By JARROD POTTER
DDCA TURF 1 GRAND FINAL PREVIEW
CHAMPION team or team of champions?
Slocombe or Spoljaric in round two at Keysborough?
Bat or bowl with the clouds circling?
So many questions are ready to be answered this weekend in the DDCA Turf 1 showdown between Springvale South and Cranbourne.
The final most people expected, or in most cases demanded, has come to fruition as the minor premier Bloods battle the second-ranked Eagles for bragging rights at Keysborough.
They haven’t seen much of each other this year – just one Twenty20 clash as the regular season battle in round three was washed out without play.
Cranbourne (7/217) made the most of the better conditions Sunday to erase Berwick’s (9/213) lead, with a stellar effort from Wookey Medalist Matt Chasemore (73) starting the job.
Cranbourne captain Steve Spoljaric said many thought it was a foregone conclusion once the Premier star Chasemore signed at Casey Fields, but the side had to make the last dance and go one better than last year, after its early exit against Heinz.
“It was half expected I supposed when Cheeks (Chasemore) got signed and we still had to do it I suppose,” Cranbourne captain Spoljaric said. “Especially with the Plunkett addition too.”
Spoljaric (497 runs, 34 wickets) and Chasemore (501 runs, 16 wickets) lead the attack on both sides of the ball while Stuart Plunkett (144 runs) has been a welcome addition to the batting order.
The young bowlers Martin Kelly, Cam Kelly and Cam Dinger have chipped in where needed and the batting continues to get a bit wiser, a bit stronger and most importantly, more experienced as the Eagles’ youth policy continues to develop.
While the stage is set for another chapter in the “Slocombe v Spoljaric” history books, that’s all history for Spoljaric as he aims to take Cranbourne’s first Turf 1 flag since 1989/90.
He notched a magnificent match-defining 106 and backed up with 4/49 in his last time with the Bears, but that’s just another thing in the rear-view mirror for the DDCA champion all-rounder.
“That’s all in the past – I watched last weekend there (Keysborough) and there was a reverse-outright and you can’t think about hundreds there now,” Spoljaric said.
“Hopefully they dish out a flat wicket – that would be nice as Cheeks and I would be craving one of them.
“Fingers crossed.”
Springvale South (8/171) had to dig in on Sunday against Heinz Southern Districts (168) to book its first grand final appearance since the 2013/14 loss to Parkfield.
Whereas Cranbourne is anchored by a few, Springvale South leaves that role to whoever feels like it week to week. Sometimes it’s Nathan King (202 runs, 21 wickets), other times Test-calibre recruits Michael Vandort (378 runs) and Malinga Bandara (31 wickets) have led the cause.
Throughout it all the wizened batting maestro Craig Slocombe (252 runs, eight wickets) has been there to put his best efforts in.
That doesn’t even include the likes of Harry Staude, Dylan Quirk, Jarrod Armitage, Tim Ford and Jackson Sketcher … all crucial parts of an extremely even list for Springvale South this year.
It shows with an emphatic record, huge percentage and the minor premiership earned for another season while lower grades and other results have also been productive. Turf 3 made a semi-final, the under-17 ones are through yet again to the finale and the side won the Twenty20 premiership to show the wide variety of depth throughout the red-and-white legion at Harold Road.
But it’s business as usual for the level-headed skipper Slocombe – as he wants to keep the good times rolling with what would be his seventh first XI flag.
“It’s always a good feeling – it’s a long season thinking about all your plans and what you’ve got to do to make it, so to finally get there is a great feeling,” Slocombe said.
“We lost our round-10 game actually, so we had one slip up there and that was probably good for us.
“We don’t normally think about it (the good record) – we go into each game thinking about winning and not too much about what’s happened in the past.”
Slocombe’s last visit to Keysborough was the thriller in 2013/14, making a century of his own as he ran out of help at the other end, falling about 50 short. Another ton would be lovely, but in his usual approach – whatever happens on top of a premiership is just a bonus.
Unfortuantely we went down in that one (2013/14) – will be hoping to repeat it, if I get another 100 that’ll be nice,” Slocombe said. “You don’t go out planning for it but if we could and get a win with it as well that’ll be fantastic.”
The match starts at 12.30pm on Saturday and Sunday at Keysborough’s Rowley Allen Reserve, on Cheltenham Road. A reserve day is scheduled for next Saturday as well.
DDCA 2015/2016 GRAND FINALS FIXTURE
TURF 1: Springvale v South Cranbourne, at Keysborough.
TURF 2: Keysborough v Dingley, at Hallam.
TURF 3: Beaconsfield v Buckley Ridges, at Reedy 1.
TURF 4: Springvale v Lynbrook, at Lois Twohig 1.
TURF 5: Berwick Springs v Buckley Ridges, at Carroll 2.
TURF 6: Narre North v Beaconsfield, at Parkfield.
TURF 7: Berwick Springs v Cranbourne, at Barry Powell 1.
A GRADE: Sandown Park v North Dandenong, at Edinburgh.
B GRADE: Berwick Springs v Buckley Ridges, at Grices Road.
C GRADE: Hallam Kalora Park v Lynbrook, at Carroll 1.
D GRADE: Narre South v Berwick, at Strathaird 2.
E GRADE: Doveton v St Brigid’s St Louis, at Browns.
F GRADE: Berwick Springs v Sandown Park, at Berwick Springs 1.
ONE DAY 1: Springvale South v Southern Pirates, at Coomoora 2.
ONE DAY 2: Parkdale v Cranbourne, at Reedy 2.
U17/1: Springvale South v Endeavour Hills, at Coomoora 2.
U17/2: Berwick v Narre South, at Carroll 1.
U17/3: Fountain Gate v Beaconsfield Max, at Pawsey West.
U15/1: Berwick Springs v Buckley Ridges, at Grices Road.
U15/2: North Dandenong v Berwick Springs, at Lois Twohig 2.
U15/3: Narre South v Cranbourne, at Strathaird 2.
U13/1: B/Springs Blue v Berwick, at Berwick Springs 1.
U13/2: Berwick v Fountain Gate, at Pargeter Evans.
U13/3: Noble Park v Endeavour Hills, at Pargeter Tierney.
U13/4: Narre Warren v Narre North, at Sweeney 2.
