By Marc McGowan
CASEY-SOUTH Melbourne wicketkeeper Robbie Elston celebrated after setting a club record for the most dismissals in a single season on Saturday.
The 25-year-old from Pakenham is in his second year with the club after spending three seasons with Victorian Premier Cricket rival Dandenong.
The previous record-holder was Phil Kingston, who recorded 39 dismissals in the 1991-92 season.
Elston entered the match against Hawthorn-Monash University one behind the mark and proceeded to equal it the previous weekend before claiming it outright with a further two catches on Saturday.
“It’s pretty satisfying. It’s good that all the hard work has come to fruition,” he said.
“It was just very good to get a couple of catches and win this game.”
Elston’s 41 victims included 35 catches and six stumpings, which easily trumped his best effort from last season.
“I think last season was my best with 27 or so,” he said.
“I had a good year last year and probably an even better one this year.
“I’ve had a really good year with the gloves, but not so good with the bat, unfortunately.
“But I’ve had a good finish to the year with the bat. I’ve made starts the last few games, so hopefully I can carry that onto next year.”
The former Pakenham Upper-Toomuc junior has scored 172 runs at an average of 12.29 this season, but has been removed only once in his last three knocks while compiling 59 runs.
“I opened at the start of the year and was a bit unlucky early. I wasn’t moving my feet and got into a bit of a rut, I suppose,” Elston said.
“I moved back down the order and gradually turned it around very, very slowly with hard work and eventually it’s come good.”
Elston’s second catch on Saturday handed his side a one-run victory over the finals-bound Hawks.
“I probably went the wrong way a little bit, to be honest. Luckily enough, I got back into it and got one glove to it and it stuck,” he said.
“It was pretty exciting. We were looking down the barrel at one point.
“To take a match-winning catch is always a really good feeling.”
As for his struggling club, Elston believes the triumph may just give it the impetus to kick on to better things next season.
“It just gives us hope for next year. We’ve had a tough year,” he said.
“We’ve probably batted well at times and not bowled well or bowled well and not batted well.
“We pushed Dandenong a few weeks ago and lost by 15, and we made 350-odd and lost to Fitzroy, so we have probably done well in patches, but just haven’t put it all together enough.”
