Cranbourne seamer Shane Murdoch celebrates with gloveman Steve Hall after bowling Doveton’s Shane Murdoch on Saturday.By Paul Pickering
AFTER suffering a shock double defeat the previous weekend, a determined Springvale South team went about steadying the ship in the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Saturday.
The reigning premiers – who have surrendered top spot to Berwick – batted confidently on day one of their two-day fixture against cellar dweller Keysborough.
Elsewhere, Berwick consolidated it’s position by skittling Dandenong West, while Buckley Ridges has Coomoora on the ropes, Narre Warren and North Dandenong are evenly poised, St Mary’s got rolled by Parkfield and Doveton travelled well to Cranbourne.
Buckley Ridges v Coomoora
A game-breaking 138-run partnership between Ruwan Jayadeva (91) and Paul Rudd (66) has Buckley Ridges in a formidable position after the first day of its clash with Coomoora at Pultney Street.
Buckley Ridges won the toss and elected to take guard on its home deck. And after Roos seamer Carlos Hereford (4/57) snared two early wickets, the home team dug in to ward off an early collapse.
First, it was Dave Irvine (31) who joined Rudd in a half-century alliance, before his dismissal made way for Jayadeva to impart his will on the match.
The pair eventually fell in quick succession, reducing Ridges to 5/232, but the damage had already been done.
Buckley Ridges will be defending 6/273 when play resumes this Saturday.
Narre Warren v North Dandenong
North Dandenong travelled to Sweeney Reserve to face a Magpies side that has gone ice cold after a promising start to the summer.
But the home side struck first and often, with John Simpson (4/46), Dave Wheeler (3/39) and Chris Jarrett (3/45) all revelling in the humid conditions to share the spoils.
While North Dandenong’s total of 184 hardly looks beyond the Magpies’ reach, the equation would have been significantly better if not for a classy 86 not out from in-form number four Carman Mapatuna.
In reply, Narre Warren limped to 2/27 at stumps to set up an intriguing climax this weekend.
Parkfield v St Mary’s
Separated by just three points in the middle of the Turf One table, Parkfield and St Mary’s squared off in a crucial fixture at Parkfield Reserve on Saturday.
The Saints’ decision to bat first was swiftly undermined by a hungry Bears bowling attack as the visitors fell to 8/70 in double time.
Only a handy 45-run ninth-wicket partnership between tail-enders Emmanuel Coomaraswamy (26) and Andrew Haining (22) could usher the Saints safely above the century mark.
They soon departed, though, to set Parkfield a target of just 120 for first innings points.
Springvale South v Keysborough
Untouchable until the previous weekend, Springvale South faced the unfamiliar task of bouncing back as the reigning premier hosted last-placed Keysborough on Saturday.
Having relinquished its hold on top spot, the home side opted to bat first.
It was a promising start, with Steve Masterson’s dismissal the only early hiccough as Springvale South progressed to 1/91 on the back of a dogged 66 from skipper Craig Slocombe.
And even when Keysborough’s Mahshan Perera (5/69) made Slocombe his first of five victims, Danny Law (49) and Andrew Sharp (54 not out) arrived to steer Springvale South past the 200 mark – and back into familiar territory.
Keysborough will now be chasing an unlikely target of 229 for victory this Saturday.
Dandenong West v Berwick
Despite stumbling late in the day, Berwick took the honours against Dandenong West at Greaves Reserve on the weekend.
The Bears bowled the Bulls out for 170, with Adam Watson (3/26), Ryan Crawford (2/21) and Alex Roberts (2/24) doing the bulk of the damage.
Other than Anthony Brannan’s 78, it was a dismal scorecard for Dandenong West, as only four players reached double figures.
In reply, Berwick’s openers were dismissed for just a run between them, leaving the Bears in trouble at 2/8.
But as they have done all season, Roberts (20 not out) and Gavan Wills (3 not out) steadied and should set the foundations for an easy victory this Saturday as Berwick resumes at 2/27.
Cranbourne v Doveton
Doveton battled through a tough start to grab the ascendancy against Cranbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday.
With both sides struggling near the bottom of the ladder the game took on extra prominence, and the Eagles made early inroads.
Brad Downe and Rob Turner fell cheaply before the Doves dug in. Captain-coach Glen Lothian (42 runs), who promoted himself into the opening slot after batting at number 11 for most of the season, and Ryan Hendy (34) worked well as Doveton moved to 4/96.
Corrie and Nathan Wilson carried on their good work with an unbeaten 84-run stand to leave the Doves at 4/180 after 59 overs.
Cranbourne captain Ross Woodall (1/14) led four single-wicket takers.
