By Tyler Lewis
WGCA OTHER GRADES
REVIEW – ROUND 13
B GRADE
Carlisle Park remains in the log-jam at the top of the table following another win, this time over Emerald.
The Vikings were all over the Bombers from ball one in the opening innings, restricting the home side to 8/58 before bowling it out for 111.
Doug Knowles was the pick of the bowlers, jagging 4/25.
In reply, the Vikings got off to a brilliant start with Iqbal Soi collecting 51 as Carlisle Park chased the target down with four wickets in hand.
With the ball, Jake Santini was electric, claiming 3/12 from six overs.
Devon Meadows, meanwhile, tightened the race at the top, defeating second-placed Clyde.
One of the few matches to play two days this round across the WGCA, Clyde elected to set a chase and was bowled out for 131.
Sam Hurdiss was extremely tidy with the ball, claiming 3/28 from 14 overs.
In reply, Devon Meadows was in all sorts at 7/67, but 46 from Nathan Kleinig late in the order saved the Panthers as they claimed a one-wicket victory.
The ladder-leading Aura Vale punished the last-placed Gembrook on Saturday.
Nathan Phillips taught the Brooker bowlers a lesson on his way to 140 – a knock that included 10 fours and 13 sixes.
The Lakers belted their way to 304 from their 40 overs.
In a horror day, bowling-wise, for Gembrook, Dean McPherson took home a five-wicket haul.
In reply, the Lakers dismantled the Brookers, castling them for just 63 with Matt Ryan claiming 5/12 from his 7.3 overs.
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll did what it needed to do to stay in touch with the top four, beating Pakenham Upper/Toomuc on the weekend.
The Marygoons restricted the Yabbies to 132 from their 40 overs, with Luke Hill nabbing 4/33.
In reply, despite being 4/18, the Marygoons dragged in the total, with Likhesh Mahajan notching 57.
C GRADE
Nyora gave top of the table Tooradin a slight scare, before the Gulls’ strength shone through to collect the points to all but secure pole position.
The Gulls posted a mammoth 8/296 last week, and with the Maroons at 0/120 with the Hacketts to bat, the total looked in jeopardy.
But a bowling masterclass from Tim Huguenin drove the Gulls to victory, as he claimed 6/79 to rip through the Nyora lineup.
The Maroons lost 8/42 as they fell for 202.
Cranbourne Meadows, meanwhile, missed its opportunity to secure the minor premiership as Officer claimed a mental edge on the eve of finals.
The Bullants’ bowlers were exceedingly tidy, restricting the Rebels to 7/128 from their 40 overs.
In reply, Matt Payne steered his side home with an unbeaten 42 as the Bullants passed the target with four wickets in the shed.
It was a vital win that moves Officer out of the four into finals calculations.
Cardinia held its place in the top four with a win over Pakenham.
The Bulls posted a competitive 7/165 with Brad Remy notching 68.
In the second innings, the Lions fell for 130 in the final over, Jye Remy jagged 3/17 from his five overs.
Merinda Park, meanwhile, remained a chance to sneak into the four with a win over Upper Beaconsfield.
Taylor Joyce chose the aerial route in the opening innings as he belted 109. He hit just three fours, but put 13 balls over the fence in a big hitting display.
But the Maroons’ 213 wasn’t enough, as the Cobras shot down the target in the final over of the day. After stumbling to 2/19, Danny Diwell peeled off a special innings of 91 to drive his side to victory.
Only 12 points separates fourth from first heading into the final round, while Merinda Park is knocking on the door of the four, only 12 points from fourth.
D GRADE
Kooweerup continued to flex its muscles as a club as it surged three wins away from second.
The Demons pulled the third-placed Emerald to pieces in the opening innings, castling the Bombers for 83.
In the second innings, the Bombers’ bowlers fought hard to make the chase a less than comfortable one for the Dees, but Kooweerup hopped over the line six wickets down before losing a further two wickets before stumps was called.
Carlisle Park also made light work of its opponent in Aura Vale.
The Vikings sent the Lakers in and bundled them out for just 83. Lee Wolfe was sublime with the ball, claiming 2/7 from eight overs.
In reply, the Vikings passed the total five wickets down but batted out its 40 for a total of 7/137.
Shem Smith bowled Clyde to victory in its clash against Lang Lang, keeping his side in the hunt for the finals.
Defending 164, the Cougars bowled the Swamp Tigers out for just 124; Smith claimed 5/40 from 22 overs.
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll took the points over Cranbourne Meadows in a low scoring affair.
The Rebels posted only 91, with every Marygoons bowler taking a scalp.
In reply, the Marygoons chased down the total with four wickets in hand; Mark Zoldak was promising for the Rebels, jagging 3/18 from eight.
E GRADE
Gembrook remains atop of the table after handling Devon Meadows on Saturday.
The Brookers posted 189 in the first innings as Ishara Perera belted 66.
In reply, the Rebels fell to 9/132 from their 40 overs. The Brookers threw the ball around and only one of their eight bowlers failed to register a wicket.
Pakenham, meanwhile, edged out the now second-placed Merinda Park after batting the Cobras out of the match in the opening dig.
The Lions posted 9/226 as skipper Rod Downes crunched 82.
The target proved too steep for the Cobras, who fell to 9/142 from their 40 overs – losing their position at the top of the ladder.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc collected the points in a short chase against Officer.
The Yabbies restricted the home side to 110. Bimal Nair finished the innings swiftly, collecting 4/4.
Despite being 4/35, the Yabbies crawled home on the back of Johno Sherer who nudged 58.
Cranbourne Meadows claimed the points over Tooradin last week through forfeit.
F GRADE
Officer claimed its 10th win of the season on Saturday when it dismantled Cardinia.
The Bullants posted 9/152 from its 40 overs and in the second innings crushed the Bulls, bowling them out for just 70.
Sean Chamberlain was on fire with the ball, jagging 4/19.
Clyde, meanwhile, registered a more than valuable outright win over Lang Lang, placing it now in second position.
Chasing only 101, the Cougars got a 25-run lead in just 17 overs before sending the Swamp Tigers back in.
It didn’t get much easier for the Lang Lang batsmen – bundled out for 55 with only one player reaching double figures.
Clyde chased the remaining runs required in only nine overs to secure the maximum points.
Linto Francis had a special match with the ball, claiming 9/33 from 21 overs over the course of both innings.
Devon Meadows collected the points over Carlisle Park.
The Panthers posted 8/143, before restricting the Vikings to 7/122 from its set of overs.
Panther Peter Zauner was the star of the day with 37 with the bat and 2/8 with the ball.
Pakenham secured victory over Merinda Park through forfeit.
ONE-DAY COMP (ROUND 17)
Cranbourne Meadows flexed its muscles over third placed Upper Beaconsfield in a vicious run chase.
Chasing 135, the Rebels reeled the total in in just 28 overs with nine wickets in hand.
Nar Nar Goon/Marknoll, meanwhile, almost pulled off a remarkable win over Emerald, but fell just short at the final leg.
The Marygoons posted 128 and in reply, claimed the Bombers’ ninth wicket when the score was at 127, setting up a chance to win by a single run.
But it wasn’t to be as the Bombers made it home with a one wicket win.
Kooweerup batted Pakenham out of the match in the opening innings on Saturday to ultimately claim victory.
The Demons posted a monster 193 from their 35 overs as Chase Saunders retired not out with 70.
In reply, the Lions could only manage 168 but Jake Griffiths impressed with another 69 – his third half-century for the year.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc claimed victory over Nyora through forfeit.
