By ADEM SARICAOGLU
MICK Allen now has a Hatch Medal to go with his Ryder Medal from the 2005-06 summer.
This summer the Melton skipper dominated the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association like few others have before him, scoring 957 runs at an average of 73.62 to claim the gong, five votes ahead of Williamstown’s Craig Sheedy.
That tally of 957 also broke a VSDCA record that had nearly lasted half a century, Val Holten’s 903 runs in 1966-67.
The 32-year-old was modest, but grateful upon reflection of his latest achievement.
“It was a great feeling,” Allen told Star.“You don’t play for those sorts of awards. If it happens it happens and I was fortunate enough that it happened.
“But I just went there to have a good time and catch up with a few mates and have a few beers and was lucky enough everything came together.”
Though the Lions were building into what turned out to be yet another premiership-winning campaign, Allen was struggling to overcome a major hurdle.
A solid start to the summer yielded five half-centuries, but the keeper-opening batsman’s New Year began with a duck against Williamstown.
That was then followed by a 96 and 99, and all of a sudden the dreaded nervous 90s became a significant issue.
The 99, made against Altona, was cut short by the most unlikely of catches as Allen edged the ball to the keeper, before it ricocheted into first slip and back into the keeper’s gloves.
“After that catch I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself because I still had another 25 or 30 overs to bat,” Allen recalled.
“I was more teed off that I got myself out just given we had so many overs to bat. That could have been a really big hundred.”
But in the next match Allen redeemed himself, and finally saluted for his first of two tons for the summer with a thumping 142.
“I felt like I was in form so I knew that if I’d stick to my guns I’d be right, and I wanted to prove it wasn’t a nervous 90s thing.”
Meanwhile Allen also revealed Nathan Geisler as the man set to fill the void left by outgoing Melton coach Duncan Harrison later this year.
Geisler, a past all-rounder for both Melton and Premier Cricket’s Footscray Edgewater, will be welcomed back to his old club with open arms, according to Allen.
“It’s fantastic for the club,” Allen said.“He’s a good bloke and obviously a good player, and he’s got a school teaching background so I think that’ll probably show in his coaching.
“I think he’ll be well-structured and he should have things running pretty smoothly, I reckon.”
