Two rounds of cricket were played on the weekend to make up for lost time, with sides playing each other on Saturday and on Sunday.
Joel Batson wraps up what happened in Sunday's games in Division 1 of the WDCA.
Read Saturday's match report and more in this week's Gazette.
Division 1:
Yarragon v Catani
A maiden Division 1 century to young gun Liam Adams has seen Catani complete the double over Yarragon on Sunday. After a dominant victory on Saturday, the Cats won the toss and batted- and tore into the lowly Panthers away from home from the get-go. Adams and recruit Ned Harrison worked the ball to all parts, with stars such as Amal Athulathmudali and Gamini Kumara unable to stop the bleeding. On an outfield suited for batting, Harrison made a brisk 58, as the pair put on 167 to take any heat out of their opposition. From this position Catani stumbled slightly- as Ishan Ratnayake (3-50) took advantage of a middle-order that was searching for quick runs- however Adams kept his foot on the pedal. The young right-hander showed why he quickly became a WDCA representative, reaching 100 with plenty of overs to spare before being removed by Kurt Borsato (1-27), as Catani made a mammoth 7-218 off their allotted overs.
In reply, Yarragon were never really in the contest- Riley McDonald (3-29) did the early damage with the new ball, removing the dangerous Gamini Kumara early, before the game meandered through the middle overs. Athulathmudali (67) threatened with a terrific knock through the middle, showing his prowess that will frighten opposition sides throughout the year- however, he received little support, as Yarragon batted their overs to reach 8-163- handing them a third consecutive loss.
Warragul v Hallora
The talent disparity was apparent on the weekend, as reigning premiers’ Hallora remained unbeaten with an easy victory over Warragul. Losing the toss and being sent in, Hallora lost skipper Damon Healy (0) early to Todd Mann (1-22), as Warragul looked to change their fortunes from the day prior. However, two veterans- Brett Williams (61) and Fraser Duncan (23) were on hand to ensure that their opposition was put back in their place- as the pair rattled off boundaries at will to assert themselves on the contest. Anthony Wilkes (2-20) made a couple of key breakthroughs through the middle, as Hallora relied upon a multitude of starts- namely through Liam Serong (23*), Brayden Notman (23), Cam McPhan (10) and Natsai M’Shangwe (10)- to keep the scoreboard ticking. Eddie McGillivray (3-19) used his rare bowling appearance to advantageous effect, halting the Hallora charge with a trio of scalps, as Hallora were eventually bowled out for a competitive 186.
In reply, Warragul’s top order struggled once again. Liam Serong (2-13) had the new ball talking, as the Gulls slipped to 3-11 in their pursuit. Paddy Mulqueen (37) put together his best Division 1 innings through the middle, as Warragul waved the white flag at the other end- no other batsmen made a significant contribution as Hallora put the squeeze on. The Kangas’ M’Shangwe (2-16) and Grant Duncan (2-11) raced through the overs and ensured there was no Warragul rally, as they crawled to 8-116 off their allotted overs and handed Hallora top spot on the ladder.
Ellinbank v Western Park
A crazy game of cricket saw Nick Fairbank’s swashbuckling knock hand Ellinbank revenge after a Saturday loss. Winning the toss and sending the Warriors into bat, Ellinbank would have been pleased with their decision as two early scalps to Sean Masterson and Curtis Howell saw the home side on top. Leigh Diston (49) continued his outrageous form with another superb knock and was ably supported by Jack Armour (41) as the pair poked and prodded the score upwards. Sam Batson (28) continued the momentum, swinging like a rusty gate, as the Eagles struggled to defend the lower-order power of Western Park late. Masterson (3-39) bowled well at the death to restrict the final total to 7-160- leaving the game as 50/50 as they come.
The odds would swing wildly into Western Park’s favour during Ellinbank’s reply, as Sam Batson uprooted the stumps of Troy Ferguson and Daniel Pandolfo with the first two balls of the innings. Amal Mahathelge (18) played a short but blistering knock, sending three of his first four balls to the boundary to have Ellinbank 2-12 after just one over. The craziness did not finish there- as he fell to an outrageous one-handed catch from debutant Kyle Baker, before Sean Masterson (8) fell to leave Ellinbank teetering at 4-38. Nick Fairbank then strode to the crease, and the game changed- his effortless power causing mayhem, including umpire absences, rule-checking, and obscene hitting, with balls flying over the Ellinbank change-rooms. He had support from Matt Farthing (14) and Jeremy Gray (8) as Fairbank’s hitting brought Ellinbank to 6-157, and almost certain victory. But there was still plenty to happen- as the late insertion of Patrick Ireland (2-6) as well as a fine spell from Sam Batson (4-30) saw Ellinbank lose three quick wickets, to see them slip to 9-160. With one more run needed, however, Fairbank was able to find the boundary once more, ending his innings unbeaten on 95 not out, and putting Ellinbank back in reach of the top four.
Neerim District v Drouin
A second thriller in as many days saw Neerim turn the tables on Drouin on Sunday. Losing the toss and bowling, Neerim ran rampant with the new cherry, as Jake Harper (1), Matt Kouris (0) and Ben Spicer (0) fell early. Alex Gaudion (40) was the only source of offense at the other hand, as his counter-attacking knock kept the scoreboard ticking. Another mini-collapse saw Drouin fall to 6-83- as Dane Fawcett (3-29) and Matt Kelliher (3-26) worked in tandem to put the knife through the innings. It was left to veteran Paul Timewell (49) to lead the fightback, as Drouin, predictably, forced their way through the 40 overs, making a tricky total of 8-164 whilst taking momentum into their bowling innings.
In reply, Neerim had demons to put to bed- after their previous two games had gone down to the final ball. Desperate to not make it happen, the Stags only needed 39.5 overs in their chase- one that started poorly, as they slipped to 4-49 as Troy Lehman (3-14) bowled a ferocious early spell. Heath Darcy (42) played his best Division 1 knock under pressure to keep Neerim in the game, before he and Riley Ferguson (1) fell to leave the home side in deep trouble at 6-96. Paul Timewell (3-33) was having a tremendous individual game, but even he could not stop what happened next- as Kody Wilson and Aaron Fawcett dragged their side back in the game. The pair only hit four boundaries between them, but singles and twos pushed them to the brink- before Fawcett fell with 8 runs still required. It was left to Wilson- and a scamper off the second last ball to bring him to 63 not out saw his side home to a famous victory.