By David Nagel
WGCA LOWER GRADES
REVIEW – ROUND 6 (DAY TWO)
B GRADE
Carlisle Park (8/228) is the proud owner of a top-four position after Round 6 after completing a magnificent run-chase against Upper Beaconsfield (225) on Saturday.
The Vikings were part of a huge reshuffle of the top four, joining Devon Meadows and Kooweerup as the big climbers at Officer’s expense.
Meanwhile, top-of-the table Merinda Park maintains its two-game buffer at the summit.
But the Vikings produced the biggest story of the round, chasing down an impressive Maroons’ total at Upper Beaconsfield.
Resuming at 0/9, the Vikings started well enough with dangerous skipper Lesley Howell (40) and Jesse Fitzgerald (11) seeing off the new ball, but things soon changed in a hurry.
Chad McDonald (2/81 off 21.4) led the charge for the Maroons, claiming the first wicket of Fitzgerald, and when he had Howell trapped in front the home side had reduced the visitors to 5/86.
But the Vikings had some tricks up their sleeve, with Asim Ahmad (57) sharing partnerships of 48 with Aaron Straughair (14), 29 with Manjeet Sandhu (19), before departing the scene after a 39-run stand with Dean Lyddy (38 not out).
The Vikings were still in grave danger of defeat at 8/202, but Lyddy and Andrew Kendall (7 not out) stood defiant, sharing an unbeaten partnership of 26 to get the Vikings home in a thriller. Nick Meyers (3/49 off 27) gave his all for the Maroons, bowling eight maidens in a marathon spell.
Runs on the board were the order of the day in the remaining three games.
Tom Glassborrow (4/22) claimed the best bowling figures of the day as he led Kooweerup (6/306) to an easy defence of its huge day-one total against Pakenham (160) at Toomuc Reserve.
The Lions were impressive early, with Matt Kouris (52) and Mitch Tielen (35) joining skipper Mick McLaren (32) in a disciplined display with the willow. Tielen and Kouris put on 65 for the second wicket, before Kouris and McLaren backed it up with a 63-run stand.
But the Lions capitulated from that point forward, falling from 2/135 to lose their last eight wickets for just 25 runs. Hayden Watson (3/7) had a big impact in a short space of time for the Demons, while club-legend Matt Davey (1/23) was typically frugal in his 15 overs at the crease.
Merinda Park (6/232) has continued its unbeaten start to the season after steamrolling Officer (141) at Donnelly Reserve.
The Cobras were just too consistent for too long against the Bullants with Amreek Mann (4/31 off 16.4), Thanuja Senerathna (2/25 off 12), Jass Dhaliwal (2/38 off 16) and Gurpreet Goraya (1/38 off 16) all hitting the spot on a regular basis.
The Bullants had plenty of blokes get starts, but the likes of James Parnall (27), Darren Kneebone (25), Brent Pullen (22) and Chris Byrne (20) all failed to kick on to a winning score.
And Devon Meadows (6/261) was the biggest mover of all, jumping from sixth to third after a rock-solid bowling performance against Emerald (8/136).
Jack Hazendonk (3/29 off 20) gave nothing away for the Panthers, who won well after recovering from 3/1 at the start of the opening day. James Burke (37), Lachlan Crnogorac (29) and Shaun Santini (22 not out) tried hard for the Bombers – who suffered their first taste of defeat since Round 2.
C GRADE
Clyde (7/230) star Stuart Williams (7/38 off 15.1) can expect to see a nice shiny cricket ball adorn a trophy on presentation night this season after a brilliant seven-wicket haul against Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll (122) on Saturday.
Williams’ magnificent performance was enough to see the Cougars jump to top place on the ladder, replacing Cranbourne Meadows at the loftiest of heights.
Williams claimed the first five wickets to fall to a bowler – Russell Jackson (10) was run out – to leave the Marygoons reeling at 6/49. He then temporarily handed over the baton to Kidman Johnstone (1/30) and Zac Shepard (1/31) before knocking over the stumps of Nick Mueller (23) to finish off his masterclass in control.
Mueller and Brenton Huyskens (30) did well to bring a level of respectability to the scoreboard for the Marygoons – whose two-game winning streak comes to an end.
There’s an old saying that says “you can’t beat experience” and Cranbourne Meadows (125) found that out the hard way after Catani (134) stretched its winning streak to five at Catani on Saturday.
The Cats were in more crap than a Werribee duck overnight, resuming at 5/33 after a horror finish to day one. Rebels’ star Maqbool Laiq had 4/19 overnight.
But the Cats had three familiar faces to give them hope, with Chris Banbury (23) and Wade Haysom (22) at the crease and Brad ‘Snags’ McDonald (36) still to come.
The trio had no room for error, with Banbury and Haysom performing their roles to perfection before McDonald played the ultimate captain’s innings. He top scored for his side against the absolute quality of Laiq, who ended with 6/39 from 21 overs.
