By Marcus Uhe and Jonty Ralphsmith
The first weekend of Summer failed to deliver on idyllic fantasies of sunshine, warmth and, most importantly, cricket, with yet another Saturday scuppered by tedious Melbourne rainfall.
Persistent precipitation concluded the working week and continued into Saturday morning, with 7.4 millilitres of rain falling in Melbourne across Friday and Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Coupled with gloomy skies and temperatures in the teens, DDCA administrators made the decision to abandon play at 10.45 on Saturday for both the Turf and Synthetic competitions.
In Turf 1, 10 games have now been ruled draws due to the infringement of mother nature.
The decision meant a number of stellar first day performances in Turf 1 went unrewarded, such as William Whyte’s 7/84 against Narre South, Kyle Hardy’s breakthrough 102 in the same match for the Lions, and Jake Hancock’s unbeaten 141 for Berwick.
Hallam Kalora Park’s tussle with Narre South shaped as a gripping second day, with the Hawks set 301 to win on their home pitch.
Springvale South maintains its place at the top of Turf 1, with Buckley Ridges a close second and only three points separating third (Beaconsfield) with seventh (Narre South).
Among the clashes of note in Turf 1 this week include Berwick v Buckley Ridges and Beaconsfield v Hallam Kalora Park (both Saturday), a grand final replay between Springvale South and Buckley Ridges (Sunday).
In Turf 2, Keysborough would be most affronted by the weather, with the Knights 99 runs away from its first victory of the season with nine wickets in hand against Cranbourne.
The battle between quicks Nuwan Kulasekara, Adam Reid and Noman Khan and Parkfield’s middle-order set day two of the Bandits’ clash with Dandenong West up for a thrilling finish, with the hosts 70 away from victory with five wickets in hand.
Meanwhile, no play was possible on either day of Heinz Southern Districts’ clash with Narre Warren and Lyndale’s bout with Parkmore.
In Turf 3, Lynbrook, Silverton and Coomoora were denied likely outright wins against Doveton, Hampton Park and Fountain Gate respectively, but both had already secured the first innings points.
Berwick Springs, meanwhile, was 82 runs in arrears with seven wickets in hand against Doveton North’s tireless attack at stumps on day one.
Next weekend will see Turf 1, 2 and 3 action on both Saturday and Sunday, with one-day matches played on both, including the rescheduled abandoned slate of fixtures from round one.
