By ROY WARD
BUCKLEY Ridges, Dandenong West and Mordialloc all but secured places in the DDCA turf 1 finals heading into the last round of the season.
Both Springvale South and the Ridges got wins in the penultimate round on Saturday and Mordy got an outright win over Doveton to all but guarantee its place in the top four.
Ladder-leader Dandenong West had a hiccup, losing to Hallam Kalora Park, which chased down the Bulls’ total of 170, making 8-173 with Nigel Hepponstall (47) the top scorer.
Springvale South made short work of Berwick, a side that was in the finals race until this match. Defending their first-day total of 8-311, the Bloods bowled out the Bears for 99 at Arch Brown Reserve with Jarrod Armitage (6-49) standing tall for his side.
The Bears were sent back in but held strong to reach 0-17 when the game was called off.
The Bloods will need to win their final match and have Parkfield beat Heinz Southern Districts to be assured of passing HSD and taking fourth sport.
After making 202, Mordy made short work of the Doves , bowling them out for 55 and then 77 in the second innings to complete the outright victory.
Buckley Ridges continued its run of good form to keep Heinz Southern Districts well below the Ridges’ first-inning score of 311, bowling out HSD for 178.
North Dandenong snared a rare win, beating Narre Warren, while Parkfield had to fight hard to defend its total of 294, eventually bowling out Coomoora for 255. Steve Spoljaric, Rod Bird and Travis D’souza shared the wickets.
The final round will be played over the next two Saturdays. Buckley Ridges hosts Dandenong West at Park Oval and North Dandenong hosts Berwick at Lois Twohig Reserve, Mordialloc plays Narre Warren at Ben Kavanagh Reserve, Parkfield hosts Heinz Southern Districts at Parkfield Reserve, Hallam Kalora Park plays Doveton at Hallam Recreation Reserve and Springvale South battles Coomoora at Alex Nelson Reserve.
DDCA Turf 1 ladder: Mordialloc 46 points, 1.33 per cent; Dandenong West 42, 2.07; Buckley Ridges 42, 1.79; Heinz Southern Districts 36, 1.11; Springvale South 36, 0.97; Berwick 34, 0.97; Parkfield 31, 1.16; Hallam Kalora Park 24, 1.01; Narre Warren 24, 0.84; Coomoora 24, 0.69; North Dandenong 18, 0.49; Doveton 15, 0.63.
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