by Samuel Laffy
Yarragon (9/227) def. Western Park (224)
In one of the more entertaining matches seen in the WDCA this summer it was Yarragon who emerged victorious over Western Park, as the Panthers snatched a one-wicket win at the conclusion of a see-sawing encounter.
Chasing the Warriors' 224, Yarragon's intent was made clear from the very first ball of the chase as Jason Eastham blasted a boundary off the bowling of Vipin Vyas.
The canny all-rounder had his revenge the very next ball however – with Jack Sim swallowing the chance – and the rollicking tone set continued unabated.
Andy Trewern blasted a host of boundaries on his way to 56, with Liam Smith Butterworth (a 28-ball 40) following suit.
With Kyle Bradshaw (31 from 31) and Chameera Vithnage (64*) matching tempo the Panthers looked set to cruise to victory with the scoreboard reading 2/163.
However, Vyas (4/41) and Dayne O'Dwyer (3/50) would not go gently into that good night, triggering a collapse of 6/29 that left the game in the balance at 8/192.
The slew of wickets bought Vithanage back to the crease however, and he coolly sealed the win for Yarragon.
Earlier in the day, Vyas (43 from 51) and Sim (39 from 34) were effective with bat in hand, but it was James Campbell who dominated the Western Park innings.
Destined for greater things before a tragic collarbone breakage curtailed his rise up the ranks in years gone past, the Warriors' captain delivered a stunning reminder of his talents with an extravagant career-best knock of 84 that carried his side to 224.
However, even his best efforts weren't enough to secure victory, with Yarragon's chasing ability too much to overcome.
Garfield-Tynong (4/184) def. Warragul (139)
Jake Lambourne and Matthew Trofa set the scene for a Garfield-Tynong victory in division five with a pair of dynamic half-centuries that proved too much for Warragul to overcome.
The duo notched contrasting innings – Trofa the more aggressive, whilst Lambourne adopted a more resolute approach – but both were equally successful (striking 50* apiece).
Together they helped the Titans post a challenging target of 4/184 from their allotted overs. In reply, scoreboard pressure accounted for many of the Gulls' dismissals, with the need to attack seeing a host of boundaries but also a number of loose strokes.
Trofa capped off a fine all-round display to snare 4/31, whilst Paul Lester's 3/10 saw Warragul dismissed for 139 in the 37th over.
Drouin (5/267) def. Jindivick (198)
The claustrophobic confines of the Bellbird Park second oval proved little challenge for Drouin on the weekend as the Hawks notched a comfortable 69-run win over Jindivick.
The likes of Remo Graziotin (57*), Jude Fernando (59*), and Duy Vo (51*) need little invitation to add to their list of swashbuckling knocks, and the trio's aggressive intent helped propel Drouin to 5/267 from their 40 overs.
There was precious little the Jumping Jacks' attack could do to stymie the flow of runs, and they were left staring down a hefty run chase.
To their credit, Jindivick launched a gallant pursuit, but the required runs meant batter after batter fell whilst trying to clear the fence, and Samuel Graziotin (3/46), Gavin Mills (2/40), and Todd Stacey (3/13) took advantage as Drouin dismissed their opponents for 198 in the 38th over.
Longwarry (8/204) def. Neerim District (102)
In a nail-biting encounter Longwarry eked out a two-wicket win over Neerim District in their round 10 clash, with Bohdy and Craig Melville combining to add the crucial last few runs to claim victory.
The Stags had posted a middling total of just 102 – with their line-up unable to overcome some impressive spells from Daniel Waite (3/23) and Adam Barton (2/6) – and were staring down the barrel of a hefty defeat when Evan Wright (21) and Waite (27) joined forces at the top of the order.
However, Neerim District worked their way back into the game on the back of some quality bowling from Will Tomlin and Francis Fleming.
Despite this the Longwarry lower order were able to fight back and dash the hopes of the Stags late, with the Crows sneaking over the line in the 33rd over.
Ellinbank (6/133) def. Catani (124)
No scores available at the time of writing.