By Marcus Uhe
Doveton’s disastrous season in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 3 competition has reached a new low, suffering the humiliation of an outright defeat in a single day against Fountain Gate in round nine.
The only winless side at the Christmas break, the Doves lost the first innings by six runs before declaring with an 18-run lead in the second, with the Gators completing the chase in the fourth.
Separate collapses of 4/13 and 6/12 either side of a 40-run partnership between Hassan Ali and Obaid Syed for the fifth wicket saw the Doves post just 87 in the first innings, already a fourth total below 100 for the season.
Surya Pratap spun the Doves into a web of wickets, claiming 6/22 from 14.2 overs, and taking a catch to remain involved in the action.
The Gators then raced to 5/93 in reply, declaring in the 20th over with a six-run lead to make inroads into Doveton’s second innings before stumps.
Only the most optimistic, however, could have foreseen what came next, as four Doveton batters were removing their pads and protective equipment before a run was scored.
Nadim Nazif struck with his first and third deliveries of the innings in the second over, and a further two wickets before the close of the fourth over reduced Doveton to 4/0.
Things hardly improved for Doveton, before bizarrely declaring at 8/24 after 14 overs, sporting just an 18-run lead.
Two eight-run partnerships were the longest of the innings as Tareq Rasauli top scored with seven, and Nazif grabbed 5/9 in a staggering five-over spell.
With 74 overs already bowled, the Gators were in a race against time to complete the chase late in the day to avoid returning next week for a frustrating three hours of play, and despite losing four wickets – including three in one over from Affan Syed – Fountain Gate secured the 10 points inside 25 deliveries.
The Doves enter the Christmas break anchored to the foot of the Turf 3 ladder, with a percentage of .338 and a net run rate of -2.561.
It has now been 12 months since the Doves last claimed a win, an 84-run defeat of Hampton Park on 16 December 2023.
Their season resumes on Saturday 11 January against Berwick Springs at home.
