By Marc McGowan
IN A thrilling finish to the Dandenong District Cricket Association regular season, several sides missed finals spots by agonising margins, but ultimately only one change was made in the top two Turf grades.
HSD leapfrogged Maranatha Methodist to claim the final place in the Turf Two finals.
Berwick retains favouritism for the Turf One title despite only squeaking past Parkfield and watching its main challengers Buckley Ridges and Springvale South register commanding final round wins.
On recent form, it appears the 2006-07 playoff will be a replay of last season’s grand final with Bear stars Will Carr and Ash Henry renewing their rivalry with Bloods guns Craig Slocombe and Danny Law.
The Turf Two finals also appear to be a three-team race, but second-placed Hallam Kalora Park looks to have jumped to the head of the class.
Despite Coomoora streeting the field by 17 points, it appears to have come back to the field in the latter stage of the season as Hallam Kalora Park has taken its game to a new level.
The latter’s batting has been a feature all season long, but with its bowlers joining the party, it looks to be the team to beat.
Fountain Gate’s 2007 form cannot be ignored either and it will enter this weekend full of confidence.
North Dandenong and HSD look to be making up the numbers in Turf One and Two respectively.
@BT Sub Sport News:TURF ONE
Narre Warren d Cranbourne
DESPITE knocking off Cranbourne by three wickets at Sweeney Reserve on Saturday, Narre Warren has missed the Turf One finals on percentage.
The Magpies chances grew when Buckley Ridges smashed the eventual fourth-placed North Dandenong by 60 runs.
Beginning the day at 2/33 in response to the Eagles 237, Narre Warren fell to 3/35 and then 4/64 to be staring down the barrel at defeat.
A fightback ensued but the Magpies collapsed again to be 7/147 to leave John Simpson and Chris Pentland at the crease.
The pair have been more notable for their performances with the ball, but that all changed with commanding exhibitions from both players as they first resurrected the situation and then stormed to success.
Simpson finished on 55 not out and Pentland added an undefeated 50 in a superb 93-run association.
@BT Sub Sport News:Springvale South d Doveton
DOVETON finished the season with an eight-wicket caning from Springvale South at Alex Nelson Reserve on the weekend.
Defending 245 from the previous weekend, the Doves struck soon after resumption to have the Bloods struggling at 2/38.
With Springvale South captain Craig Slocombe still at the wicket and English star Danny Law striding to the crease, the danger was not over for Doveton and so it proved.
Slocombe thundered his way to 168 and Law (101 not out) smacked his second consecutive ton to cruise their side past the victory target courtesy of a 219-run alliance.
@BT Sub Sport News:Berwick d Parkfield
BERWICK recorded perhaps its most daunting victory of the season in ending Parkfield’s finals hopes by just one wicket at Parkfield Reserve on Saturday.
Parkfield fought back from early trouble to post 7/259 on day one of the contest.
The Bears slumped to a barely believable 7/82 in reply, with Guy Darwin (3/51) claiming the prize scalp of Alex Roberts for just 22.
The in-form Gavan Wills (89 not out) battled through the rot as teammates fell at the wayside before finding an ally in the consistent Brendan Lloyd (72), who helped haul Berwick back into calculations.
Lloyd’s dismissal left the score 8/210 and the Bears’ batting depth was further demonstrated with Jarrod Goodes slapping together 23.
It still left Berwick 18 runs short of Parkfield’s score, but captain-coach Will Carr defied his number 11 status by compiling 13 as Berwick finished on 9/263.
@BT Sub Sport News:TURF TWO
Hallam Kalora Park d Springvale South
HALLAM Kalora Park made a mockery of Springvale South in an eight-wicket thumping by belting 4/559 at Hallam Recreation Reserve on the weekend.
The Bloods managed an embarrassing 103 with its finals chances on the line before Hallam Kalora Park displayed its stunning abilities with the bat.
Gun captain Cory Booth (228 not out) crushed the ball all over the field in taking his average in the last four rounds to a ridiculous 195.33 with scores of 150 and 144 on top of his double century.
It took his season aggregate to an amazing 727 runs at 80.8.
John Hammond (106) clocked up his second hundred of the season and Andre Peters joined the fun with 77.
@BT Sub Sport News:HSD d Maranatha Methodist
HSD punished Maranatha Methodist by six wickets at Reedy Reserve on Saturday and rubbed salt into the latter’s wounds by stealing its finals position.
Maranatha Methodist was 1/87 before being shot down for just 176 in the all-important encounter.
HSD lost two late wickets on the first weekend and another soon after resumption to leave the game in the balance, but the complexion of the game changed dramatically from there.
The irrepressible Michael Davies (81) led his side to victory before Paul Stockdale (83 not out) went on the attack once the chase was complete to add gloss to the total.
Adam Semmens (58) and wicketkeeper Scott Brandon (51) also made significant contributions as HSD primed itself for finals action by collating 377.
@BT Sub Sport News:Doveton North d Hampton Park
DOVETON North survived a stellar performance from star all-rounder James van Elewoud to outlast Hampton Park by 24 runs at Power Reserve on the weekend.
It will go down as the club’s only triumph in an otherwise forgettable season, but will give it hope for next season.
Hampton Park’s chase began badly to fall to 3/66 before van Elewoud’s introduction to the pitch.
Suhayl Khan (59) supported the van Elewoud charge, but after the former’s dismissal only captain Clinton Gilpin (35) offered any further assistance.
When Robert Forgiarini (4/103 off a marathon 29.3 overs) finally sealed success for Doveton North, van Elewoud was stranded at the other end on 157 not out, wondering what else he could have done.
@BT Sub Sport News:Coomoora d Fountain Gate
FOUNTAIN Gate lost a titanic tussle with ladder-leaders Coomoora by 24 runs in a dynamic finals tune-up at Coomoora Reserve on Saturday.
Coomoora has been walloping sides all season, but suddenly found itself with a battle on its hands after being bowled out for just 203.
Fountain Gate ended the previous weekend at 3/58, but three quick wickets after the restart and it was staring at a huge defeat at 6/69.
It has become a new club in 2007, however, and dug in through the Mullens, Robert and Bruce, who tallied 36 and 30 respectively.
In the end, Fountain Gate fell for 179, but has proven to itself and the competition that it is the real deal.
