Sport
Pine Lodge master-blaster the catalyst behind the club’s recent A-grade surge
A late start to his cricket career hasn’t stopped Darshana Prasad Loku Hettige from becoming one of the in-form batters in Cricket Shepparton’s top league.
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The Pine Lodge batter has hit a rich vein of form in recent matches, scoring back-to-back 50s for the newly promoted Haisman Shield side.
Loku Hettige has been an integral part of the Lodgers' pivot from being the last remaining winless side left in A-grade, to securing two victories on the trot.
The Sri Lankan-born and raised batter has lived in Australia for the past decade and says he is happiest when swinging the willow in his adopted homeland.
“I love to play cricket,” Loku Hettige said.
“As much as I can I play cricket.
“I (never) played junior cricket — the first time I played was in 2013 when I was (20-21 in Sri Lanka).”
His late entrance to the crease has been of no concern for Loku Hettige, with his power-hitting a key feature in the Lodgers' batting line-up this summer.
Loku Hettige’s journey to Lemnos Recreation Reserve has been as straight as Pine Lodge's non-preferred nickname — a pineapple.
The gun batter first arrived on Australian shores after completing his degree in civil engineering in Sri Lanka.
After playing for Sunday league cricket clubs in Melbourne, a work opportunity that extended his visa attracted Loku Hettige to the Goulburn Valley.
He soon joined Shepparton Youth Club United and started swinging his mighty bat ferociously in B-grade at Princess Park.
However, it didn’t take long for Loku Hettige to play his first Haisman Shield match.
The middle-order batter belted — ironically — Pine Lodge around the park in his debut B-grade game and raised the bat as he scored 50.
A move to A-grade swiftly followed.
Loku Hettige thanked his first club for helping him adjust to life in the Goulburn Valley.
“I played for Shepparton United... in 2022 and 2023,” he said.
“Sam Nash and (Chaminda Vidanapathirana) supported me really well.
“They have a lot of experience (which helped me settle in).”
Although Loku Hettige enjoyed his time at Princess Park, that didn’t stop him from celebrating Pine Lodge’s victory over his old club earlier this year.
The Lodgers had failed to find victory across the first nine rounds of their debut A-grade season and sat in last place on the ladder.
In round 10, Pine Lodge hosted Shepparton Youth Club United in a two-day fixture and Loku Hettige dominated the match.
Loku Hettige had also starred in the game prior when he struck 85 runs from 91 balls (10 boundaries and one six) against Mooroopna.
Determined to take this form into the match against his former club, Loku Hettige put on a show at Lemnos Recreation Reserve.
He struck a blistering 79 runs from just 94 deliveries (12 boundaries and two sixes) to push the Lodgers to their highest total for the season (195).
The visitors fought hard to chase down the target but fell nine runs short in a gripping encounter.
Loku Hettige said that a positional switch in the batting order had given him the confidence to free up his batting and find form.
“Recently I have got better chances from my club and I have come up the order to number five or six,” he said.
“I have also had good support from other players to perform partnerships.
“I like to go at run-a-ball, I have made some runs (that way); I always try to attack the bowlers.
“When the field changes I try to adapt and overcome.
“I love a straight drive over the bowler's head.”
Loku Hettige made the move across town to Pine Lodge — when it was a B-grade club — for the start of the 2023-24 season.
The 31-year-old said his friendship with fellow Lodgers star Tiron Fernando helped convince him to switch from blue and maroon to green and yellow.
“We have good players like Travis Waters and 'Tino' Fernando, they have huge experience,” he said.
“When we are practising they support me really well.
“Their experience is an advantage for us.”
Across Loku Hettige’s 35 Haisman Shield matches he has struck 704 runs at an average of 28.16 with four 50s and a high score of 85.
During his time at the crease in Cricket Shepparton’s top league, Loku Hettige said a handful of opposition bowlers stand out from the pack.
“There are a few very good bowlers (in A-grade),” he said.
“Henry Barrow from Mooroopna, Jesse Trower from Waaia and Callan McCabe from Old Students (are the hardest to face).”
Cadet Sports Journalist