By Marcus Uhe
Cranbourne and Coomoora could hardly be more evenly poised at the conclusion of the first day of their Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 2 matchup at Casey Fields, following a day on which the bowlers – and Nick Suppree – reigned supreme.
Cranbourne requires only 142 more runs for victory but won’t get any help from their three-highest run scorers for the season when play resumes, with Harrison Carylon, Hayden Lamb and Cameron Kelly all losing their wickets before stumps on day one.
For that, Coomoora has Joel Robertson to thank, who removed the nucleus of Cranbourne’s batting order in six withering overs.
When Liam Hard throws him the ball for the first time on Saturday his bowling figures will read 3/7 from six overs, with three maidens.
He sent Carlyon packing in the opening over after hitting Malan Madusanka a catch, before Lamb and Kelly both made way in the fifth and seventh over, respectively.
Dean McDonell and Tommy Marks will resume the assignment next week.
Earlier in the day, a second five-wicket haul from Julius Sumerauer ensured Carlyon’s decision to bowl first at Casey Fields was vindicated.
The Jersey quick, who has wasted little time in adjusting to Australian conditions, grabbed 5/38 as the key figure in an excellent bowling performance from the Eagles, which kept Coomoora to 171.
Sumerauer removed opener Kanwardeep Singh and number three Jarrod Munday early in the piece and returned later in the day to remove the key cog of Suppree, the Roos coach who found a way to resist the onslaught.
Suppree’s 76, his first half-century of the summer, was a welcome return to form for the premiership-winning coach, and came in a vital period for his team under immense pressure from swooping Eagles.
Only he, Hard and Dean Krelle reached the salvation of double figures, and beyond those contributions, the cupboard was alarmingly bare.
Suppree’s wicket at 5/156 was the beginning of the end of Coomoora’s innings, which, while resistant and frustrating, failed to put runs on the board.
The final six wickets fell for just 16 runs, allowing Cranbourne a dash with the bat before stumps.
It’s a period that could come back to bite them, however, given the difficult predicament it now needs to navigate.
Around Turf 2, Lyndale needs 181 more runs to defeat St Mary’s but will resume the chase three wickets down, with star batter Faraz Rahman one of three to fall to Saints spinner Rumesh Ranasinghe before the close of play.
The Saints maximised the 11 overs with the ball at the tail end of a long hot day, with the decision to open the bowling with Ranasinghe’s spin proving a masterstroke from Saints skipper Raveen Nanayakkara.
Two Blues leading runscorer Faraz Rahman was stumped without scoring in the opening over before Ranasinghe claimed two more scalps in the fifth of the innings.
Junaid Kari’s stellar year for St Mary’s continued in the first innings, reaching 91 in a lone hand for the home side, where his next-best teammate reached just 27.
Parkfield, meanwhile, has just 86 more runs to defend, but need only a further five wickets to defeat Narre Warren.
The Bandits’ batting woes continued, making just 153, before taking 5/67 in the final 21 overs of play.
