By Marcus Uhe
A defiant 45-run stand between Fountain Gate’s final wicket pairing could prove to be one of the defining unions of the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 3 season.
In one of the most-anticipated contests of the summer against Silverton, Jasdeep Singh and Asadullah Jabbar Khil’s stay of defiance took Fountain Gate from underdogs to near favourites when the action resumes next Saturday at Springvale Reserve.
At 9/204 in the 69th over, the Gators appeared set for a subpar total, but finished the day by setting Silverton 250 to win, thanks largely to Singh’s 57.
Silverton took wickets in clumps throughout the afternoon but two partnerships, including that for the final wicket, gave Fountain Gate the upper hand after day one.
Amardeep Hothi and Karan Singh combined for an 87-run partnership in the middle over, offering stability as two fresh faces at the crease following the wickets of Shantanu Gupta and Mohammad Nasimi in quick succession.
Kalapu Gamage brought the partnership to an end with Hothi’s dismissal for 42 and soon followed with Karan Singh’s wicket, as Fountain Gate looked set to waste a golden opportunity to bag a vital six points.
But come next week, they will feel that the pressure has transferred to the Bakers’ side of the clubrooms, needing to make all the running against an excellent attack.
The difference between a win and a loss is likely to prove incredibly significant in the tail end of the season, with the two sides among three tied on 46 points, and each aiming for a top-two finish.
As has become a trademark of the Bakers’ bowling performances, the wickets were spread among their key bowlers, with four each grabbing a pair of scalps.
Watching the contest with a keen eye will be Keysborough, with the Knights needing a further 144 runs to defeat Narre North.
Keysborough is the third side in the mix for a top-two finish and will not wish to slip up against a vulnerable but resilient Narre North outfit.
The incredible season of veteran seamer James Wright continued, leading the attack with a fourth five-wicket haul from his last five innings as Narre North was dismissed for 163.
With the home side already wobbling after the loss of three quick wickets, Wright pounced on the instability to rip through the middle order and expose the tail end.
He grabbed numbers six, seven, eight and nine on the card in succession for scores of four or less to give his side the opportunity to bat before stumps.
Sikhie Samarasekara and Kamesh Lokuge added 100 for the second wicket after opener Danial Kamil was Wright’s first victim in the innings’ second over, but the remainder of the Narre North batters failed to build on the foundations.
Allrounders Christo Otto and Chanaka Kahandawala each picked up two wickets for the Knights.
Keysborough will resume the pursuit without opener Jackson O’Brien, who was bowled by Thanigaivasan Ratnalingam on the final ball of proceedings for 17, having taken his side to 1/20.
Doveton, meanwhile, has a chance at securing its first win of the summer on the back of a much-improved batting performance against Berwick Springs.
The Doves posted its second-highest score of the year, reaching 152 in 70 overs, and passing 100 for the fourth time in the process.
Johnny Kamali topscored with 46 but was given out for the unique dismissal of hitting the ball twice.
The wickets were dispersed amongst the Berwick Springs bowlers, before Jackson Marie and Riley Hillman put on 33 for the opening partnership.
Hillman was dismissed on the final ball of the afternoon for 11.