Laiq received great support from Atta Basit (2/30), while Mitchell Gregson (8) and Matt Thompson (4) made some vital runs for the Cats as they closed in on victory.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc (147) is celebrating just its second win of the season after keeping Cardinia’s (131) batsmen quiet at Rythdale.
The Bulls were well placed overnight, resuming at 1/28, with Luke Turner (17) and Jye Remy (47) at the crease and requiring just 120 runs for victory.
But Turner went quickly, leaving Remy to play a patient innings that would hopefully get his team home. He played the role to perfection, but had not enough support as Luke Merrett (22) and Matt Argoon (22) were the only Bulls to put their hands up.
In the end it was numbers that told, with the Yabbies having more significant contributions on day two.
The most significant of those came from club president Brett Carey (3/19), while the efforts of Lee Harris (2/23 off 19) and Jonathon Rewell (2/38 off 18) should not be underestimated in the final wash up.
And Lang Lang (6/150) did as expected and comfortably chased down Officer’s (115) first innings score at Starling Road.
Opener William Wykes (40) laid the groundwork for the Swampies, with Hayden Diehl (25), Owen Milton (21) and Max de Longville (21 not out) finishing off his great work.
Matt Lucas (2/8) was the only Bullant to claim two wickets.
D GRADE
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll’s (4/210) Geoff Ball (102) has once again shown why he is regarded as one of the most consistent cricketers in the lower grades of the WGCA with a sparkling century against Pakenham (199) at Nar Nar Goon on Saturday.
The Marygoons’ stalwart scored his seventh century since records began in 2007/08, now having scored 3814 runs at the impressive average of 30.76. And he seems to be getting better with age, with his 2017/18 season continuing to surge on an uphill spiral.
He has five hits this season, with scores of 6, 8, 28, 66 and 102 suggesting he is just starting to get his eye in – god help the next team that plays him as his scores continue to rise.
Ball had great assistance on the weekend from Alan Downes (64 not out), who shared a 147-run stand with Ball after the Marygoons had looked shaky at 3/49.
The pair took the game away from the Lions, who had Brad Luka (2/17) claim bowling honours.
Carlisle Park (9/123dec and 2/6) has earned maximum points against Tooradin (42 and 83) after Lee Wolfe (7/31 off 11) produced a stunning bowling display against the Seagulls at Barry Simon Reserve.
The Vikings were 5/43 overnight, one run ahead of the Seagulls, and batted on to an 81-run lead.
That batting was made all the more difficult as Dale Bethune (6/25 off 16) added another five-wicket haul to his growing collection.
The Vikings than asked the Seagulls to bat again, with Wolfe slicing through the Gulls after Alex Johnson (27) had given them a fast start. Navdeep Singh (3/24 off 9) was also in great form for the Vikings, who rolled the Seagulls in the 30th over.
Needing three runs for the outright, the Vikings lost two scalps along the way with Bethune (1/3) and Matt Finch (1/3) finishing off a bowler dominated contest where 31 wickets were taken for just 254 runs.
And having already sewn up first innings points, Kooweerup (120 and 223) used day two as batting practice against Merinda Park (58 and 2/35) at Donnelly Reserve.
Dan Tannahill (76) held the top order together for the Demons before Graeme Caig (37), Nick Cameron (35) and Troy Ryan (28 not out) saw off the very best that Scott Kunziak (3/47), Kanwaljit Handa (2/24) and Scott Strang (2/28) had to offer.
SFX Old Collegians had the bye.
E GRADE
Cranbourne Meadows (96) has overcome a poor batting performance on day one to prove it is still the team to beat for this year’s title after the Rebels rolled Catani for 63 at Catani on Saturday.
Opening bowler Adrian Savage (6/13) wound back the clock with a vintage mix of danger and economy, bowling 13 maidens in 21 overs of pure class.
Savage received great support from Mark Zoldak (3/18 off 11) as the pair kept the foot on the throat of the Cats, who resumed day two on 4/36.
Only Bill Purvis (12 not out) and Troy Robinson (11) showed any worthwhile resistance as the Cats showed all the rustiness of a team that hadn’t played cricket for a fortnight. The Cats won their last game against Upper Beaconsfield via a forfeit.
Catani drops from second to third with the loss while the Rebels are now a game clear at the top of the table.
Gembrook (6/243) has pulled off one of the great run-chases of the season after its top order made batting look easy against local-rival Emerald (229) at Gembrook.
The Brookers were a much improved version of the team that sat at the bottom of the ladder prior to Round 6, with opener Martin Williams (71 not out) playing a steady sheet-anchor role to guide his side to victory.
Williams shared a 59-run stand with Darcy Williams (27), a 77-run partnership with Dean McPherson (59) before a 92-run union with Craig Heppell (48) saw the Brookers home with seven wickets in the bank.
Glenn Tucker (2/38) was the only Brooker to claim multiple wickets in a very long day at the office for the visitors.
