by Samuel Laffy
Hallora (6/175) def. Ellinbank (172)
A nail-biting encounter saw Hallora snatch a three-run win over Ellinbank in their division one clash, the Kangaroos holding their nerve following one of the more sensational last-wicket stands seen in recent times.

Chasing Hallora's 6/175 – a total made possible thanks to knocks of 47 to Brett Williams and 36 to Ethan Guest – Ellinbank looked dead and buried after a collapse of 6/23 had decimated their middle and lower order.
Guest (3/34) and James Williams (3/21) proved far too good for the recognised Ellinbank batters, and with the scoreboard reading 9/114 – still 61 runs away from their target – Hallora would have been confident of quickly wrapping up the win.
However, Liam Lisle (34 from 39) and Jack Pandolfo (27* off 28) had other ideas and the duo quickly set about launching a rescue mission.
The pair mixed the odd flayed boundary with hard running between the wickets, and their frenetic approach saw the pressure firmly placed on the fielders.
However, just when it seemed that the miraculous stand would result in a stunning win for Ellinbank, Lisle played one aerial shot too many – chipping an innocuous delivery from Fraser Duncan to the waiting hands of Mitch Smith – to cue ecstatic celebrations from the Halloran outfit, the Eagles tragically dismissed for 172.
Western Park (5/243) def. Iona (87)
Western Park have consistently demonstrated why they've won back-to-back premierships across the 2024/25 season.
And, their round nine encounter with Iona showed that sides hoping for complacency from the Warriors will be sorely disappointed, as they took out a 156-run win over the Swamp Tigers.
A host of excellent demonstrations of short form batting propelled Western Park to 5/243 from their allotted overs, with Jack Armour (61), Joel Batson (55), and Greg Munro (46) all thoroughly enjoying their time at the crease.
Will Taylor (2/46) and Carter Davis (2/28) were able to claim multiple scalps, but overall, the Ionan bowlers struggled to contain their opponents.
In reply, Iona's pursuit was anchored by Joshua Bethune, with the opener unfurling a series of powerful drives that helped him notch 41.
But there was precious little support from his teammates, as the usual suspects with the ball wreaked havoc.
Jason Croft (2/17), Tyler McDonald (3/31), Ben Clarke (2/18), and Sam Batson (2/21) all continued their wicket-taking ways and ensured that the Swamp Tigers' middle and lower order were unable to break the shackles of the monotonous – but endlessly effective – stump-to-stump approach taken by the bowlers.
In the 31st over Iona was dismissed for 87, leaving the newly promoted side still searching for their first win of the summer.
Drouin (6/243) def. Trafalgar (9/139)
Having fallen short against Western Park and being humbled by Hallora in the last two rounds, Drouin bounced back to their early season form with a 104-run win over Trafalgar that returned them to second position on the division one table.
Having been sent in by the Ships, the Hawks soon made their opponents regret the decision, with a number of handy contributions amongst a dominant team performance.
Trevor Gardiner (39) provided Drouin with a watchful start, and the value he put on his wicket enabled the likes of Gamini Kumara (40 from 48), James Wilcock (48 off 56), and Dana Fernando (an incredible six-laden 25-ball onslaught that saw him notch 65) to adopt a more aggressive approach.
There was little the Trafalgar bowlers could do to stymie the flow of runs and after 40 overs Drouin finished with 6/243.
In reply, Aiden George delivered another excellent performance – striking 64 – and Rhys Holdsworth chimed in with 27 in a 74-run second wicket stand.
However, once Holdsworth was removed - trapped in front by Kumara – the rest of the Ships line-up struggled.
In all the last eight wickets fell for just 54 runs, with Trafalgar bundled out for 139 in the 38th over.
Longwarry (190) def. Catani (182)
In another thrilling contest, Longwarry defeated Catani by eight runs in their division one clash, with Matt Aslett holding his nerve with ball in hand as the Cats pushed the Crows to their limits.
Raheem Kasser (18 from 23) and Daniel Glover (16*) had combined for a 31-run ninth wicket stand that looked set to undo a host of impressive spells of bowling from Yashan Samarasinghe (2/27) and Jonah Serong (2/34).
Eli Richards – who delivered perhaps his most impressive batting performance for Catani to date with a stellar knock of 76 – was no doubt willing his teammates in the lower order on from the sidelines as the middle order hadn't been able to build on his innings.
With one over to go, Catani had made their way to 8/181, just 10 runs required to win.
Kasser, however, was lured into a false stroke by Aslett (who finished with 2/44) and the need to score saw Mitchell Gregson short of his ground soon after to end Catani's innings at 182.
Earlier in the day, the Crows eventual total of 190 was made possible thanks to Samarasinghe's brilliant 61 and handy knocks of 34 from Johanne De Zilva and 25 from Aslett.
Cameron Brown (3/28) and Riley McDonald (3/28) were the pick of the bowlers for Catani.