The Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) Turf 3 match between Narre North and St Mary’s was meant to be one of those games, a dead rubber where entertainment is lacking … however it turned out to be anything but that.
Narre Warren North Reserve was the place to be as excited Knights fans watched a remarkable individual performance from fast bowler Aydin Akin.
Records were broken when Akin not only took a hat-trick to demolish the Saints, but remarkably took nine wickets … yes you read that correctly, NINE!
Fellow opener Thanigaivasan Ratnalingham took the first wicket of the day, but then it was party time for Akin.
The Saints have been prone to losing wickets in clumps and this outing was no different as Akin tore the game apart.
He ripped through every Saints batter (apart from one), streaming in with confidence and speed on what will be a day to remember, finishing with 9/37 off 21.3 overs (including six maidens and the hat-trick).
The 23rd over was where the magic happened and after conceding a boundary on third ball of the over and the scoreboard reading 2/46, nobody saw it coming.
Robert Peat (17) was the first to go, before Matthew Barnes was also caught behind on a golden duck, leaving Joey Snow to face the final ball of the over – the hat-trick ball.
You can guarantee that Snow had just one thing on his mind … survival.
Akin charged in and the delivery was on the money, getting straight through Snow’s defence to crash into the stumps as exciting celebrations followed.
He went on to take another four wickets to finish the day with nine wickets as St Mary’s was bowled out for 101.
Narre North has slipped to 5/49 in the run chase and with 53 runs still to get, you can expect this game to come down to the wire.
The Knights will be looking around their team huddle for someone to produce a match-winning knock, can Akin do the unthinkable and also deliver with the bat?
In Turf 3, the top four is set, but the order remains up for grabs heading into the final round before finals.
With plenty at stake, round 13 delivered finals-style match ups, including Lynbrook (4) versus ladder leader Keysborough (1), and Springvale South (3) against Buckley Ridges (2).
Keysborough leads the ladder on 57 points but is under pressure against the Lakers, while Buckley Ridges posted 168 on day one against the Bloods.
Cooper Gray anchored the innings for the Bucks with a patient 36 off 160 balls, supported by Shahwali Mosavi (34 not out).
Springvale South bowlers Jack Wetering (3/35) and Ranel Seneviratne (3/24) were impressive.
In reply, the Bloods lost Mitch Forsyth (4), Stephen Hennessy (15) and Stuart Johnson (9) early to be 3/48 after 16 overs.
Brayden Sharp (11 not out) and Wetering (4 not out) will resume on Saturday, needing 121 runs with seven wickets in hand.
In the other finals-shaper, Lynbrook’s opening bowlers Jacob Stephens (5/42 off 17 overs) and Ismatulla Shariffie (3/39 off 13 overs) dismantled Keysborough, bowling the Knights out for 119 in 41.3 overs after they slumped to 8/70.
Shanaka Perumpuli (24), Daniel McConville (23) and Mehakdeep Singh (26) were the only batters to reach double figures.
Lynbrook’s chase started shakily at 3/16 following early strikes from Sartaj Shinwari, but Sithara Perera (22) and Stephens (28 not out) steadied the innings.
The Lakers finished day one at 6/77, requiring 43 runs for victory.
In the other match, Fountain Gate made 148 against Berwick Springs, led by Sajad Khan’s half century (54) and Dawood Miakhel’s 38 at the top – Ethan Marinic (4/44) and Riyanzi Fernando (3/20) were the standout bowlers.
The Titans reached 2/59 from 19 overs at stumps, with Jackson Marie (30) and Riley Hillman (18 not out) leading the response.
