By JARROD POTTER
Round 4 (day 1)
FIGHTING back from the depths of despair, Buckley Ridges (181) now sit in the driver’s seat following a collapse from Heinz Southern Districts (7/111).
The opening bowling trio – Chad Van Estrop (4/38), Justin Davis (2/15) and Michael Davies (1/34) – struck time-after-time against the enfeebled Buckley Ridges’ top order. Van Estrop was the pick of the bowlers and got himself on a hat-trick after the expert work of wicketkeeper Brodie Yapp found Jayson Hobbs (0) outside his crease with a leg-side stumping. While the hat-trick ball just fell short of the ring field, Van Estrop continued to torment the Cobras both with the ball and his fledgling Movember moustache.
When the experience of Matt Goodwright (1) and Mick Cronin (6) came and went, they were the tail end of a six-wicket onslaught from Heinz.
You could have named your price on a Buckley Ridges’ victory when the side teetered to 7/57, but the Ridges had one last ace up their sleeve – Nottinghamshire import Anuj Dal (94 not out).
Staging one of the finest British rescue efforts, Dal excelled while others failed around him. Turning the attack back on the Cobras he finally found some willing aid via the lower-order as Lucas Hoogenboom (30) – to notch an 83-run partnership – and Hussain Ali (12) stuck fast to help Dal post his first half-ton in DDCA Turf 1.
In response Heinz started strongly but crumbled under pressure from Goodwright (3/0) and Ali (2/18). Ali found the crucial scalp of Adam Semmens (41) late in the day to take the iniaitive away from the Cobras and leave the visitors needing 71 for first innings points.
LYNDALE v CRANBOURNE
THE Barry Powell Reserve minefield was commissioned for another season as Lyndale (107) and Cranbourne (6/93) were razed by the bowlers. Conal Ranatunga (31) held up the top order while captain Ciaron Connolly (21 not out) kept the side going from the tail. In between, Lyndale’s batting effort was lacklustre as Eagles’ duo Steve Spoljaric (4/39) – with 11 maidens – and Te Ahu Davis (3/35) laid siege to all that crossed paths. Leaving a meagre total to defend, the Lyndale bowlers stood up where the batsmen failed as Ranatunga (3/27) showed his all-round chops to push Cranbourne to six-down. Ben Maroney (57 not out) – in a swashbuckling effort with six boundaries and two sixes – led the chase and will need to stick around to give the Eagles assurance of reaching the tally.
BERWICK v DANDENONG WEST
BERWICK (7/107) took first innings points on day one as Dandenong West (107) failed to stick around. Cory Bevan claimed four wickets to lead the Bears through the Bulls’ order. Adam Mason (27) was the best of the Bulls along with keeper Matthew Collett (21). The Bulls’ bowling was barraged by Berwick as Peter Atkinson (4/52) led the initiative.
HALLAM KALORA PARK v PARKFIELD
RHYS Serpanchy (93) took the Bears (0/2) by storm on day one as Hallam Kalora Park (225) mustered an impressive tally. The best efforts of Shane Bell (4/46), the miserly Nilochana Perera (2/16 off 16 overs) – from Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club – and Travis D’Souza (2/66) weren’t enough to curtail Serpanchy’s rampage.
NORTH DANDENONG v COOMOORA
A NORTH Dandenong (4/88) team effort derailed Coomoora (115). Chipping in to knock off the Kangaroos, North’s trio Dean Gunawardana (2/13), Michael De Kauwe (2/13) and Liam Dudding (2/17) took their toll on the opposition.
In defence, Lance Baptist (42) and Luke Wenke (36) held on bravely while wickets fell around them. The North Dandenong response almost claimed first innings points by stumps as Craig Gunawardana (47 not out) took the home side within 30 runs of victory by day’s completion.
SPRINGVALE SOUTH v MORDIALLOC
SPRINGVALE South’s (0/16) spin/pace duo Ruwanta Kellepotha (5/76) and Jarrod Armitage (4/52) fought earnestly to restrict a power-packed Mordialloc (202). Taking the majority of the bowling initiative alongside Yoshan Kumara (0/27), the Bloods could not stem the run flow from the visitors. At day’s end Mordialloc were 202 off 72.5 overs.
