VTCA’s champion players crowned, Sunshine star claims fourth league medal

The VTCA has crowned its champion players with Sunshine gun Kaushal Lokuarachchi winning his fourth league medal and a Keilor spinner taking the top gong.

Sunshine gun Kaushal Lokuarachchi claimed his fourth VTCA league medal on Friday night.

The Sri Lankan all-rounder made it back-to-back awards and a hat-trick of Division 1 medals after another stellar season with the Crows.

He previously won in 2015-16 and also has a Senior Division Paxino Medal in 2018-19 to his credit.

Lokuarachchi scored 411 runs at an average of 29.36 and snared 32 wickets at 12.53, finishing the season as the competition’s second highest wicket-taker, to help Sunshine reach the semi-finals.

He took a season-high 7-26 against Doutta Stars among three five-wicket hauls and hit 97 against PEGS – one of five half centuries.

Sunshine’s Kaushal Lokuarachchi. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Keilor’s Matthew Gaskett. Picture: Andy Brownbill

The Crows star polled 57 votes to edge Sydenham-Hillside pair Gayashan Weerasekara (48) and Ishan Peiris (46).

In the Paxino Medal, Keilor’s Matthew Gaskett won a thrilling count to be named the Senior Division Player of the Year.

The Blues spinner enjoyed an outstanding campaign, finishing with 34 wickets – ranked second in the competition – at an average of 12.82.

He twice took five-wicket hauls, 5-20 against Deer Park and 5-42 against Sunshine United, and went wicketless just once.

Gaskett polled 43 votes to pip Deer Park’s Ricky Suvada by one, while Aberfeldie’s UK import Charles Thurston finished third on 38 votes.

He is the first Keilor player to win the award since Lokuarachchi.

Together with teammate Miguel Cummins, Gaskett was also named in the Senior Division Team of the Year.

Yarraville Club’s premiership-winning captain-coach Mitch Johnston was named captain of the side, which featured two players from Deer Park, Aberfeldie, Haig Fawkner and one each from Clubbers, Sunshine United and Druids.

In the night’s other awards, Royal Park-Brunswick’s James Park-Johnson was named the Division 2 Player of the Year, Glenroy’s Cooper McPharlane won the Division 3 medal, Sakun Hettiyahandi claimed the Division 4 award for Gellibrand and Melton South’s Sameera Vithana finished top in Division 5.

Caroline Springs star Caitlin Pretty added the Women’s Division Medal to her premiership medal and grand final MVP to cap an outstanding season.

Cooper McPharlane in action for Glenroy. Picture: Hamish Blair

VTCA AWARD WINNERS 2022-23

Senior Division Turner Shield: Matthew Gaskett (Keilor)

Women’s Division: Caitlin Pretty (Caroline Springs)

Division 1 Isaacs-Howarth Shield: Kaushal Lokuarachchi (Sunshine)

Division 2 McNamara Shield: James Park-Johnson (Royal Park-Brunswick)

Division 3 Picone Shield: Cooper McPharlane (Glenroy)

Division 4 Evans-Clark Shield: Sakun Hettiyahandi (Gellibrand)

Division 5 Pollock Shield: Sameera Vithana (Melton South)

Senior Division Second XI Quinn Shield: Sikander Sharma (Craigieburn)

Division 1 Second XI Bondini-Bannon Shield: Ben Sims (Airport West St Christophers)

Division 2 Second XI Jamieson Shield: Pasindu Perera (St Andrews Pascoe Vale)

Division 3 Second XI Smith Shield: Brayden Passmore (Glenroy) & Adnan Sarwar (Sunshine Heights)

Division 4 Second XI King Shield: Muhammad Farooq (Roxburgh Park)

Division 5 Second XI Law Shield: Jason Wozniak (Footscray Angliss)

Under-18 Division 1: Fayzan Abdul Sathaar (Werribee)

Under-18 Division 2: Mitchell Higgs (Keilor)

C1 Keon Shield: Jayakumar Navaneeth (Altona North)

C3 Eastwood Shield: Josh Willmore (Doutta Stars)

C4 Thomas Shield: Nick Keating (Gellibrand)

D1 O’Dwyer Shield: Awais Nawaz (Jacana)

D2 Scarborough Shield: Zach Beniwal (Sydenham-Hillside)

D3 Shield: Shannon Wigmore (Doutta Stars)

D4 Shield: Dayan Galappaththi (Werribee Centrals)

Curator of the Year: Lachie Fletcher (PEGS)

Spirit of Cricket: Sunshine United and PEGS