By Gavin Staindl
IT WAS the type of day Dandenong and District Cricket Association officials have been praying for.
As the rain clouds passed, revealing a blue sky and a warm sun, the DDCA cricketers got down to business on Saturday to complete the second day of the season’s first two-dayers.
Although hampered by the task of making up for lost overs from last weekend’s wash-out, some matches managed a result.
@BT Sub Sport News:Turf One
HALLAM-KALORA PARK v
KEYSBOROUGH
Managing only 10 overs last Saturday before the rain set in, Hallam-Kalora Park crushed any chance of a result on Saturday as they batted for the heavy majority of the day at Keysborough Reserve.
Cory Booth made 56 as the visitors finally declared at 7/186, leaving Keys-borough with only 18 overs to chase the total.
As expected, they fell well short, finishing on 2/64.
@BT Sub Sport News:BUCKLEY RIDGES v DOVETON
In similar circumstances to the Hallam-Keysborough match, Doveton enjoyed the chance to bat out the day at Park Oval without worrying about the result.
In total, Doveton batted for 77 overs before declaring at 8/261, leaving Buckley with a paltry seven overs to enjoy a hit.
Making the most of batting against last year’s premiers was Ryan Hendy who finished the day on 114 not out while Matthew Goodwright took 5/63 for Buckley.
@BT Sub Sport News:BERWICK v NARRE WARREN
One match that did manage a result was Berwick who chased down Narre Warren’s target of 136 with ease.
James Davies (6/30) disassembled Narre Warren’s batting line-up before assisting with the bat, scoring 25.
Big scores to Gavan Wills (64) and Jarrod Goodes (60 not out) helped Berwick on its way to 8/301 and a first innings victory.
@BT Sub Sport News:Turf Two
ST BRIGID’S/ST LOUIS v CRANBOURNE
St Brigid’s/St Louis denied Cranbourne any chance of recording a win as they soaked up the overs in the middle of the Casey Fields Oval.
It was a long day in the field for Cranbourne, which watched as the visitors posted a score of 206 from just under 100 overs.
The extremely slow run-rate meant Cranbourne faced only 15 overs with the bat before stumps was called.
@BT Sub Sport News:COOMOORA v HSD
Heinz Southern Districts also made the most of their batting opportunities by batting out the whole day at Coomoora Reserve.
Garrick Wiramanaden (71) and Navoda Ganegoda (63) were the best of the batters as HSD finished at 6/225 before play came to a close.
@BT Sub Sport News:NARRE NORTH v FOUNTAIN GATE
A calculated demolition of Fountain Gate helped Narre North to a 177-run win at Narre North Reserve.
Ruwan Jayadeva (76) and Scott Brandon (68) blasted Narre North to 8/257.
Looking towards a win, captain Ben Doran decided to declare, meaning Narre North had 35 overs to take 10 wickets.
As it turned out, they needed only 32. Led by Ali Najibi (4/28), Narre North bowled the visitors out for 80.
@BT Sub Sport News:HAMPTON PARK v MARANATHA METHODIST
It was a scurry towards the end but Hampton Park secured its first win of the season with a six-wicket rundown of Maranatha at Booth Reserve.
Maranatha were in the driver’s seat after declaring at 9/128, leaving Hampton Park only 26 overs to chase the target.
Going at a run a ball, Rhys Fegan made a rapid 50 before Danny Cortese (40 not out) guided Hampton Park past the total with one over in hand.
@BT Sub Sport News:SOUTHERN PIRATES v BUCKLEY RIDGES
Strong partnerships were the key for the Southern Pirates as they reeled in a massive score to beat Buckley Ridges by five wickets at Wachter Reserve.
The Southern Pirates had only 40 overs in which to chase down the required score of 215, but solid partnerships led by top order batsmen Scott Etherington (61) and Matt Perry (66) gave the Pirates a rewarding win.
