by Samuel Laffy
Catani (6/253) def. Longwarry (9/114)
Catani's impressive recent form continued on the weekend, with the Cats taking home a huge 139-run over Longwarry in the final round of action before the Christmas break.

It was Bradley McDonald who set the tone for the day – the middle order batter striking a swashbuckling 88 from just 74 balls – and his boisterous boundary-hitting inspired the likes of Ross Douglas (who made 30) and Leigh Jose (who made a 32-ball 49*) to further accelerate scoring.
At the end of their allotted overs, the Cats posted an intimidating total of 6/253, which well and truly had the Crows on the backfoot.
Stuart Williams (2/16 from 8) was the only bowler to escape punishment and impressed with the new ball.
In reply, Jason Comley (10) and Tyson Venn (29) looked comfortable at the top of the order, but against some tidy bowling from Matt Coleman (2/15) and Jackson Bennett (3/13) the rest of the Longwarry line-up struggled, with the Crows only able to compile 9/114.
Trafalgar (3/88) def. Warragul (87)
A disappointing batting effort consigned Warragul to defeat at the hands of Trafalgar, with the Gulls falling short against a pair of disciplined bowling displays by David Bremner and Teilor Woolford.
None of the top four were able to make it to double figures and the constant pressure applied by the Ships with the ball proved too much to overcome. Determined knocks from Daniel Simons (21) and Jatinder Pal Singh (87) were the only highlights for the Gulls, with Bremner (4/9 from 8) and Woolford (4/18 off 7) bundled Warragul out for 87.
In the face of such a low total the Trafalgan bats were able to take their time and get their eye in before attacking, and Christian Burgess (53* from 70 balls) and Oliver Hennessy (17*) combined for a 39-run unbeaten third-wicket stand that took the Ships to victory in the 27th over.
Hallora (9/148) def. Ellinbank (133)
Hallora ensured they would enter the mid-season break sitting comfortably atop the division three table with a 15-run win over Ellinbank.
It was a victory made possible by some inspired team bowling, with the change bowlers working in tandem to restrict run-scoring and then claiming wickets from the resultant loose strokes of the Eagles' batters.
Chris Pallot (51*) attempted to anchor the pursuit of 9/148 with a wonderful half-century, but from a relatively strong position of 2/64 the Ellinbank middle and lower orders collapsed.
Edward Lemmon (2/21) and Lochie Wilson (2/19) were the beneficiaries of the disciplined bowling performance, and they ensured the Eagles could only make 133 before being dismissed.
Earlier in the day, Hallora's Jonno Whelan (38 from just 30 balls) was typically aggressive at the top of the order, whilst Brayden Hunter (37*) adopted a more cautious approach to building his innings.
Harmanpreet Singh (4/27) was the pick of the bowlers for Ellinbank.
Western Park (7/245) def. Iona (9/202)
Dale Fawcett's incredible form continued on the weekend as Western Park notched a 43-run win over Iona, with the Warriors' glut of runs enough to overcome a sterling run chase from the Swamp Tigers.
As is his wont, Fawcett's belligerent strokeplay was on full display – albeit with some fortune, as a host of dropped catches extended his stay at the crease – and his 94-ball 123 (his second century of the summer) helped Western Park rapidly accelerate.
Travis Maher (57* from 56 balls) applied the finishing touches for the Warriors to boost the total to 7/245 at the conclusion of 40 overs.
In reply, Scott Hoare delivered a series of disdainful one-handed swipes to throw the new ball duo of Connor Fleming and Josh Kelly off their game, and Scott Clark marked his return to division three with a stunning 74-ball 77.
However, the run rate pressure eventually proved too much to overcome, with Ed Dieu (3/48), Ben Hannan (2/32), and Dave Burn (2/26) able to induce a series of mistakes that left Iona only able to make 9/202 in reply.