by Samuel Laffy
T20 A grade
Hallora (1/123) def. Longwarry (6/121)
Hallora completed one of the more comfortable T20 victories you're ever likely to see against Longwarry, with the Kangaroos making a mockery of the Crows' attempts to defend a middling total.
The likes of Aidan Phillips (1/9 from 4), Craig Byrnes (2/23 off 4), and Grant Duncan (1/20 from 4) had made life immensely difficult for the Longwarry line-up, utilising clever changes in pace and length to disrupt the rhythm of the batters.
With boundaries almost impossible to come by the scoring rate was reduced for much of the innings.
Jake Serong (26 from 26) and Randall Mitchell (25 from 32) did what they could to add impetus, but at innings end Longwarry tallied just 6/121.
Ethan Lamers (71 from just 46 balls) then showed exactly how a T20 innings should be played, launching a host of imperious drives to the boundary to propel Hallora to victory in just the 15th over.
Vinu Mohotty (1/22 from 4) and Jonah Serong (0/15 off 3) did what they could to stymie Lamers' progress, but there was little they could do in the face of such impressive hitting.
Catani (3/75) def. Iona (74)
A Mitchell Gregson hat-trick featured amongst a host of impressive performances from Catani's A grade T20 XI in their clash with Iona, as the Cats took home an emphatic seven-wicket win.
Riley McDonald (3/11 from 3) and James Vela (2/9 off 3) had wreaked havoc with ball in hand prior to Gregson beginning his spell, and the Catani speedster etched his name into the record books for the Cats.
William Davis and Macauley Howard could only provide Ned Harrison with easy chances, and the hat-trick ball seared into the stumps as Gregson finished with 3/14, and the Swamp Tigers found themselves all out for just 74. Lucas Ligt (a boundary-laden 26 from 20) and Vela (a run-a-ball 18*) then ensured Catani reached their target with a minimum of fuss, with just 11.3 overs required.
Ben Dixon (2/17 from 3) was the pick of the bowlers for Iona in a mostly hopeless cause.
Bye: Western Park
T20 B grade
Trafalgar (5/160) def. Buln Buln (86)
Rhys Holdsworth has been less than his dynamic best on occasions this summer, but the Trafalgan tyro blasted a scintillating half-century that helped the Ships claim an impressive 74-run win over Buln.
Facing a Lyrebirds attack that contained Corey Jagoe and Gamini Kumara (two of the more celebrated all-rounders in WDCA history), Holdsworth mixed watchful defence with outlandish strokeplay, with four fours and three sixes helping him to a 61-ball 73 that anchored the Ships' innings.
James Peart (46 from 35) came along for the ride, and together they helped Trafalgar to 5/160.
In reply, Buln never looked likely with bat in hand, especially with Wilson Pollock (7), Kumara (1), and Jagoe (20) removed before they could cause headaches.
Owen McLeod-Agland (3/19 from 4) was the pick of the bowlers, whilst Zack Brown (2/12 off 4) also impressed, as the Lyrebirds were dismissed for just 86 in the 20th over of their pursuit.
Garfield-Tynong (5/164) def. Warragul (7/162)
Kasun Ranasinghe's full potential with the bat hasn't been realised to date in season 2024/25, but the talented Garfield-Tynong all-rounder sent out a warning to the rest of the WDCA that he has the ability to demolish opposition attacks with a breathtaking 92* helping the Titans to a five-wicket win over Warragul.
Facing a hefty target of 163, Ranasinghe watched as Matt Bow (1), Chris Diston (4), Amal Athulathmudali (3), and Jake Van Den Berghe (9) all departed in quick succession, with Paul Wookey (3/29) and Lachlan Ramage (1/24) in fine form with the ball.
The Gulls would no doubt have been looking forward to quickly wrapping up the Garfield-Tynong innings but once the ball began to be thrown around, Ranasinghe quickly transformed the innings.
Unforgiving on anything slightly loose – and even deliveries that most would simply have blocked – he smashed the ball to all parts of Eastern Park, with 12 fours and four sixes seeing him race to 92* from just 44 balls.
Darren Van Den Berghe demonstrated his years of experience with a perfectly paced supporting innings of 20*, and the pair's 106-run sixth wicket stand took the Titans over the line in the 18th over.
Bye: Ellinbank
T20 C grade
Trafalgar (6/158) def. Hallora (7/154)
In a rollicking encounter which featured a number of stand-out performances, Trafalgar emerged victorious over Hallora in their Round 4 T20 clash, with the Ships launching an audacious – and ultimately successful – run-chase. The Kangaroos would no doubt have been optimistic of victory at the conclusion of their innings – have notched 7/154 – with Luke Grady (a 23-ball 31), Tom Williams (a sumptuous 30), and David Miller (33* from just 16 balls) all relishing the opportunity to free the arms and hit through the ball. Wickets were shared around the Trafalgan attack, but despite no-one claiming more than two wickets they would have been pleased at preventing any individual batters from blasting an innings of more significance. In reply, Luke Payton (34 from 14) took a liking to Denis Dyke's new-ball bowling – smashing 26 off the second over of the innings – and his intent meant that the likes of Louis Hennessy (43 from 44) and Cooper Burgess (22 off 15) didn't need to be needlessly aggressive. Brett Watkins (3/10 from 4) delivered a stunning spell of T20 bowling, but his team-mates were unable to match his parsimony, and the Ships reached 6/158 in the 19th over.
Jindivick (107) def. Yarragon (98)
On a Dowton Park surface that made scoring difficult, Ben Giles stood head and shoulders above all others as Jindivick took home a nail-biting nine-run win over Yarragon in their C-Grade T20 clash; scoring a stunning half-century that well and truly proved the difference between the two sides. Having watched as Ben McCormack (15) dominated their opening stand of 20, Giles took it upon himself to anchor the innings, and with his team-mates unable to provide any meaningful support his solo sojourn helped the Jumping Jacks make their way to 107 before being dismissed in the 17th over. Striking three fours and two sixes, Giles' excellent 50 ensured that Angus Kirkham (who snared 5/21) didn't completely decimate the Jindivick innings. In reply, the Jumping Jacks attack showed tremendous discipline, with the build-up of pressure creating regular chances. Ranga Brandigampala (3/15) was the stand-out, whilst Rechana Bon snared 2/15, the duo bundling Yarragon out for 98 in the 18th over to clinch victory.
Bye: Western Park
T20 D grade
Catani (8/125) def. Iona (7/139, disqualified)
A ruling over marquee players has seen Catani handed the points in their match with Iona despite a defeat on the field, sending the Cats into the grand final.
Brad Barnes' stunning all-round performance had seemingly helped Iona snatch a 14-run win over Catani in their T20 clash, with the win set to see Iona contest the D grade decider against Jindivick.
However, a later ruling from the league dictated that in their efforts to get a team together, Iona had fielded a marquee player that should have been ineligible, voiding their win after the fact.
Having walloped an invaluable 19* in the death overs – a knock that helped lift Iona to 7/139 at the conclusion of their 20 overs – Barnes utilised the new ball to great effect, preventing the Cats' top order from making the most of the early innings fielding restrictions.
From a precarious position of 4/54, Catani did their level best to claw their back into the contest thanks to a swashbuckling 38 from Matthew Reardon, but with Brayden Hoskins' accuracy ensuring boundaries were at a premium, the required asking rate grew quickly; the Cats falling just short at 8/125 before the league stepped in to award them the points.
Jindivick def. Warragul by forfeit.