Devon Meadows (6/204) also had a day out with the bat, steadily chasing down Pakenham Upper/Toomuc’s (194) competitive score at Heatherbrae Reserve.
The Panthers were 2/20 at the resumption of play but a fighting partnership between Mark Hosking (89) and Ravinda Mallikarachchi (29) got things off to a steady start.
Shane Filius (35) and Antony Scott (25) then ensured the Panthers would win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
John Miller (3/56 off 33) bowled a marathon spell for the Yabbies, with his 15 maidens giving an indication of his precise line and length. Ryan Mibus (2/55) was next best for the Yabbies.
And Officer (6/196) has taken a massive step in its quest to play finals this season after the Bullants proved too strong with the bat for Upper Beaconsfield (143).
The Bullants now sit fifth, but are level on points with the Maroons who occupy fourth place on the ladder.
The main instigator of this success story was opener Jayson Dryden (61), while Greg Henderson (31) and Vincent Artis (28) made sure the target was achieved in a hurry. The Bullants only took 40 overs to knock up their near 200-run total.
Youngster Matthew Gentile (2/32) took two wickets for the Maroons.
F GRADE
A swashbuckling century from opener Dylan Ford (169 not out) has led Nyora (6/287dec) to outright victory over a depleted Pakenham (145 and 37) outfit at Toomuc Reserve.
Ford began the second day’s play with a healthy platform – resuming on 59 not out – and didn’t waste his chance to cash in with a huge score to help the Maroons to maximum points.
Ford struck 29 fours and two sixes, and must surely now be in contention to regain his spot in the Maroons’ senior team in Sub-District Division. He was dropped from the seniors after Round 3 but has rebounded strongly with scores of 61 and now 169 not out.
Glen Burns (55) was also in terrific nick for the Maroons, while Kodey Davidson (3/41) took bowling honours for the Lions.
Asked to bat a second time the Lions lasted just 13 overs, with Keith Maclure (4/7 off 7) and Kevin Bongers (4/21 off 6) wrapping things up in record time. Aidan Hay (22) was the only Lion to make his way into double figures.
Officer (204) will head into a horror part of the draw – where it has back-to-back byes – with a spring in its step after its bowlers had the better of Clyde (134) at Hillcrest College.
The Cougars got off to a decent enough start but were soon in trouble as Steve ‘Pup’ Pursell (6/74 off 28.2) and Luke Dunn (3/18 off 9) waved their magic wands. Pursell, the captain, bowled superbly, while the efforts of Dunn, Aidan Pipicelli (1/15 off 18) and Cooper Pursell (0/14 off 11) all played a hand in building pressure on the Cougars.
Mark Coe (30) and Ben Cooper (29) handled the pressure best, adding a 61-run partnership after the Cougars had slumped to 6/62.
And Merinda Park (203) was never in the hunt, but did put up a brave performance with the bat against Cranbourne Meadows (9/336) at Lawson Poole Reserve.
The Cobras went down swinging, with Jeff Gillespie (61), Shane Dalton (43), Mark Dipilla (23) and Dion Olszewski (21 not out) all keeping the run rate going at four runs per over.
Dave Waller (4/58 off 17) was terrific for the Rebels while Shashikumar Natarajan (2/31) deposited a couple of wickets in the piggy bank.
Carlisle Park had the bye.
G GRADE
Centuries continued to dominate the G Grade landscape on Saturday with Devon Meadows (0/225) openers Mick Hawkins (103 not out) and Adam Hamilton (100 not out) crushing the hopes of Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll (201) at Junction Village.
The pair shared a monumental double-century stand, adding their names to the likes of the Goon’s Jacob Hill (111) and Catani pair Cameron Wagstaff (153) and Matt Coleman (126) as triple-figure heroes in Round 6.
Hawkins cracked 11 fours in his mighty knock, while Hamilton was slightly more circumspect with nine boundaries for the afternoon. The second-placed Panthers have now closed the gap on the Marygoons to just one game at the top of the ladder.
Clyde (175) has leap-frogged Pakenham (90) into third place on the ladder after making light work of the Lions total at Hillcrest College.
The Cougars resumed at 4/73 but were soon in control as Ron Kane (47), Paul Duyvestyn (30) and Steve Houlihan (25) did their best to defy the Lions. Brenton Dore (2/37) and Joel Dumbrell (2/38) never stopped trying for the Lions – who now have the rollercoaster record of win, loss, win, loss, win, loss to start their season.
And there was no miracle cure for Cranbourne Meadows (146) after the Rebels struggled to shake free of Catani’s (5/378) attack at the Lyndhurst Secondary College.
Corey Miller (37), Anthony Soros (30) and KC Mackintosh (20 not out) made a solid fist of things for the Rebels – but winning was never a serious option.
The star for the Cats was Ash Zinnow (4/19 off 10), while Ben Coleman (2/1) and Dhylan Horsurgh (2/5) also made an impact in short spells.
