By Gavin Staindl
BERWICK must be wondering what went wrong after it was bundled out of the Dandenong and District Turf One finals in one weekend after sitting on top of the league ladder for the past five months.
For the first time this year Berwick was completely out-classed, losing by 157 runs at Arch Brown Reserve.
Losing the toss may have been the turning point of the match as Buckley Ridges were able to score 4/151 in dry conditions before rain set in and began to play havoc on the pitch.
The Ridges, on the back of high scores by Suren Ekanayake (57), Paul Franks (75) and Ruwan Jayadeva (67) pushed the total to 8/317 from the 90 overs.
“They batted through the 90 overs which can be hard to do but if you do that you’re always in with a chance,” Berwick president Rod Allan said post game.
Berwick in response could only muster 160 as they were bowled for their lowest two-day score this season.
“We dropped half a dozen chances and they dropped none… They were catches that we should have taken and when you drop six it makes things hard.
“The boys are disappointed but there are a lot positives to come from the year,” Allan said.
At the beginning of the season the 9-1 Berwick side was picked by DDCA experts to be a mid-range team but a good balance of youth and experience coupled with some hard fought wins in the clutches proved to be a distinctive feature of the Bears.
“We won all of our one-dayers that we played in… and we won the close matches where as last year we would have lost them,” an optimistic Allan said.
Allan is also confident of retaining a similar side for next year.
“Simon Cornell is retiring… but I am pretty confident of retaining everybody for next season.”
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:JUNIORS
BERWICK junior cricket fielded seven teams in the six semifinals matches played at the weekend. Four sides will represent the club in premiership playoffs.
Under 17 (3): Lynbrook 7/226(cc) (M. Caruso 3/52) d Berwick 80.
Under 15 (1): Cranbourne 7/156(cc) (L. Crawford 3/10, E. Morris 2/21) d Berwick 127 (T. Stanton 33, R. Williamson 26).
Under 15 (2): Berwick 7/127 (M. Fleming 50*, H. Belleville) 29 d Lyndale 123 (T. Verhellen 3/33, S. O’Neil 2/5, M. Fleming 2/39).
Under 13 (1): Berwick 6/159(cc) (D. Perera 25*, J. Bartlett 25*) d Narre North 116 (J. Jessiman 3/17, L. De Silva 2/18).
Under 13 (2): Berwick White 3/230(cc) (A. Stirling 28*, A. SheldonCollins 27*, M. Connelly 27*, R. Gains 25*, J. van der Staay 25*) d Berwick Blue 211 (A. Titford 55, S. Whibley 43, J. Sauze 28, L. Whelan 2/16, A. Stirling 2/25).
Under 13 (4): Berwick 5/139(cc) (L. Lawrance 26*) d Maranatha Methodist 131 (A. Shilliday 2/13, S. Hamdam 2/15, M. Coe 2/19).
Club members should be proud of the junior contingent; of the 14 sides, 10 made it to finals, and seven to semifinals.
Berwick will be represented by these sides in the battle for premierships: Under 15 (2): Berwick v Narre Warren, at Turner Reserve. Under 13 (1): Berwick v Springvale South, at Pargeter Weeding Right. Under 13 (2): Berwick White v Maranatha Methodist, at Strathaird 2. Under 13 (4): Berwick v Buckley Ridges, at Barry Powell 2.
