By Julian Bayard
BEACONSFIELD’S total of 224 was not enough to hold off a strong Kooweerup side, with the Demons scoring 261 from 74 overs to claim a comfortable victory in B Grade.
Brendan Wilby was the pick of the Kooweerup batsmen with an excellent 48 runs, while Tigers’ bowler Aaron McDermott sent down 15 overs to take 3/51.
Upper Beaconsfield’s batsmen never looked likely of chasing down Cardinia’s imposing total of 362, with the Maroons being dismissed for just 166 from 62.3 overs.
Bulls’ fast bowler John Ramsden was the pick of the bowlers with 4/58 from 17 overs, while Upper Beaconsfield under-17 batsman Matt Hutson (37 runs) and Glenn Kilburn (35 runs) were the only players to offer any resistance to the Cardinia attack.
Emerald faltered in its chase of PUT’s score of 118, falling 17 runs short after an excellent spell from Yabbies’ bowler Frank Scaturchio (6/21 from 10 overs) haltered the Bombers’ run chase.
Only Andrew Brown (39 runs) and Rodney Smith (34 runs) took it up to the PUT attack, while Richard Fromhold also chipped in with two handy wickets for the Yabbies.
Merinda Park batsman Lester Betreen hit a sensational innings of 100 not out as the Cobras completely outplayed Clyde at Donnelly Reserve.
The home side scored 2/212 before closing its innings after Betreen reached triple figures and Andrew Martin scored a fine half-century. Batting for a second time, Clyde reached 2/68 from 30 overs at stumps.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:C GRADE
PUT was unable to overhaul Officer’s imposing total of 315, falling 53 runs short after being dismissed for 262 from 65 overs.
Yabbies’ batsman James Perkins fell agonisingly short of his first century of the season with 94 runs, while John Fleming also batted well for his 59 runs.
For the Bullants, Andrew Tucker was the stand-out performer with the ball, taking 4/68 from his 22 overs.
Catani’s score of 161 proved to be too strong for Emerald, with the Bombers being dismissed for just 101 in reply.
Emerald opening batsman Michael Van Leeuwen top scored for his side with 31 runs, while Blues’ opening bowler Damien Nieuwesteeg was superb, taking 4/32 from 13.3 overs.
Devon Meadows’ bowling attack backed up its batsmen’s efforts from last week by dismissing Pakenham for 173, still 86 runs short of the required total.
Luke Wishart was the best of the Devon Meadows bowlers with 4/40 from 12 overs, while Lions’ batsman Michael McLaren hit six boundaries in his innings of 46.
A magnificent batting performance from Tooradin saw the Seagulls win a tough contest against Beaconsfield at Akoonah Park.
Peter O’Hare (72 retired), Brett Murray (63 runs) and Grant Kernot (60 retired) were all superb as the Seagulls scored 6/275 in reply to the Tigers’ score of 241.
For Beaconsfield, Josh Bruneau was the pick of the bowlers taking 4/64 from 14.5 overs.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:D GRADE
Merinda Park comfortably won its match against Cardinia after dismissing the Bulls for just 93, who fell well short of the Cobras’ score of 192.
Cobras’ bowlers Grant Pearson (4/22 from 10 overs) and Martin Donaldson (3/10 from nine overs) were the stand-out performers on the day.
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll’s Michael Lewis hit a brilliant 105 runs as the Marygoons easily overcame Lyndhurst’s total of 185, scoring 6/283 from their 70 overs.
No bowling statistics are available from the Vikings at the time of writing this report.
Eighty-five runs from Kooweerup’s Nathan Findlay ensured Kooweerup gained victory against Kilcunda/Bass, with no other scores available from the match.
An excellent spell of bowling from Pakenham’s Troy Lehman ensured the Lions gained victory against Nyora, with Lehman taking 3/22 from 12.4 overs to dismiss the Maroons for just 110, in reply to Pakenham’s 143.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:E GRADE
A sensational innings from Merinda Park’s Craig Lee ensured the Cobras gained victory in their match against Emerald, with Lee scoring 77 runs to help his side to 9/230 from 60 overs, easily overcoming the Bombers’ score of 134.
Emerald’s Ryan Appleby was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets from his six-over spell.
Cranbourne Meadows’ Trevor Poole smashed 76 not out as the Rebels completely outplayed Pakenham to score 6/145 from 51 overs in reply to the Lions’ overnight score of 135.
Peter Shea was the only Lions bowler to taste any real success with 2/27 from 15 overs, while three run outs were seen during the Rebels’ innings.
PUT’s total of 223 was far too strong for Officer, with the Bullants being dismissed for 168 in the 55th over of the afternoon.
Yabbies bowler Greg Brown was the stand-out performer for his side, taking season-best figures of 3/39 from 13 overs.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:F GRADE
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll narrowly missed out on outright points in its match against Gembrook, with the Brookers being dismissed for just 93 in their first innings before reaching 6/73 at the end of play after Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll scored 272 last weekend.
Marygoons’ bowler Ashley Bailey was the star for his side taking 3/15 from 20 overs, including seven maidens.
Upper Beaconsfield gained outright points in its match against PUT, with the Maroons reaching the required total for the loss of just two wickets.
Chris Reid capped off a memorable match by scoring 44 not out for the victorious Maroons, while Stuart Black’s efforts in the field were inspirational for the Maroons.
Devon Meadows smashed 5/321 from just 54 overs in its match against Lang Lang, with Arthur Churchill hitting 100 not out, while Steve Brewster (66 runs) and wicket keeper Mark Hosking (62 runs) also contributed to the mammoth total.
Beaconsfield’s total of 253 proved to be far too strong for Lyndhurst, with the Vikings managing just 147 in reply, after James Johnstone claimed 3/37 from six overs for the Tigers.
