By Marcus Uhe
Berwick is the first team to book its ticket to the knock-out rounds of the Dandenong District Cricket Association T20 competition after a thrilling final ball win over Buckley Ridges at home on Wednesday night, eliminating the Bucks and Springvale South in the process.
Bears skipper and club legend Jarrod Goodes was the hero in a final-ball cliffhanger over the reigning turf 1 champions, removing Bucks all-rounder Ishan Jayarathna and tailender Sanka Dinesh on the final two deliveries of the match, with the visitors finishing two-runs shy of victory.
After rearranging Dinesh’s timber, Goodes extended his follow through to the square boundary in front of the grandstand at Arch Brown Reserve with teammates in hot pursuit, and bowed to the captivated crowd.
It was a man-of-the-match performance from the veteran, who grabbed 4/14, including the dangerous trio of Dale Tormey, Jake Cronin and Jayarathna as his side defended 117.
Berwick chose to bat first but failed to post a strong total thanks to a spread of Buckley Ridges contributors.
Jordan Cleland opened the batting and made 23 and Michael Wallace 27 as Buckley’s bowlers, led by quick pair Jayarathna and Hussain Ali, kept the batters in-check.
Both finished with two wickets while spinners Matthew Montgomery and Dinesh bowled tight four-over spells.
The Bucks similarly found batting tough as each of the top four failed to pass 20.
Goodes removed the opening pair before the spinners, in Lachlan Brown, Elliot Matthews and Ruwantha Kellapotha, applied the clamps in the middle overs.
The final over began with Goodes attempting a ‘mankad’ on Jayarathna, before withdrawing his appeal.
The Bucks needed eight to keep its chances of progressing alive, and began the over well with a three, a wide and running two singles, leaving Jayarathna on strike with just two runs required off the final three deliveries.
Goodes bowled a dot on the third-last ball, and had Jayarathna caught at cover on the penultimate, requiring Dinesh to win the match on his first delivery.
Dinesh swung hard but made no connection with the ball, bringing his side’s tenure in the tournament to an end, as Berwick took an unassailable lead in the group after downing Springvale South last week.
Six of the Bucks batters finished with single figures outside of Jayarathna, who made 27.
The dream remains alive for 15 teams, with six joining Buckley Ridges and Springvale on the sidelines.
Parkfield, Berwick Springs, Keysborough, Doveton, Fountain Gate and Narre Warren will all be forced to lick their wounds and regroup for next year’s competition, after dropping their second games of the competition on Wednesday night.
Silverton sent Berwick Springs packing with a comfortable eight-wicket win with 29 balls to spare, chasing 113 thanks to 51 from marquee Talwinder Prince and 3/12 from Hemal Ratnayake.
Nuwan Kulasekara dug Dandenong West out of trouble with a 15-ball 37 to help the Bulls chase 120 against Parkfield, while Jackson Noske crunched 81 from 49 for Coomoora against Narre Warren in a 40-run win.
A Christo Otto-less Keysborough fell six runs short of chasing HSD’s 169, with Englishman Harry Funnell playing a key role with bat and ball for the Cobras.
Hallam Kalora Park was far too strong for Doveton, winning by 85 runs, and Beaconsfield chased Fountain Gate’s 116 for the loss of just five wickets.
Lyndale’s defeat of Hampton Park, meanwhile, means all three teams in its trio, including Parkmore, are still alive.
Should Parkmore defeat Lyndale in the final group game, all three sides will finish on one win each, but Lyndale could spoil the party if they avoid a pillaging from the Pirates.
Ciaron Connolly wound back the clock with 71 for the Dales before Ben Montgomery and Usman Ali took three wickets apiece to help defend 157.
The final round of contests is scheduled for Wednesday 18 December.
RESULTS – ROUND 2
Dandenong West 5/125 (Nuwan Kulasekara 37) def Parkfield 120 (Riley Siwes 3/15).
Beaconsfield 5/117 (Susantha Pradeep 53, Davandeep Premi 3/19) def Fountain Gate 7/116.
Berwick 7/117 (Michael Wallace 27) def Buckley Ridges 116 (Jarrod Goodes 4/14).
Silverton 2/117 (Talwinder Prince 51) def Berwick Springs 9/113 (Riley Hillman 44, Hemal Ratnayake 3/12).
HSD 8/169 (Mackenzie Gardner 39) def Keysborough 9/163 (Chanaka Kahandawala 52).
Hallam Kalora Park 4/188 (Damith Perera 50) def Doveton 6/103 (Johnny Kamali 41).
Coomoora 5/154 (Jackson Noske 81) def Narre Warren 7/114 (Malan Madusanka 2/9).
Lyndale 9/157 (Ciaron Connolly 71) def Hampton Park 147 (Usman Ali 3/21).
FIXTURE – ROUND 3
Wednesday 18 December
Parkmore v Lyndale
Cranbourne v Beaconsfield
Narre North v Coomoora
St Mary’s v Hallam Kalora Park
North Dandenong v Silverton
Narre South v Dandenong West
Lynbrook v HSD
Springvale South v Buckley Ridges (Dead Rubber)
