By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Dandenong District Cricket Association’s answer to the Collingwood Magpies.
Heinz Southern Districts have become the masters of the close finish in the 2023-24 season which has it positioned second on the ladder at the true halfway point of the season.
The latest iteration was a nine-run win over competition pacesetters Dandenong West.
Needing two wickets with just 10 runs to play with skipper Mackenzie Gardner threw the ball to medium pacer Jett Kearney, yet to bowl on the day.
He took 2/1 to give his team a thrilling victory, bowling Dandy West out for 158 and put an exclamation mark on both the Cobras’ bowling quality and depth.
That followed Kearney top-scoring for the Cobras with an aggressive 43 coming in at number eight which gave the bowlers a score to bowl at.
HSD turned to Kearney with the spinners struggling at Greaves Reserve, with paceman Triyan De Silva set to bowl at the other end.
Kearney played a game of Second XI cricket earlier in the season after he returned from a holiday which enabled him to get a strong spell of bowling under his belt.
After taking 1/17 off eight in that game, his only over in his five games prior to Saturday was in the T20 competition against Cranbourne.
A former opening batter for HSD, he now plays as an aggressive finisher.
“He’s taken his opportunity this year,” coach Craig Hookey said.
“He’s got a very clearly defined role which is simple for him to understand and we can train that week in week out.
“I think he’s doing it absolutely perfectly.
“We don’t want to leave him too much time in the middle; we want him to have a big impact in a short time and we’ve got lots of players who can do it but, at the moment, he’s doing it the best and hopefully that can long continue.
“So many people love him so it’s great to see so many people happy for him after his last couple of years. “
While presenting on paper as a likely grand final preview, neither side was at their best as HSD was left to rue batter error and none of the Bulls’ batters except the in-form Anthony Brannan did major damage.
A young team that thrives on momentum, Hookey puts his team’s ability to win the crunch moments down to squad stability.
“We’ve had the same core seven for three years, so getting that continuity of understanding each other’s roles has developed nicely,” Hookey said.
“It allows us to work together as a group and make good decisions.
“I’d say the clarity of role has been important – sometimes you don’t need to have a conversation, it’s just known.
“That’s when you know you’re in a really good position.”
Hookey heaped praise on the bowling attack, which has been put under pressure twice in recent times and risen to the occasion.
Triyan De Silva attacks upfront, while fellow quick Ryan Patterson locks in during the middle overs and the control of Liam Jansen and experience of Jordan Margenberg are valuable assets.
“Our bowling attack is up there with the best in the competition,” he said.
“Our five or six bowlers work so well together so I back our bowling attack with anything, it’s just that our batters need to give our bowlers a bit more freedom to be able to perform under a bit less pressure.
“Now that we’ve been under that pressure and done it for three or four games, it’s a good position to be in.
“Hopefully it holds us in good stead.”
Earlier in the day, Brent Patterson scored 40, while the middle-order was unable to impact, leaving it to Kearney and Ryan Patterson (22 off 37) to make valuable lower-order contributions.
The pick of the Bulls bowlers was spinner Malinga Bandara who used the dimensions of the ground to his advantage and took 3/17 off 12, each of his wickets recognised batters.
Meanwhile, the only other Turf 2 game that was played was Narre Warren’s clash with Parkfield, which saw the visitors win by seven wickets.
Fast bowler Hansika Kodikara took another step back towards his best, claiming 4/19 as the Bandits routed Narre for just 81.
Travis D’Souza finished unbeaten on 36.
Results: Keysborough v Parkmore (washed out), Lyndale v Cranbourne (washed out), Parkfield defeat Narre Warren by seven wickets, HSD defeat Dandenong West by nine runs.
Ladder: Dandenong 35, HSD 27, Lyndale 24, Parkfield 24, Cranbourne 21, Parkmore 18, Narre Warren 15, Keysborough 6
Fixture R8: Keysborough v Lyndale, Narre Warren v Dandy West, HSD v Parkfield, Cranbourne v Parkmore
