By Stuart Teather
PERFECT conditions greeted cricketers for round seven of the Dandenong District Cricket Association on Saturday and the teams provided some thrilling encounters.
Parkfield moved into second position with a win over Berwick, while North Dandenong’s David Bell starred with the ball, taking five wickets to help his side to victory over Coomoora.
@BT Sub Sport News:Doveton v Springvale South
Top side Springvale South put the boot into Doveton at the Doves’ Robinson Reserve.
Springvale South’s opening pair, Steven Masterson (63) and Rory Ingram (26), put on 73 to kickstart the innings. The batsmen kept the scoreboard ticking as the side reached 4/177 off 40 overs, leaving the Doves with plenty of work to do.
The home side slipped in its stint at the crease and never recovered, losing three early wickets. When Suranjith Silva struck for his first wicket, the Doves languished at 6/77, and Silva did not let up, claiming three of the next four dismissals to sink Doveton. Silva was the pick of the bowlers with 4/12 off 5.4 overs, while Tim Ford took 2/23.
@BT Sub Sport News:Cranbourne v Buckley Ridges
Cranbourne is still searching for its first win of the season after falling to an accomplished Buckley Ridges at Casey Fields Oval.
Cranbourne struck twice early, removing Paul Rudd (one) and Johann Brohier (four) in quick succession, but Daniel Watson (49) and captain William Butler (55) combined to steady the ship, helping the visitors to 6/224 after 40 overs.
In reply, Cranbourne was impressive in the face of quality bowling and middle-order batsmen Daniel Hunt (57) and Jason Hameeteman (44) gave their side a fighting chance. But, after starring with the bat, Buckley Ridges’ Butler then impressed with the ball, picking up 4/44 off five overs as Cranbourne was dismissed for 198.
@BT Sub Sport News:Berwick v Parkfield
Berwick’s season is on the ropes after it dropped its second successive game, this time to Parkfield at Berwick’s Arch Brown Reserve. It was another close game for Berwick, which fell just eight runs short in the run chase.
Parkfield posted a competitive 8/170, with Daniel Ferguson (66 not out) boosting the total from No. 8. Berwick’s bowlers were on song, particularly William Carr (3/32 off eight overs) and Alex Roberts (2/16 off eight).
It turned out to be Berwick’s second close game in a row and the side matched Parkfield’s run-rate throughout the innings, but ran out of wickets and fell just short. With the loss, Berwick dropped to seventh on the ladder, while Parkfield jumped into second place, half a game clear of Buckley Ridges in third.
@BT Sub Sport News:Coomoora v North Dandenong
An inspired spell from North Dandenong bowler David Bell was enough to get his side over the line against Coomoora on Saturday. Playing at Coomoora Reserve, the visitors batted first and eked out 138 off 40 overs, with opener Shane Clark top scoring with 39. But, it was with the ball that North Dandenong won the match, with Bell’s 5/7 off eight overs (three maidens) the clincher.
Combining with Clark (2/14 off three overs), Bell restricted Coomoora to 114 off 33.4 overs, handing North Dandenong an important win that kept the side in touch with the top four, outside only on percentage.
@BT Sub Sport News:St Mary’s v Keysborough
St Mary’s prevailed over Keysborough in a nail-biting affair at Keysborough Reserve, getting over the line with eight balls to spare. Keysborough posted 7/159 off its 40 overs and enjoyed solid contributions throughout the order. It was a different story when St Mary’s padded up; Luke Byron, with 63 runs at No. 4, was his side’s biggest contributor. He fell when his side was just four runs short of the required total, leaving Andrew Haining (13 not out) and Agnelo Dmello (four not out) to guide their side to victory.
@BT Sub Sport News:DDCA juniors star
The DDCA’s under-16 representative team has begun its campaign for the Jim Beitzel Shield winning its first three matches. The squad is Sharfaraz Ali, Corey Ely, Nathan King, Kevin Tissera, Billy Sisouk, Shehan Bandaranayake, Nathan Lambden, Cameron Petrie, David Spencer, Mark Weeding, Matthew Weller, Jarrat Eastburn, Melford Barnes and coach Peter Mathison.
