DECORATED Russells Creek batsman Jayaweera Bandara has called time on a division one career stretching nearly a quarter of a century.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 47-year-old will remain at the helm as head coach, but will not take the field next season, instead devoting more time to his son’s promising Victorian Premier Cricket career.
Bandara guided Creek to its first Warrnambool and District Cricket Association grand final this year, convincing the club’s committee to re-appoint him as a non-playing coach for next season.
He said while the decision to retire was tough, he was at peace and believed it was “the right time”.
“It was a hard decision. I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple of years,” he said.
“I still believe I’m up to playing at this level but I know the time is right.
“It was time to step back because my son (Dominic) is now playing cricket with Melbourne and we’d like to head up to watch him more on a Saturday afternoon.”
The established chef crossed to Australia in 1993 after a Sri Lankan first-class career with Colombo.
He recorded 648 Sri Lankan first-class runs before shifting to Victorian districts club North Melbourne.
After two years in the Victorian capital, Bandara relocated west, landing in Warrnambool with the Dennington Cricket Club in 1995.
The father-of-three then found a home with Russells Creek after a brief stint with Merrivale, and went on to notch two WDCA cricketer of the year awards. He scored more than 4500 runs in blue and white.
“You make so many good friends in the game. I’ve made life-long friends all over the world through cricket,” Bandara said.
“The time has just come for me to give back as a coach. I’ve got to thank my wife and kids because I’ve missed some things to play my passion, which is cricket.”
Bandara said Russells Creek remained in strong hands and that playing depth meant a number of youngsters would be granted more opportunity to play division one.
“As soon as I came to Creek I wanted to win an A grade flag, and we were so close this season,” he said.
“But for next year, there are still experienced players in the side. There are young kids coming through and the club is in a good position.
“We’ve got guys like Glenn Moore, Connor Macleod and Riley Owen. There are a lot of guys capable of stepping up to play in division one.
“We had nearly everybody coming to training this season, including division three. We’ve been getting between 30 to 35 people coming. The support is fantastic.”
