By JARROD POTTER
DDCA TURF 1 – Round 6 (day 2)
THE rains may have tried their hardest, but no deluge could wash away a day for the bowlers around the Turf 1 grounds.
CRANBOURNE v COOMOORA
They had to wait until 2.15pm, but that would be the only significant downside to Cranbourne’s (4/163dec and 0/2) second outright victory in as many weeks following a complete collapse by Coomoora (56 and 108) at Casey Fields.
The only rate Coomoora upped on Saturday was its attrition rate as wickets fell in clumps and at one stage looked like an innings-defeat was likely.
Cam Kelly (3/14), Steve Spoljaric (3/36) and Martin Kelly (2/19) left little doubt as to which side was top of the ladder as the Eagles picked off Kangaroos virtually at will. Gutsy batting from Charith Fernando (30) and Lance Baptist (29 not out) were the only bright lights on a dim afternoon for the visitors.
Mitch Temby (16) ensured the Eagles would have to bat again, but with only a one-run lead it wasn’t going to be a long chase as Ben Maroney (2 not out) struck the match winner off the first ball faced.
The win gives Cranbourne a whopping 13-point lead heading into the final round before Christmas at Mordialloc while Coomoora will host Buckley Ridges in a battle of the tailenders.
DANDENONG WEST v PARKFIELD
Falling from the sky wasn’t just rain… it was also a torrent of Dandenong West’s (86 and 9/135) wickets against Parkfield (194). Matt Aslett was in sensational form as he flew through the Bulls’ middle order to claim six wickets. Dandenong West barely raised a bat in defence as Aslett and co wrecked house at Greaves Reserve, leaving the Bulls to bat again to avoid an innings defeat. With 109 runs needed to stave off an outright loss, the Westerners batted more aptly in the second dig as Shaun Weir (35) led the charge and pushed the home side past the bogey target. Shane Bell (4/30) continued a strong start to the season with the ball en route to his 16th scalp of the year to date, while spinner Travis D’Souza (3/54) also burdened a large workload in the second innings.
SPRINGVALE SOUTH v BERWICK
Two Quirks of nature left Berwick (215) licking its wounds as the next generation of Bloods’ batsmen slammed on the winning runs at Alex Nelson Reserve.
Ryan Quirk (79) showed just how prodigious he can become as he bunkered down to stave off the Berwick attack. His 206-ball epic had the 17-year-old showing the elder gents how it was done.
With a pair of under-17 hundreds already this season, Quirk stepped up to the next level in his best knock for the Turf 1 side yet as he was the last man to fall after his Herculean feat.
Quirk and his brother Dylan (55) piled on 101 for the fifth wicket after the Bloods were left in a precarious spot at 4/49 following an early mauling from the Bears.
Their effort turned the tables on Berwick and forced the field to spread at Harold Road, leaving the Quirks to push ahead and take advantage. Dylan would fall to a straightener from Ryan Crawford just after notching his first Turf 1 half-ton this season, leaving it to his younger brother to finish the job.
Quirk and captain Craig Slocombe (30) put the remainder on the board before the duo fell just a handful of runs before victory.
NORTH DANDENONG v MORDIALLOC
Depsite a gutsy fightback from middle-order batsman Clay McCartney (74), North Dandenong (179) fell away against Mordialloc (6/246). Outside of Syed Mehmood (47), McCartney and a bit of tail-wagging from Shane Clark (19) and the other bowlers, the North Dandenong effort featured too many failing grades to pass Mordialloc’s mighty amount. The loss drops the Northerners outside the top four.
BUCKLEY RIDGES v LYNDALE
The only match which couldn’t be seen out this weekend, Lyndale (255) and Buckley Ridges (6/205) split the points. Buckley Ridges was in the box-seat once play commenced as Suren Ekanayake (60), Troy Aust (53) and Jayson Hobbs (28) feasted on the conditions attempting to hunt down the runs, but despite their best efforts, the trio couldn’t complete the match.
DDCA TURF 1 LADDER
Team W D L Pts %
Cranbourne 5 0 0 38 1.9744
Mordialloc 3 1 1 25 1.5741
Springvale Sth 4 0 1 24 1.7201
Berwick 2 1 2 23 1.3516
Nth Dandenong 3 0 2 18 1.2868
Parkfield 3 0 2 18 0.9419
Dandenong West 2 0 3 16 1.0139
Hallam Kalora Pk 2 0 3 16 0.9447
Heinz Southern Dists 2 0 3 12 0.9206
Lyndale 1 1 3 9 0.7496
Buckley Ridges 1 1 3 9 0.6591
Coomoora 0 0 5 0 0.3696
