by Samuel Laffy
Western Park (7d/213) def Longwarry (91 and 3/90)

Western Park romped to a 122-run win over Longwarry on the weekend, but their hopes of securing outright victory were curtailed by some resolute batting from the Crows in their second dig.

Resuming at 2/58 – and requiring just 34 more runs to take out first innings points – Joel Batson and Sanjaya Gangodawila made the most of their time at the crease, with both batters delivering trademarks knocks that carried the Warriors to the win.
Joel was watchful as ever and opted to frustrate the bowlers with his impeccable defensive technique whilst also dispatching the odd boundary, and his 151-ball 53 reflected the value he put on his wicket.
Gangodawila, on the other hand, was at his belligerent best, blasting boundary after boundary in a demonstration of his fearsome ball-striking ability.
Fourteen fours flew from his blade, although he fell just short of a record-breaking eighth A grade century for Western Park, caught on the midwicket fence for 96.
Matthew Aslett claimed a number of late wickets to finish with 5/40 in a wonderful display of bowling, but even his haul couldn't prevent the Warriors from reaching 7/213.
Batting for a second time, the Crows faced out 32 challenging overs and reached 3/90, with Yashan Samarasinghe (a superb 40) and Scott Kelly (a gritty 17*) seeing their side to stumps.
Speaking after the game, Aslett commented on the need for Longwarry to put the loss behind them and move forward.
"The stop-start day one caused some grief and a big delay due to rain halted our momentum, but we batted pretty poorly. Today we fought it out and outside of 'Ganga's' performance we felt like we were competing well. It was good to see Scott Kelly get time in the middle," he said.
Trafalgar (146) def Iona (9/40 and 6/102)
In the battle of the two newly promoted sides it was Trafalgar who walked away winners, with the Ships taking out an emphatic 106-run win over an Ionan outfit that would be somewhat despondent at the manner in which they folded.
Trafalgar began the day at 5/92, and Aiden George (a wonderful 63) was able to help his side to 146 before they were dismissed, with Jackson Clerks (3/44 from 30.5 sensational overs) and Josh Bethune (3/23 off 8) enjoying success against the lower order. Whatever momentum that the Swamp Tigers may have taken from their efforts with the ball was quickly extinguished however, as Jackson Noonan (4/27), Zack Brown (2/6) and Rhys Holdsworth (2/7) ensured the Ships barely broke a sweat in dismissing Iona, with the Trafalgan attack taking just 18.2 overs to dismiss Iona for 40.
Only Carter Davis (11) was able to make it to double figures, with Noonan in particular unplayable at times. His dismissal of Kieran Lenders – shaping the ball back into the batter before moving away late to uproot middle stump – encapsulated his impressive form.
Buoyed by their efforts, Trafalgar sent Iona back into bat, but the dismal first-up performance clearly inspired the Swamp Tigers somewhat and they safely made their way to 6/102.
Graeme Rankin (27 from 114 balls) was a picture of concentration and his ability to occupy the crease inspired a number of his teammates.
Nonetheless, it will be intriguing to see how Iona bounce back from this heavy defeat when they face runaway ladder leaders Western Park next weekend.
Hallora (149) def Drouin (77 and 2/82)
Whilst Hallora may have begun the day with hopes of an upset outright win over Drouin, the Kangaroos weren't able to secure maximum points against the Hawks but would nonetheless be thoroughly pleased with their overall performance.
Resuming at 5/103 – already 26 runs ahead – Hallora were in the search of quick runs to bolster their lead, but the middle and lower order couldn't fully capitalise on their advantageous platform, dismissed for 149 in the 61st over.
Gamini Kumara (2/16 from 10) and Brad Glover (4/21 off 13) were able to stymie scoring and claim regular scalps and ensure that the overall lead didn't balloon to unmanageable levels.
Batting for a second time, Drouin went some way to making amends for their dreadful first innings display, with a more cautious approach allowing the batters to exert some level of influence on proceedings.
Trevor Gardiner (24), Matt Kouris (16*), and Damon Healy (13 from 50) looked comfortable at the crease, and helped Drouin reach safety at 2/82 in their second innings.
Ellinbank (116) def Catani (109)
Ellinbank snatched a seven-run win over Catani in their division one clash, with the Eagles able to edge over the line late in the day against a gallant Cats outfit.
Resuming at 2/36 in pursuit of 109, Daniel Pandolfo (a watchful 24) and Matt Wragg (26) were able to eke their way closer to the target against some tight bowling, with the pair forced to work singles and twos due to the lack of loose deliveries sent down.
Cameron Brown (4/41 from 18) and Jackson Pawney (3/26 off 11) proved troublesome with ball in hand, and having finally broken the partnership were able to exert considerable pressure on the middle and lower order.
Nick Fairbank (14) and Curtis Howell (12) were able to take Ellinbank to the edge of victory and their efforts helped the Eagles sneak over the line before they were dismissed in the 54th over.
After the game Brown lamented his side's inability to post a more challenging total but was optimistic looking ahead to next week, saying "we gave it a crack but unfortunately not enough runs (were) on the board."
"Looking to back ourselves a bit more with the bat, as the boys have the ability."