Teams tussle for final spots

By Stuart Teather
THE Dandenong District Cricket Association is into the final round of the regular season and there are still plenty of finals spots up for grabs.
In Turf 1, Hallam-Kalora Park, Doveton and North Dandenong are fighting it out for the last two finals places while in Turf 2 competition Southern Pirates are looking to bump either Mordialloc or Fountain Gate out of the finals race.

Turf One

Hallam-Kalora Park v Buckley Ridges

A Paul Rudd hat-trick stole the show at Park Oval and was one of the few highlights in an otherwise glum day for Buckley Ridges.
The Ridges’ bowler tore through the home side’s batting line-up to claim a hat-trick and pick up his best figures for the year, with 6/16 off 7.3 overs.
But Rudd was a rarity for his side as Hallam-Kalora Park’s batsmen went on a rampage, belting their way to 303 off 78 overs.
In all, eight bowlers tried their hand,but Rudd was the only one to pick up more than one wicket.
Buckley Ridges endured two overs at the crease before the end of the day’s play and it was enough time for the home side to strike, removing Shaun Ferreira and leaving it at 1/5.

Doveton v Berwick

Doveton showed it was up to the task in its do-or-die clash with Berwick at Robinson Reserve, posting a solid 280 on day one.
The Doves, currently in fourth spot on the ladder, need to win the game to hold on to their finals spot, while Berwick is out of contention for the post-season.
The star of the day was Shaun Tongue, who belted 137 from number-three and was a major factor in the impressive total.
During his knock Tongue had nine partners at the crease and endured all manner of bowling attacks, including a particularly impressive display from Berwick’s Simon Cornell, who scooped 6/80 off 24.2 overs.
Cornell tore through the lower order, but could not snare Tongue and it took a run-out to remove him.
For the bowlers Alex Roberts was the only other to take wickets, picking up2/61 off 20.

Narre Warren v North Dandenong

Narre Warren posted 180 in its clash with North Dandenong at Sweeney Reserve on the back of some solid contributions throughout the top order.
Shaun Van Dam (40) and Wendell Perumal (41) posted solid scores, but there were few others that helped out, aside from David Wheeler (30) at number-seven.
For the bowlers, Carman Mapatuna (3/41 off 20) was the standout and removed both Van Dam and Perumal.
North Dandenong, currently in fifth position, needs to win if it is to break into the top four, but also needs either Doveton or Hallam-Kalora Park to lose, as it is a long way behind on percentage.

Keysborough v Cranbourne

The two bottom sides are locked in a battle for respect at Keysborough Reserve, with both sides fighting for their first win of the season.
Keysborough gave itself every opportunity on Saturday, eventually reaching 224 after a shaky start.
The top-order batsmen offered little throughout the innings and it took some impressive knocks from the tail-ender duo of Andrew Chapman (61) and Jacob Hennigan (55) to get the score on track.
The pair came together with the score at 7/95 and put on a 107-run partnership to rescue the innings.
Eventually Hennigan was run out and Chapman fell not long after to Jason Toan.
Toan was the pick of the bowlers, collecting season-best figures of 5/35 off 16 and he had solid support from Kyle Brooke (3/57 off 17.3).
Cranbourne faced three overs at the end of the day and will resume at 0/10.

Turf Two

Fountain Gate v HSD

Fountain Gate has given itself every chance to hold on to its top four spot with a good first day against top side HSD at Max Pawsey Reserve.
HSD has top spot secured and Fountain Gate is six points clear in third, but with fifth-placed Southern Pirates on track for an outright win, Fountain Gate needs to take a first-innings victory to lock in its place in the finals.
HSD batted first, but was far from impressive and with only three players reaching double figures the side made 224.
Trevor Davies (70) and Scott Brandon (60) saved the team from disaster, but had good assistance from Fountain Gate’s bowlers, with the side conceding 36 extras.
Sanjeeva Udumalagala (4/61 off 17) was the best of the bowlers, with his haul including the crucial wicket of Davies.
In reply, Fountain Gate posted 2/40 off 19 overs before stumps.

Hampton Park v Maranatha Methodist

An impressive batting display from Maranatha Methodist has helped the side to a strong position in its clash with Hampton Park at Booth Reserve.
Mark Nelson (85) and Aaron Moldrich (51) put on a 98-run second-wicket partnership to get the scoreboard ticking and the runs kept coming throughout the order, with Jeffery Thom (35 not-out) providing a handy contribution at number-six.
Daniel Redfern (5/59 off 22) was on fire for the bowlers, but Maranatha still managed 9/241.
Along with Redfern, Chris Bateman (3/92 off 30) had a big workload and earned his wickets.