By ROY WARD
SPRINGVALE South aims to be in the top four of the DDCA Turf 1 competition by Christmas despite missing out on an outright win over North Dandenong on Saturday.
But to do that the Bloods need to win their final two matches before the holidays with a two-day game against Heinz Southern District over the next two Saturdays and a make-up one-day game against Hallam-Kalora Park this Sunday.
Bloods captain-coach Craig Slocombe said his side was playing well enough to win its remaining matches before the break but he rued missing out on the outright win.
The Bloods had bowled out North Dandenong for 40 on the first day and then made 7-208dec and put North back in to bat.
Unfortunately for the Bloods, North showed much more resolve in its second innings to make 215 while batting through 78 overs.
When North was bowled out, there were enough runs on the board to leave the Bloods with the impossible task of making 48 in three overs. The home side finished 0-28 at stumps.
“We were very disappointed,” Slocombe said. “We thought we were a big chance but the wicket was flat and a few things didn’t go our way. They [North] knuckled down much more than they did in the first innings.”
Bloods bowler Tim Ford showed he has found a good line to bowl on, taking 10-56 for the match while Sri Lankan import Jeevantha Kulatunga made 64 and Jackson Sketcher 51 in the first innings.
“Tim bowled with his brain and not with any other part of his body, so to speak, and got some well-deserved wickets,” Slocombe said.
“Kulatunga is a class above the rest of the competition and it’s only a matter of time before he makes a big hundred. He just needs to stay at the crease because the longer he bats the more he will dominate.”
The Bloods could lose Sketcher in the coming weeks, with the talented footballer considering a possible move to Western Australia to play in the Western Australian Football League.
Slocombe said Sketcher was in Perth talking to a club and he would learn more about his star all-rounder’s plans this week.
DDCA TURF 1
Narre Warren 8-190 (A Javid 42, W Perumal 41no, S Grabert 33no, N King 29, A Henry 3-72, J Goodes 2-26, R Crawford 2-30) d Berwick 188 (W Perera 80, D Wickramaratne 5-29, A Javid 2-28), Dandenong West 4-183 (A Roberts 100no, D Weerden 60, M Davies 2-25) d Heinz Southern Districts 163 (J Davis 56, T Davis 51, A Roberts 5-39, P Atkinson 4-41), Parkfield 3-120 (S Spoljaric 88no, N Wilson 2-28) d Doveton 119 (R Hendy 32no, R Bird 3-43, S Bell 2-23, T D’Souza 2-28), Mordialloc 6-241 (S Squires 76, T Grayling 51no, T Wighton 29no, A Martello 25) d Coomoora 7-238cc (J D’Atri 62, R Johnston 58, P Hill 50, L Baptist 25no, N Connellan 3-82), Buckley Ridges 6-148 (G Todd 61no, L Brown 3-49, L Booth 2-39) d Hallam Kalora Park 144 (R Serpanchy 44, L Byron 32, J Kuru 6-37, W Nicholas 2-20, J Lash 2-45).
For all scores go to Scores in Sport section of this website.
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