The two best teams from the 2025/26 DDCA Turf 2 season will be playing off in the grand final this weekend after both Parkfield and Coomoora secured victories in the semi-finals.
The Roos sent a message to the rest of the competition as they obliterated fourth-placed Narre Warren, belting 257 before bowling the Magpies out for just 60.
Coomoora won the toss and batted first, but things were ominous early at 3/34 having lost Nick Suppree (1 off 31 balls), Lance Baptist (19 off 73 balls) and Jarrod Munday (2 off 18 balls), with John Mentiplay taking two of those.
Even worse was the fact that the Roos had batted for 25 overs to reach 34.
Enter Krishan Alang.
He didn’t win this year’s Gartside Medal by landslide via accident, and showed exactly why he is the best player in the league.
Alang, who was coming off lower scores of 24 and 8 and made a duck against Narre Warren earlier in the season, came in at 2/14 and had to absorb the pressure, which he did beautifully.
He took the sting out of the game and put the challenge back on the Parkfield bowlers, beginning to find his rhythm.
Alang and Joel Robertson took the wind out of the Magpies’ sails, putting on a clutch 172-run partnership before Robertson (73) was dismissed by Ashan Fernando.
Alang went on to score his third century of the season and finish the 80 overs on 122 not out, getting Coomoora to 4/257.
Sunday was short and sweet for the Roos, who came out with great intent and started perfectly as Sam Wetering snicked off Rashmitha Perera (duck) with the fourth ball of the day.
Robertson then took a scalp when he castled skipper Ted Kahandawala for 7.
Then it was back to Wetering, who dismissed Shivang Kotnala (1), before Roberston also claimed his second of the day as he trapped Amila Ratnaike (duck) in front of the stumps, leaving Narre Warren in a world of hurt at 4/14.
Hope had faded and it was time for Jackson Noske to get in on the action, taking 3/4 off five overs to tear through the Magpies’ middle order.
Ben Swift (37) scored five of the team’s six boundaries as the side was bowled out for 60 and embarrassed by the Roos, who won by 197 runs.
The other match was much more closely fought, with Parkfield and HSD going head-to-head for the second time in two weeks.
The Cobras were determined to get back to the big dance after falling short against Parkmore Pirates last season, while the Bandits were hoping to continue their strong season.
It was HSD who won the previous encounter in the final regular season match, defeating the Bandits by 30 runs, could they do it again?
HSD won the toss and batted first at Parkfield Reserve, but it was all Madusha Croos early as the Bandits’ star bowler took four of the first six wickets to leave the Cobras at 6/30.
Anuda Akmeemana, who has put together a very strong season for the Cobras, had a lot resting on his shoulders once more … and he delivered.
The wicketkeeper scored 63 off 118 rocks and single-handedly gave his team something to bowl at, helping them bat 44.5 overs and reach 129.
Croos got the key wicket of Akmeemana to finish with 5/32 off 10.5 overs, while Nigel van der Wert took 2/33.
Four wickets fell before Parkfield could pass HSD’s total, but it was the composure of Sam Beadsworth which held the run chase together.
After batting at three for most of the season, he moved into the opening position the week prior against HSD and delivered with 42.
He performed again to score 62 off 172 deliveries to make sure that the Bandits would book a spot in the grand final this weekend, despite being dismissed just three runs shy of victory.
Parkfield won in the 61st over, but continued to bat the day out to finish at 7/178.
HSD’s Liam O’Connor has only bowled a few times this season, but his spinners impressed as he took 5/29 off 18 overs.
The grand final is now set for this weekend between the original top two sides, Coomoora and Parkfield.
