By Nick Creely
WEST GIPPSLAND CRICKET ASSOCIATION
DISTRICT AND A GRADE REVIEWS – ROUND 1
DISTRICT
Pakenham Upper Toomuc opener Rajitha Ranaweera blasted the first century of the season on Saturday, dominating Emerald with an unbeaten 117.
The Yabbies keeper-bat was a dominant force at Chandler Reserve as the visitors raced down the Bombers’ 191 with ease, reaching the target in 32 overs and with just the loss of two wickets.
Ranaweera raced away early and simply couldn’t be contained in the dominant century, which saw him combine with skipper Nick Kyval (43) for a 125-run stand that ultimately set up the chase.
Earlier in the day, the Bombers reached 6/191 with opener Mark Alenson (55) starting the season in fine style with a half-century.
Down at Glover Recreation Reserve, a cool hand from coach Lucas Ligt guided Devon Meadows to an opening round win against Upper Beaconsfield.
The Maroons – fresh off relegation from the Premier Division – went hard with the bat, namely through Taylor Joyce who slapped two sixes on his way to an eye-catching 62.
But constant wickets prevented the visitors from really planting the foot down, with the Maroons restricted to 182 inside 34 overs.
The evergreen Lucas Carroll started the season with tidy figures of 3/12.
The Panthers lost key batter Kyle Salerno early, but steadied through Ligt who combined for a game-defining 84-run stand with Trent Delaney (33).
Ligt, the aggressor of the two, was eventually removed for a 46-ball 56, and despite a wobble, managed to find the runs with four wickets to spare.
It was Carroll that was once again the shining light, with the skipper showing his composure and class with an unbeaten 44 as the Maroons threatened to pinch the game from nowhere.
And Officer got its season off to a strong start, closing out the game in the final over against Lang Lang.
The Swamp Tigers were sent in, racked up 9/158 from their 40 overs with skipper Rajind Dassanayake leading the way as he always does with 65 up the top.
Bullants skipper Brett Monagle led the way with the ball, chiming in with 3/22 from his eight overs.
The visitors found themselves in a spot of bother at 3/21, but a steadying hand from Ash Smith (46) was the catalyst for the Bullants to bank an important early win.
A GRADE
Rythdale Recreation Reserve was home to a stunning display of dominance from Cardinia on Saturday.
The Bulls were completely merciless on their way to a 10-wicket win against Pakenham, rolling the Lions for just 37.
Three Bulls got in on the act, with Josh Browne (3/6), Dwayne Doig (3/11) and Josh Grogan (3/2) completely bamboozling the Lions who weren’t able to get a single batter into double-figures in 32.1 overs of misery.
Pat Nolen then wasted little time banking the points, slamming an unbeaten 31 as the Bulls got the job done in less than nine overs.
It wasn’t quite as dominant for Officer but the Bullants also banked a comfortable win against Cranbourne Meadows.
The Bullants were led superbly by opener Peter Symons, who crunched 48 to guide his side to a highly competitive 8/179.
While the Rebels’ batters managed to get starts, the visitors had no answers for Daniel Irvine, who snared 4/20 from his 7.3 overs to be the star of the show.
The runs flowed down at Tooradin Recreation Reserve as the Seagulls took down Clyde.
Batting first, the home team racked up 9/223, with half-centuries to Ben Mantel (83) and David Freeman (72 not out) setting the tone for the dominant batting display.
While the Cougars battled valiantly, reaching 9/163 after a late flurry from Jacob Janssen (40 not out), the Seagulls were too disciplined with the ball, with Steve Hamill (3/32) bowling superbly to lead the way.
In the remaining match in A Grade, Kooweerup got their season off to a Bright start with a comfortable win against Merinda Park at Barton Reserve.
The Demons were set a tricky 183 for victory, and got there with just the loss three wickets.
The stars of the show for the visitors were Paul Bright, who shone with an unbeaten 78 opening the batting, while Videsh Dassanayake (60) showcased his class in his debut match for the club.
