Narre South won its second game of the season in the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) Turf 1 competition, holding off Hallam Kalora Park by three runs in a thrilling finish.
The Hawks came into the clash in red-hot form, having won five matches in a row, but the Lions roared to take the six points.
Narre South won the toss on day one of the clash at Strathaird Recreation Reserve and elected to bat in the searing heat, posting a huge total of 331.
Vineth Jayasuriya (130) and Oshadha Ariyadasa (125) both scored centuries, complementing each other perfectly at the crease.
Only two other players made double figures, with Jawed Hussaini (23) and captain Cal Tout (31 not out) seeing the side to an impressive total.
Jordan Hammond led from the front for the Hawks on what was a tough day in the field, taking 5/59 off 21 overs, taking his season tally to 22 wickets across Turf 1 and the T20 competition.
On day two, the task was set for the Hawks and they were going to need to bat very well to give themselves a shot at a sixth consecutive win.
Jagveer Hayer and Benjamin Hillard strolled to the crease but the pair didn’t last long together, with Hayer (2) snicking off in the fourth over.
Jawid Khan (12) was the next man to go as he got a tickle on a cut shot to the keeper and at 2/35, Hallam Kalora Park desperately needed a partnership.
Hillard and Damith Perera gave the Hawks exactly that, stealing back momentum for their side and putting on a 134-run partnership.
Both reached half centuries and the match looked strongly in favour of the Hawks, with wickets in hand and two set batters at the crease.
It wasn’t until Kyle Hardy came on to bowl as the eighth bowler that Narre South got their men, dismissing Hillard (74) and then Perera (73), changing the game.
Leigh Booth and Jordan Hammond (both 35) helped Hallam Kalora Park near closer to the target, getting them to 6/257 with about 15 overs remaining.
It came down to the final over, skipper Tout taking the ball for the Lions, with the Hawks needing 11 runs to win.
Ryan Hillard and Lee Brown were the batters in the middle, and the pair had already put on more than 50 runs together … Hillard was the guy who was going to get them home.
Hillard hit hard on leg side with the first ball, pushing for two and despite looking like he was gone for all money at the bowler’s end, Brown was saved by a fumble from Tout and they scurried back for two.
The next ball was dug out straight back to Tout and Brown was run out at the non-strikers after backing up way too far.
Hillard hit another two, then a single, which perhaps he wouldn’t take given his time again.
Shaveen Ranawaka got off strike with a bye to give Hillard a look at Tout’s final delivery – four needed to draw, six to win.
He hit it to leg side where there was protection only managed a single, and despite finishing on 44 not out, it wasn’t enough.
Hillard chucked his bat on the ground as he trudged off, giving it a little kick as the Narre South players ran to celebrate with their skipper.
In other games, Dandenong West made light work of Beaconsfield defending its total of 326 with ease thanks to another Shaun Weir ton on day one.
The Bulls won by 213 runs on first innings, as they bowled the Tigers out for 113, with only Jack Steel (34) troubling the scorers.
Dandenong West’s Joel Zietsman (5/30) was on fire with the new ball to take his first five-wicket haul of the season, to go along with his 57 from the first innings with the bat – Jayden Camilleri (3/45) was also impressive.
The Bulls sent Beaconsfield back in chasing the outright victory, but the Tigers fared a bit better in the second dig, with skipper Andrey Fernando (50) and Abaseen Taniwal (32 not out) keeping the bowlers at bay and getting the final score to 2/103.
Springvale South’s total of 269 was too much for a fighting Berwick side to overcome, as the Bloods won by 66 runs and cemented their position in second spot on the ladder.
Half centuries to Dasun Opanayaka (71) and Mitch Forsyth (50) on the first week helped the side to a very competitive total of 269.
An even contribution with the ball meant that Springvale South had Berwick on the back foot from the outset, bowling the Bears out for 203 after 71.5 overs.
Captain Michael Wallace (42) was the standout performer at the top of the order, while a classy half century from Jordan Cleland kept the Bears in the hunt.
If some teammates could’ve hung around longer for him and Berwick had batted out the overs, Cleland’s 72 not out could’ve turned into a victory-yielding century.
Nick Boland, Blade Baxter, Opanayaka and Chathuranga De Silva all took two wickets, while Josh Dowling took one.
Buckley Ridges registered an outright victory over Parkmore on the weekend after almost winning the match on first day, finishing with 3/91 chasing 125.
The Bucks pushed on from that point and with big scores from Ben Wright (81) and Ishan Jayarathna (74), the visitors declared on 233.
The Pirates were sent back in and were bowled out for 150 in the second innings, with Lochana Premarathna (57 not out) the only player to deliver once again, after making 48 in the first innings.
Buckley Ridges needed just 44 runs for an outright victory, and despite losing both openers Dale Tormey and Ayush Patel for ducks, they made light work of the task.
Josh Holden (21 not out) and Triyan De Silva (24) saw the side home eight overs into the fourth innings.
