By Marcus Uhe
A Cranbourne win on Saturday would make the Eagles one of the best-placed sides for an assault on the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 2 premiership this season, with its clash against Lyndale offering a golden opportunity.
The second match of the season at home after two abandoned away fixtures in rounds one and three, the Eagles are as well-placed as any to make an early run at the premiership and consolidate an impressive opening.
Jersey man Harrison Carlyon has settled down under and already sent a stern warning in his early forays, crunching a boundary-heavy 73 in his opening innings of the year against St Mary’s, and steering his side brilliantly in the field to orchestrate a comfortable win.
Lyndale, by contrast let a critical opportunity slip through their grasp in falling to the promoted Coomoora in a final-over thriller.
Nine wickets from Martin Kelly in two innings helped the Eagles to steamroll Lyndale by eight wickets in a two-day match in round 12 last season, while the one-day contest earlier in the year was abandoned due to wet weather.
Winless in the opening month would be a frustrating way to open the season for Lyndale in a season where the margins will be oh-so tight.
Maybe most intriguing contest of the weekend is Parkfield’s trip to Parkmore.
The Bandits were humbled by HSD in their only contest of the year and will be champing at the bit to make amends against a side finding their groove.
Parkmore had one of its best performances of the summer in a one-day contest against Parkfield in round 14, surviving a five-wicket haul from Dishan Malalasekara to record a 71-run win.
Departed former captain Amal Athulathmudali was the star that day, however, pairing a first-innings century (when no teammate passed 22) with 2/27 for man-of-the-match honours.
Little more could have been asked of Parkmore in round two, handling Narre Warren comfortably with expected key contributors all playing their roles.
Expectations are high for Pirates seamer Ankit Saxena, having arrived on Parkmore’s shores from Premier Cricket over the offseason.
Parkfield’s top order, which yielded just 30 runs between numbers one to four, will need to provide a much stronger performance if the Bandits are to challenge for a premiership once again, and that task begins with handling the former Greenvale Kangaroo.
Saxena finished with excellent figures of 3/23 from nine overs on Parkmore debut, immediately showing his class at the level.
Another Bandits loss would well-and-truly put them on the back foot, albeit with plenty of time remaining in the season to rediscover last season’s form.
Elsewhere in Turf 2, HSD heads to Sweeney Reserve to face the beleaguered Narre Warren, and St Mary’s hosts Coomoora.
St Mary’s have plenty to prove, having been relegated from Turf 1 the previous summer.
Tips: Narre Warren v HSD*, CRANBOURNE v Lyndale, Parkmore v PARKFIELD, ST MARY’S v Coomoora.
