A DECISION to turn down lucrative offers in Melbourne to be with his wife and son has led Sri Lankan junior international Isuru Yaddehige to Russells Creek.
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Affectionately known as “Izzy”, the former first class cricketer moved to the south-west in April after his wife secured work alongside Creek coach Jayaweera Bandara.
Yiddehige, who arrived at Jetty Flat after four seasons with Aberfeldie Park and one with Aberfeldie as well as a Victorian Turf Cricket Association league best and fairest in 2014/15, said he was “100 per cent committed” to helping Creek to a maiden division one premiership.
“They want to win the flag and I am here to give everything I have to help them achieve that,” he told The Standard.
“We knew Bundy (Jayaweera Bandara) and that’s why we decided to come here. I’ve had four years of going back to Sri Lanka and coming back so I really want to settle here.
“Warrnambool is a nice place. I thought it was going to be a bit of a quiet place but it’s not at all. I’m living in Lava Street and everything is close to me.”
Yaddehige, a fast bowler and middle-order batsman, said he was looking forward to playing on south-west wickets because they generally favoured swing bowling.
“The conditions are probably the biggest difference between cricket in Victoria and cricket in Sri Lanka. The style of game isn’t so different,” he said.
“I think Warrnambool is a little bit colder, and can have overcast days in summer, so if it is even a bit like Melbourne I think it will suit me.”
In his time in Melbourne, Yaddehige averaged 27 wickets a season and scored a total of 1350 runs at an average of 23.68.
While he grew up in conditions primed for spin bowling in Sri Lanka, Yaddehige said a stint with Haxey Cricket Club in England’s East Midlands had helped him adapt for Victorian conditions.
He said Russells Creek had emerged as the right club after he met with president Nathan Divall and trained with the outfit last Friday.
“The people at the club were very nice,” he said.
“Bundy said to me ‘if you don’t want to play in Melbourne, you’re welcome to play here’. I knew it would be too hard to travel back and forth every week.
“There were other contracts up for grabs up there (in Melbourne) after the best and fairest but I wanted to be here with my family.”
It comes after Creek announced former Nestles gloveman Cameron Williams, batsman Josh Campbell and Jimmy Elford would wear the blue and white for the 2016/17 Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) season.
