlton.

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The pair will give the Bats’ First XI a massive boost having played 34 ODIs and 20 T20 internationals and seven ODIs and 22 T20Is respectively.

Hansika impressed as an opener in her second season with the Blues, scoring 432 runs at an average of 39.27, to help the club reach the grand final.

Vandort tallied 93 runs in limited opportunities and took 13 wickets at 26.33.

Callahan had no doubt they would have an instant impact on the club’s fortunes.

“They were looking for a change and knowing Suraj through his international career with Sri Lanka it all fitted nicely,” he said.

“We’ve added some real quality to the playing group and we’ve got some others on the go, so thinks are coming together nicely.

“We had a focus at the end of the season … to get four or five senior players in so we can develop our younger talent in the Twos.”

While Plenty Valley didn’t win a game this season the club still possesses some exciting young talent.

Jasmine Nevins and Aanlynia Cheeran are part of Cricket Victoria’s Under-19 Emerging Players program and loom as star players of the future.

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Nevins ranked 15th in runs scored this season, racking up 260 at 28.89.

Then with her Premier season finished, returned to Bendigo and made BDCA history when she made her First XI debut for Kangaroos Flat.

Meanwhile, Cheeran ranked 36th in both runs and wickets, collecting 125 runs and 10 wickets, in an impressive second season in the top flight.

“Jaz and Aanlynia are very good players, they’re in the Victorian system, so it’s really important that we provide an environment that is more competitive so that they can develop and improve,” Callahan said.