Noble Park (6/140) is enjoying an unimpeded view from the top of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA) ladder after escaping with a thrilling three-run victory over Box Hill (7/137) at Moodemere Oval on Saturday.
Noble jumped from third to first on the ladder after an epic T20 contest came down to the final ball of the match.
A brilliant last over from Yehan Gunasingha (2/26) saw the home side emerge victorious; continuing a strong run of form in recent times.
Box Hill skipper Sam Kimber called correctly at the toss and asked Janaka Liyanabadalge and his Noble Park teammates to bat first.
It was even battle across the opening 20 overs, with both teams having contributors but no-one – with bat or ball – taking control of the contest.
Pawan Dias (35 not out – 35 balls), Sahan Perera (26 off 22) and Jamie Selvaraj (20 off 22) battled hard for Noble, while Muhammad Saeed (1/19), Amir Altaf (1/15) and Dan Wright (1/22) all bowled consistently for Box Hill over four over spells.
Kimber (2/42) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the visitors, but was expensive in doing so.
Box Hill required 7.1 runs per over to get the choccies.
The visitors did themselves no favours early, with both openers being run out, before number-three Pranav Pothula (20) steadied the ship somewhat.
But Noble was still on top with the visitors 4/51 after Jake Sheehan departed in the 11th over.
Box Hill then made its charge for victory, with James Box (46 off 30) and Kimber (30 off 26) sharing a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket.
The pair took 28 runs off overs 17 and 18, leaving just 18 runs to get from two overs with six wickets in hand.
Box Hill then scored seven runs from the penultimate over of the match, leaving 10 runs to draw or 11 runs for victory.
Gunasingha had Kimber caught on the deep mid-on boundary with ball one, before five runs were scored from balls two and three; with mid-on and deep point providing the scoring threads.
The equation for Box Hill; six runs to win, from three balls, with five wickets in the bank.
Gunasingha then knocked over the middle stump of Box for a well-combined 46, before incoming batter Tharun Jaganathan (1) was run out from the first ball he faced after attempting a second run.
Box Hill then required four runs to tie, or a six to win, from the last ball of the match.
Dan Wright (1 not out) connected well, but found a fielder at deep mid-wicket who returned the ball to the keeper and keeping the damage to one run.
Gunasingha was the only multiple wicket-taker for Noble, but Jermaine Levy (0/18 off 4) and Muharjithan Thedchanamoorthy (1/9 off 2) were important with their impressive economy rates.
Noble next heads across the Westgate on January 10 for a one-day clash with Yarraville.
Endeavour Hills (9/94) meanwhile, is once again licking its wounds after a poor performance against Balwyn (6/127).
The Falcons did okay with the ball, restricting Balwyn to a moderate score; courtesy of fine spells from Assadollah Vala (2/11 off 4) and Kusal Panditharatne (2/14 of 4), but struggled with bat in hand.
Five of the top seven failed to reach double figures, leaving skipper Tyrell Panditharatne (18) to pick up the pieces.
Balwyn was simply too good, with Lachie Fitzpatrick (3/12), Charlie Williamson (2/15) and Pierre Jacod (2/25) leading their team to victory.
Endeavour Hills, currently twelfth, host tenth placed Taylors Lakes after the break.
VSDCA SUMMARY
Results R8 (T20): Noble Park 6/140 def Box Hill 7/137, Balwyn 6/127 def Endeavour Hills 9/94, Croydon 7/96 def Mt Waverley 6/92, Melton 7/108 def by Hoppers Crossing 150, Spotswood 105 def by Werribee 7/113, Taylors Lakes 8/98 def Altona 61, Williamstown 5/110 def Yarraville 4/109, Bayswater 3/116 def Donvale 7/114.
Ladder R8: Noble Park 39, Balwyn 39, Hoppers Crossing 36, Spotswood 36, Altona 34, Bayswater 33, Werribee 27, Croydon 27, Melton 24, Taylors Lakes 24, Williamstown 21, Endeavour Hills 15, Yarraville 12, Mt Waverley 12, Box Hill 9, Donvale 0.
Fixture R9 (One Day) Saturday 10 January: Yarraville (13) v Noble Park (1), Endeavour Hills (12) v Taylors Lakes (10), Box Hill (15) v Melton (9), Donvale (16) v Williamstown (11), Mt Waverley (14) v Spotswood (4), Altona (5) v Croydon (8), Hoppers Crossing (3) v Balwyn (2), Werribee (7) v Bayswater (6).
