Salerno belts brutal ton

By Nick Creely

WGCA DISTRICT DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 14 (DAY ONE)
With the ball fizzing off the bat of Devon Meadows opener Kyle Salerno, the Panthers sure made life difficult for a struggling Pakenham Upper Toomuc on Saturday.
On opposite ends of the ladder, class overshone for the Panthers on their home deck at Glover Reserve, rolling the Yabbies inside the 46th over for just 122 in the first innings.
It was, however, an excellent recovery from the Yabbies, with Lucas Plozza (50) and Ben Clough (33) helping their side post a somewhat competitive total after being 8/49 at one stage.
Ash Adams (4/46) did the bulk of the damage for the Panthers, taking three of the first four wickets, while all-rounder Lucas Carroll (3/16) stormed to the top of the wicket takers in the competition with yet another standout display.
But it was with the bat that the Panthers pounced, with Salerno cracking a run a ball hundred, a knock featuring 17 fours and two sixes laced with class, and reached the three figures with a towering six over cow corner.
Despite Carroll (1) falling early in the chase, Darren O’Brien (32 not out) combined with Salerno to mess with the Yabbies in the latter stages of the day.
The consistent opening batsman finished the day on 104 not out, with his side moving to 1/144 off 31 overs at stumps, 22 runs ahead of the Yabbies.
The Panthers are expected to bat deep into day two with top spot already secured, with their batsmen looking for some quality time in the middle before a crunch finals campaign.
Down at Mountain Rd Reserve, Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll is expected to pick up a comfortable win on day two after controlling proceedings for the most part against Tooradin.
While the final 30 overs of the day were washed away due to some late afternoon rain, the Marygoons still managed to roll the Gulls, keeping them to 150 despite skipper Kane Latham maintaining his strong recent form.
But it was the Dean Henwood (6/52) show, with the WGCA champ ripping the Gulls to shreds with a devastating display with the ball.
Clyde, meanwhile, put up a sizeable total against Officer, with skipper Dan Walton (106 not out) making a century.
Walton put a tough season behind him, coming in at 4/112 and playing a fine hand, helping the Cougars post a formidable 9/277 at stumps.
Lachlan Porter (3/38) and James Parnall (3/36) were the major wicket takers for the Bullants.
In the final game, Cranbourne Meadows and Carlisle Park Vikings are locked in a battle for third spot down at Carlisle Park Reserve.
The Vikings bowled superbly after sending the Rebels in, with four early wickets sending them to 4/46 and in deep trouble.
Skipper Ash Uppal (72), as he has done all season, steered the ship brilliantly, combining with Muhammad Ajmal (33) to post a competitive 173 in 78.2 overs.
In a day mostly controlled by the Vikings, Heath Straughair (4/35) was the pick of the bowlers, while Carlton King (3/33) did some damage late in the innings.

WGCA SUB-DISTRICT DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 14 (DAY ONE)
With just one more weekend left of the home and away season, it’s still unclear who exactly will finish in fourth spot, Pakenham or the underdogs Gembrook.
While the Lions are probably the team more likely to earn a finals spot, there are no guarantees in the wonderful world of cricket.
The Lions are currently 3/27, in reply to Tooradin’s 125, needing a further 99 runs to secure its finals position even if the Brookers also have a win.
Things were looking up for the Gulls early in the day, with openers Peter Stone (77) and Fraser Rendall (22) skipping to 63 runs for the first wicket as they eyed a big day at the crease.
The loss of Rendall; courtesy of wicket machine Jack Melbourne (4/33); brought about the visitors’ downfall, losing their final nine wickets for just 62 runs.
Rod Berry (2/30) and Darcy Jones (2/28) also took multiple wickets for the Lions
Ricky Holland (3/12) broke through in his first over to remove Jacobus Hynes (0), and the Lions were unable to steady, with Holland picking up a further two scalps before rain ended the day prematurely.
Down at Gembrook, the Brookers need a lot to go right on day two, with just 41 overs played against top placed Catani.
The Cats skipped to 2/111 before rain ensured no more play was possible, with Andrew Hilder (32 not out) and Liam Adams (31) steadying the ship after the loss of two early wickets.
The Brookers will still get their chance to bat on day two; but will need to bat out of their skins; and quickly; and hope Pakenham loses; for them to jump into fourth position and play finals in what would be an incredible curveball in the season.
In other matches, Cardinia (0/24) should bank the win over Nyora (154) at E Gunton Oval despite Jake Hackett (73) scoring his second half century for the season, while Lang Lang (8/375) racked up a monster score against Aura Vale, with Cam Williams top scoring with 69 and Shaun Donnelly belting 62.