By JARROD POTTER
DDCA Turf 1 – Round 10 (day 1)
ELEMENTAL problems wreaked havoc across the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA), with only two Turf 1 matches getting out onto the park.
CRANBOURNE v SPRINGVALE SOUTH
First versus second, bragging rights and top spot on the line.
There aren’t many higher stakes than that in local cricket and Springvale South (1/42) ensured advantage was in its favour against ladder-leading Cranbourne (146).
The early moisture played into the Bloods hands as Yoshan Kumara (4/27) cleaned up the top order. Jordan Cleland (3) – bowled Kumara. Brayden Roscoe (2) – bowled Kumara. Jake Harrington (2) – bowled Kumara. And just to cap it off… Ben Maroney (11) – LBW… Kumara.
The Sri Lankan spearhead left the Eagles wounded at 4/39, but not done as Steve Spoljaric (52) remained at the crease. Rebuilding the shattered remains of the Cranbourne innings, Spoljaric and the middle order gave the side something to defend. Spoljaric alongside Te Ahu Davis (39) knocked in a 76-run partnership before the duo were ripped from the crease virtually back-to-back by Ruwantha Kellepotha (1/42) and Craig Slocombe (4/20) respectively.
The Springvale South captain feasted on the lower order as he ran through the tail without much wagging to get in his way.
Cam Dinger (14) put up a gutsy knock to see out 41 balls before he was run out by the two Cranbourne’s Saturday nightmare-generators – Kumara and Slocombe.
Davis (1/0) kept things tidy from his four overs in response and withdrew Nathan King (13) from the crease as he smashed his pegs. Steve Masterson (15 not out) and Ryan Quirk (10 not out) kept proceedings as risk-free as possible en route to 1/42 by stumps.
COOMOORA v BERWICK
Runs on the board are always worth their weight in gold, especially for Coomoora (193) as the Kangaroos remain on the lookout for their first Turf 1 triumph this season.
While the order did collapse spectacularly in parts – initiated by a superb five-wicket haul from Darren de Souza (5/48) – Coomoora managed to push a defining partnership and set up a decent shot at victory.
Slumping to 3/49, the impetus was taken up by Saliya Saman (75) and Lance Baptist (58) as the duo smashed the Bears to all points on Coomoora Reserve.
The duo took the score to 149 – as Baptist notched his best score of the season – before the all-rounder succumbed to de Souza, the first of his victims as the Berwick bowler had a field day en route to his maiden five-for.
It left Saman to play a solo hand – a job he’s become used to doing on occasion this season with the ball, but not so much the blade.
Haphazard and sporadic support didn’t give Saman much to lean on at the other end as de Souza and Jarrod Goodes (3/52) stormed through the lower order resistance. From 3/149 before Baptist’s demise, the Kangaroos fell away to concede 5/30.
Saman’s gutsy knock – highlighted by raising the bat on his second half-century in three Turf 1 matches – was derailed by Berwick’s beguiler de Souza for his fourth scalp.
Set 193 on the first innings, Berwick (0/23) held out against Saman (0/6) and Joel Robertson (0/4) in the final-eight overs of the day to leave 170 to hunt down this weekend.
North Dandenong v Heinz, Parkfield v Lyndale, Dandenong West v Buckley Ridges and Hallam Kalora Park v Mordialloc were unable to get under way yesterday.
Not to despair about a lack of cricket this weekend though, the DDCA held its rescheduled Round 7 one-dayers on Sunday afternoon.
