By JARROD POTTER
DDCA TURF 1
REVIEW ROUND 11 (One day)
HEINZ Southern Districts held on while Hallam Kalora Park was left to wonder “what if?” after winning but going down and ultimately out on percentage.
The finals four will clash this weekend as Cranbourne hosts Heinz Southern Districts while Springvale South faces Mordialloc.
HEINZ SOUTHERN DISTRICTS v PARKFIELD
THE Cobras (8/154) struck to push itself into the finals on the back of lower-order livery against Parkfield (9/151).
Trying their best to emulate the Australia v New Zealand World Cup score line on Saturday, the sides struggled to stick at the crease as Joe Wheal (30) was the best of the Bears’ alongside Travis D’Souza (23). Justin Davis (4/45) put an end to any notions of a Parkfield comeback with the bat as he ran through the middle order alongside Paul Stockdale (2/34).
After a startling collapse – falling to 4/17 on the back of sensational bowling from Nilochana Perera (4/39), the Cobras desperately needed someone to stand up and strike… and that would be the captain Trevor Davies (40). In one of the most aptly described ‘captain’s innings’ this season, the Heinz skipper held off Perera while counterattacking to put a few red leather objects into and beyond the fence. With Rob Davies (29) in tow, the duo turned around the deficit before Ashan Bandaranayake (12 not out) helped the captain finish the job with three balls to spare.
Heinz will now head to Casey Fields for the semi-final – as the Cobras booked its place in the finals for the second season in a row.
BUCKLEY RIDGES v HALLAM KALORA PARK
SPORADIC Buckley Ridges (7/132) efforts were no match for Hallam Kalora Park (6/134), but it was all in vain as the Hawks failed to qualify for finals. Commencing proceedings with a 57-run opening stand, Jayson Hobbs (28) and Anuj Dal (25) impressed early but fell one after another as Hallam surged. Amila Perera (4/12) was the chief destroyer as he rattled off four scalps, but the rear-guard knock of Steven Sheedy (29 not out) prevented a complete collapse for the Ridges, who batted out their overs.
Led by Ben Hilliard (42) at the top before cameo innings from Leigh Booth (34 not out), the Hawks chased down the tally with four overs spare. Hallam’s season comes to a stop in fifth place while Buckley Ridges ends its campaign in 10th.
BERWICK v CRANBOURNE
SEEMS 113 runs were never going to be enough to stop Cranbourne’s (6/115) march into the finals as Berwick (113) was left to wonder “what if?” on another finals-missing season.
In fits and starts Berwick batsmen would get their eye in before succumbing to the likes of Shaun Miller (3/9), Cam Dinger (2/27) and Cam Kelly (2/20). It gave Steve Spoljaric (6 not out and 1/15) and Te Ahu Davis (29) a good rest from extensive bowling duties ahead of the finals campaign this month as the youngsters stepped up and impressed.
Berwick could not find enough willing bodies to step up and defend as Ryan Williamson (19) and Lachlan Lawrance (14) – the under-17s/Turf 3 all-rounder who forced his way into the firsts on his strong form – showed there is a lot on offer for the future at the Bears, but had to rely on the wisdom of Ryan Crawford (21) to meter out the heavy lifting.
Jordan Cleland (40) all but took the match away from Berwick with a stand-up knock from the top of the order. After a middling year with the blade – never venturing past 35 until the weekend – Cleland made sure his best form was on the board when it counted. In tandem with Davis and Dinger (13), the Eagles flew through the chase to maximise their percentage and knock aside any hope of Berwick sneaking into the finals.
Jarrod Goodes (3/36) continued to power through his overs while Jake Campbell (2/38) found something on offer in his Turf 1 debut.
Berwick slides to seventh – improving from 10th last season – while Cranbourne maintains its top-of-the-ladder billing ahead of the semi-final against Heinz Southern Districts.
