Bandara has grown in both his physical and cricketing stature.

“When I left Warrnambool I was really small, I’m about six-foot-two now, I’ve grown a heap over the last six months,” Bandara said.

“It’s good, it has given me more power so I get value for my shots.”

Bandara has signed up with the Melbourne Cricket Club but has been restricted to only a couple of appearances in the lower grades.

This is because the talented 17-year-old’s focus has been on his duties as part of the Melbourne Grammar team.

“We started pre-season in term three and we haven’t lost a game yet so it’s pretty important to us all,” Bandara said.

“I was supposed to play in the under 18s Western Waves this week but have the competition in Brisbane with the school team so that is a priority.”

The competition is the Tri-Grammar Cricket Festival, in which Melbourne Grammar takes on teams from Sydney and Brisbane grammar schools.

The competition has brought out the best in Bandara, who produced a memorable performance on Saturday against Brisbane Grammar.

He smashed an unbeaten 117, an innings that included six sixes.

Among those hits over the fence was a reverse sweep, which came much to the chargin of his father, champion Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) batsman and current Russells Creek coach Jayaweera Bandara.

“Dad is a traditionalist, so when we are in the nets having a hit I don’t practice the reverse sweep,” Bandara said with a laugh.

“I had already passed 100 and I thought it was a good time to give it a try and it came out alright. The whole innings felt good, it was one of those days and I wanted to make the most of it and get a big score.”

The Tri-Grammar Cricket Festival will conclude on the weekend with a two-day game between Melbourne and Sydney.

Jacob Hetherington (Nestles) 64, Jack Knight (Nestles) 50, James Elford (Russells Creek) 49, Shashan Silva (Russells Creek) 48, Aaron Williams (Port Fairy) 57, Weranga Bulathwala (East Warrnambool-YCW) 41, Gault McCluggage (Allansford) 37, Jacob Brooks (Brierly-Christ Church) 5-17, Jason Perera (Port Fairy) 4-15, Jack Sunderland (West Warrnambool) 4-19, Will Templeton (West Warrnambool) 4-47.

Lachlan Morrison (Wangoom) 105, Christo Rook (Yambuk) 92, Sam Melican (Panmure) 83, Tom Wright (Panmure) 79, Tim Bryce (Panmure) 50, Tane Quarrell (Wangoom) 43*, Hamish Gleeson (Yambuk) 40, Braden Hotker (Grassmere) 6-36, Chris Woodbridge (Mailors Flat) 6-113, Heaton Jarrad (Killarney) 4-33, Brayden Buchanan (Killarney) 4-57. 

Eddie Lucas (Bookaar) 62, Fraser Lucas (Bookaar) 60* and 2-11, Clinton Baker (Mortlake) 57 and 2-20, Tom Place (Pomborneit) 50*, Jeff Rosolin (Heytesbury Rebels) 38*, Isaac Wareham (Mortlake) 34, Todd Lamont (Mortlake) 25, Lahiru Fernando (Pomborneit) 2-8, Charlie Lucas (Bookaar) 2-14, Brad Hillman (Pomborneit) 2-14, Simon Baker (Bookaar) 2-15. 

Another chapter in a subject that just keeps on appearing, the effect pre-season football is having on cricket.

With many talented young players preferring to train for football as they press for higher honours, we found an interesting name in The Standard’s dispatches about Colts Country Week from January 2000.

The competition was won by  Warrnambool Green, led by co-captains Dustin Drew and Brett Eldridge. Warrnambool Green defeated Colac in the final.

Drew was player of the week but there was an even bigger name among the playing ranks.

The standout for Colac in the final was a batsman by the name of Luke Hodge.

The future Hawthorn champion top scored for Colac in the final with 28.

It seemed pulling on the cricket whites did not have a detrimental affect on Hodge’s football, given he played in a TAC Cup premiership with the Geelong Falcons later that year and was drafted by the Hawks the following season. 

The WDCA division two competition is heating up with the stars coming out to play on Saturday.

Fourth-placed Koroit is well placed after day one of its clash against Wesley-CBC.

The Saints racked up 8-300, thanks to a Matthew Webster century. Webster took just 120 balls to make 119, hitting 18 boundaries and six sixes along the way.

Adam Doak took 4-51 for Russells Creek as the ladder-leader bowled Woodford out for 172.

At Merrivale, the home side struck back late after it was bowled out for 163 against Allansford. The Gators top order was left in ruins, plummeting to 4-9 in four over before stumps. Jarrod Petherick was the destroyer, taking 3-4.

Former Australian cricket coach Darren Lehmann continues his love affair with South West Cricket Association (SWC) club Pomborneit. Lehmann sent out a tweet congratulating the Bulls on winning the SWC Twenty20 competition.