By JARROD POTTER
NORTH Dandenong have at last… won!
North Dandenong v Buckley Ridges
It’s a sentence that says it all. The Norths (129) have struggled in DDCA Turf 1 for the last two seasons, but captured their first victory on Saturday with a win over Buckley Ridges (98).
Resuming at 7/62 – the Ridges approached a cliff between themselves and first-innings points. Aaron Greenidge (44) couldn’t keep the side together like he did last week – succumbing alongside Paul Rudd (15) and Matt Goodwright (5) as Buckley Ridges fell 31-runs short of the first innings tally after 43 overs.
Shane Clark (4/7) wielded the ball like a bullet, slicing through Buckley Ridges in the captain’s best return of the season, while Jurgen Anderson (2/21), Yuri Ryobashapka (2/21) and Adam Read (2/32) also took crucial scalps.
Clark (4no) and Janahan Kumaralingam (1no) played seven overs before the match was called and the Norths were left to celebrate their first win of the new season.
Parkfield v Springvale South
SPRINGVALE SOUTH (168) conceded its first loss in DDCA Turf 1 this season as Parkfield (220) defended strongly.
The Bloods’ openers came and went without troubling the scorers – Nathan King (0) and Aaron Morrison (2) were both harassed from the crease early as Matt Aslett (2/28) and Steven (2/22) put wickets in the ledger.
Dylan Quirk (19) and Steve Masterson (18) held on for as long as possible before the duo succumbed with the score at 4/57. The Bloods’ great hope was also their youngest prospect – Ryan Quirk (40) batted sensationally in the tricky conditions – soaking up 147 balls to keep Springvale South in the battle as Jackson Sketcher (3) and Yoshan Kumara (10) fell around him.
The next important salvo came from Parkfield’s Travis D’Souza (3/39) – who ripped Masterson, Ryan Quirk and Sketcher from the crease.
Tim Ford (45) and Craig Slocombe (22) tried to affect the outcome with an eighth wicket stand of 29, but Ford fell to Samiddha Gallage (2/42) which spelled the end.
It keeps Parkfield atop the DDCA Turf 1 ladder with Springvale South falling out of the four.
Coomoora v Mordialloc
The weather intervened to keep Coomoora (7/123) and Mordialloc (191) from finishing their skirmish with the Kangaroos in trouble late in the order. The top order collapsed as Rahoul Pankhania (1), Andrew O’Meara (6) and captain Paul Hill (12) couldn’t handle the head from Lance Bence (1/6) and Chathura Athukorala (3/54). Resistance came from Jason Bacic (24) and Rob Johnston (28no) with the latter surviving the carnage around him to see stumps.
Dandenong West v Hallam Kalora Park
A rallying middle-order effort pushed Dandenong West (6/147cc) to victory over Hallam Kalora Park (96). Reduced to a one-dayer, the Bulls opened up with a flurry of boundaries as Walid Ghauri (12) struck a couple cleanly before succumbing to Callam Prosser. Number three Gehan Perera (0) didn’t affect the scorecard as his edge was found and claimed by Corrie Wilson. Matt Soufilis (10) held on to give Matt Fielding (49) some support, as did Justin Stanton (13) as Fielding raced towards a half century before he was halted a run short by Cory Booth. Anthony Brannan (19) and Shaun Weir (18) put the last notes on the batting card as the Bulls reached 6/147 from their 40 overs.
In response, Hallam Kalora Park was halted at 96 with Andrew Harry (4/50) proving expensive but effective from his 7.5 overs, with Weir (2/22) and Peter Atkinson (2/18) also getting on the wicket takers’ list.
Lyndale v Heinz Southern Districts
Lyndale versus Heinz Southern Districts day two was completed at Greaves Reserve 4 on Sunday after the Journal went to print.
