By Marcus Uhe
A pair of Parkmore’s unsung heroes were vital in securing six significant points on Sunday afternoon in its second v third Dandenong District Cricket Association contest against Cranbourne at Casey Fields.
Avisha Wilwalaarachchi ripped the heart of the Cranbourne middle order with the ball, and Josh Tonna played the anchor role with the bat in a successful chase of 190 with the bat on Sunday.
Wilwalaarachchi has often played the Robin to Ankit Saxena’s Batman, the Sous Chef overseeing the kitchen while Saxena calls the shots in one of the better new ball pairings of Turf 2 this summer.
And while Saxena has received the plaudits, his partner-in-crime is beginning to find his feet.
He took three wickets in a sensational opening spell against Parkfield in round 11 and followed that performance with his best in a Parkmore uniform against the Eagles, taking 6/53
After claiming Harsaroup Singh shortly before the Tea interval at 4/99, Wilwalaarachchi pressed home his side’s advantage with two crucial overs that netted four wickets.
He removed set batter Dean McDonell for 35 and dangerous allrounder Julius Sumerauer without scoring on the following delivery, and repeated the dose in his next over with the dismissals of Tommy Marks and Mohit Bisht.
In 11 balls Cranbourne’s innings went from 4/111 to 8/111 with Parkmore pressing for a significant result.
Cranbourne declared on 9/189, thanks to 46 from Justin Dickinson and 27 from Tim Fathers but it could have been considerably worse for Parkmore, if not entirely out of reach, with the Pirates needing 76 overs to reach the total.
Wilwalaarachchi’s captain, Niranjen Kumar, could not have been happier for his opener, who he credited for sparking the collapse.
“He said that he wanted to bowl with a little bit of variation because the pitch was funny and the ball stopped swinging,” Kumar said.
“We gave him the right field for it and a few chances came our way and we took those chances.
“They’ve been a really good opening bowling combination and I don’t think Ankit can take his wickets without a partner like Avisha.
“Statistics might dictate whether you’re in form or not but when we train with these boys, we know that the ball is coming out nicely or someone’s hitting it well.
“It was awesome to see and pretty fun in the field to be a part of.”
Tonna’s glory came the following afternoon, reaching his first half-century in Pirates colours with an unbeaten 68, the fourth Pirate to raise the bat for a half-century this summer.
Without leading runscorer Satheesh Fernandu at the top of the card, an already under pressure Pirates top order faltered in the evening session, reaching stumps 2/12, having lost Johann Brohier and nightwatchmen Brad Van Twest to Eagles opener Martin Kelly.
Kumar asked someone to bat for time on Sunday and Tonna delivered to a tee.
He and Justin Rowswell added 61 for the fourth wicket before Hewafonsekage Fonseka joined the wicketkeeper batter for a further 58-run stand.
The apex of Tonna’s innings came shortly before Tea when he successfully hooked Sumerauer behind square for six, having run hard between the wickets and rotated the strike throughout both his major partnerships in an accomplished, mature display.
The delegation of responsibility represents major growth for the Pirates as the summer has evolved, a side that has relied too heavily on the same clutch of players to get them home in pressure situations.
Saxena has only this week been displaced from the top of the leading wicket takers list after a brilliant summer with the new ball and Fernandu’s fortunes had too much bearing on their performance with the bat in the early stages of the campaign.
But with others growing into their roles in the First XI, their premiership legitimacy is strengthening by the minute.
Round 12’s six points puts eight points clear of Cranbourne in second place, with just two rounds to play, and a single two-day contest remaining to collect potential bonus points.
It means the Pirates are likely to host a final in the first week, giving them an ideal opportunity to progress to their first grand final since their Turf 2 triumph in the summer of 2021/22.
“The boys all want to contribute, we’re here for a laugh and to have a good time but at the same time, winning makes it a lot more enjoyable, so that’s what it’s all about.
“Any time you play cricket you want to win more than you lose.
“We have an opportunity to play against Coomoora, who we had a tight loss against the first time we played, so hopefully we can learn from those mistakes and be competitive as we get to play two home games to finish the season.”
Cranbourne has a tough task against HSD next week but needs to rediscover its winning form, fast with finals just weeks away.
They have lost their last two, and sit only four points ahead of fourth-placed Coomoora.
