By Marcus Uhe
Saturday’s intriguing finale to the home-and-away rounds has paved the way for a titillating pair of semi-final match-ups in DDCA Turf 1.
With hosting rights awarded to the higher-finishing side in both contests, Springvale South will welcome Buckley Ridges to Alex Nelson Reserve in the grand final qualifier, while Hallam Kalora Park will host North Dandenong in a battle for survival at Frawley Road.
Buckley and the Bloods have no shortage of recent history, having met five times in the last two seasons for a three-two split in favour of Springvale South, with last season’s 28-run win in the grand final clearly of most significance.
Two victories this season, including a thumping 117-run margin in round five, means the Bloods have won three on the bounce.
The most recent, however, was right in the balance halfway through Buckley’s chase before the wheels fell off.
Buckley had dropped a number of catches in the field, including off Jordan Wyatt, who cashed-in on the opportunity to top-score with 81 off 65.
Wyatt has been a thorn in the Buckley side in the last two seasons, passing 50 on four of his last five innings against the boys from Park Oval.
His dismissal would have significantly swung the contest, after Ryan Quirk and the Forysth brothers also missed-out.
In reply, the game hung in the balance with Buckley at 3/130 in the 26th over, before losing their final seven wickets for just 49 runs.
Much will rely on Michael Davies and Hadigallage Jayaratne, as the two leading seam-bowling wicket takers in the competition this season.
While at the top of the order, the fitness of Jayson Hobbs means there will be a potential squeeze for selection, with Jake Cronin having taken his opportunity with a brilliant century against Hallam Kalora Park last week.
Hobbs has missed the last three matches of the home-and-away season due to a hand injury.
Over at Hallam it’s cut-throat, and the Hawks will be smarting following their loss to the Maroons in round 13.
Hallam Kalora Park well-and-truly had the wood over the Maroons, having not lost to them since October 2014, winning 11 and having one draw in 2016/17 in the last 12 contests.
Clayton McCartney was excellent for the Maroons, hitting his highest score of the year after opening batter and leading run-scorer Ramneet Dhindsa was dismissed without scoring.
Neither side enters the finals in winning form, however, with both playing-out draws in the final week of the season.
Hallam has the edge when it comes to finals experience, with North Dandenong breaking a long finals drought this season, having finally escaped the throes of the relegation battle, while the Hawks lifted the Turf 1 trophy in 2020/21.
Both games will begin at 12.30, with no rain on the forecast as of Tuesday morning.
