By JARROD POTTER
DDCA Turf 1 – Round 10 (day 2)
FOUR spots, seven teams, and only one day of cricket left to decide their fate.
Therein lies the possibilities of an enthralling upcoming DDCA home-and-away finale as Heinz South Districts, Hallam Kalora Park, North Dandenong and Berwick remain in the hunt for the last place in the Turf 1 finals.
CRANBOURNE v SPRINGVALE SOUTH
Taking their time to etch out their most emphatic win this season, Springvale South (4/168) held off Cranbourne (146) and kept the Eagles’ bowling attack at bay in a sensational finals’ series preview.
Steve Masterson (58) stayed the course and occupied the crease. Drip by drip the Bloods’ opener knocked in crucial runs and most importantly, tired out the Eagles’ bowlers on a stinking hot day in the field. Steve Spoljaric (1/22) rattled off 20 overs in the heat – including 10 maidens – but could not break the all-important partnership between Masterson and Jackson Sketcher (44 not out).
Sketcher also played a dab hand and saw off his own fair share of overs. Between them, Masterson and Sketcher faced the equivalent of 57 overs to demoralise Cranbourne and stop any chance of an Eagles’ fight back emerging.
Masterson finally succumbed once the job was done – striking it straight to Brayden Roscoe – and leaving the heavy lifting to Sketcher and Co. down the order.
Both sides have secured home finals with the result and the only thing left to fight for are bragging rights and the minor premiership as Cranbourne heads to Berwick while Springvale South hosts North Dandenong.
NORTH DANDENONG v HEINZ SOUTHERN DISTRICTS
A huge chase just wasn’t on the cards for North Dandenong (200), as it struggled to catch up to Heinz Southern Districts (5/227), which kept its season alive with victory.
Matt Cox (87) continued a stellar year with the blade as he flayed the Northern attack to all points of Lois Twohig Reserve.
Despite notching a gutsy century in response, Clay McCartney (109) had very little support from his team mates. Chad Van Estrop (5/31) surged through the North’s order to take his first five-wicket haul this season.
Moving up to fourth in the chase for finals, a win for the Cobras against Parkfield shuts the door on Berwick, North Dandenong and Hallam Kalora Park barring unlikely circumstance. If they lose, their fate is in the hands of their opponents.
On equal points in sixth spot, North Dandenong needs Heinz and Hallam Kalora Park to lose or for a whopping percentage boosting win against Springvale South if either the Cobras or Hawks manage to get up as well.
COOMOORA v BERWICK
ONLY one round remains in Coomoora’s (193 and 0/37) latest Turf 1 stint as the Kangaroos failed to stop Berwick’s (7/249dec) charge.
Seeing off a scorching spell from Saliya Saman (1/42), Berwick made the best of the hot weather to pile on the runs.
Dan Brown (47) and Ryan Williamson (32) got their eyes in and relished the conditions before Ryan Crawford (78 not out) was given free rein to belt the stuffing from the ball.
His half-ton set up a chance at outright as Berwick sent the Kangaroos back in for a 12-over barrage.
Berwick couldn’t raze the Coomoora opening partnership, which finished off the day, leaving one last battle in Turf 1 as it faces Mordialloc.
Facing ladder leaders Cranbourne in the last round, Berwick needs to pick up the points and also get results to fall their way quite dramatically. To qualify, Berwick needs Hallam to fall against Buckley Ridges, North Dandenong to lose to Springvale South and Heinz Southern Districts to fail facing Parkfield.
HALLAM KALORA PARK v MORDIALLOC
It was the worst possible time to concede a loss to Mordialloc (168) and Hallam Kalora Park (79) didn’t do its percentage any favours in the thumping defeat.
Rescheduled as a one-dayer – after last week’s deluge – Hallam started brilliantly to whittle down the Bloodhounds to 6/88 as all the major Hawks wicket-takers sunk their talons in.
Jordan Hammond (3/13) stormed through power-pair Ian Daniel (38) and Damith Mapa Ralalage (0) to leave the visitors reeling before a gutsy revival.
Captain Monto Perera (40) and Chathura Athukorala (24) stabilised the innings with a 62-run stand to give Mordialloc a respectable tally to defend.
It turns out Mordialloc had more than enough though as Hallam collapsed spectacularly. Rhys Serpanchy (21) and Jagveer Hayer (17) had the chase in the bag before the pair succumbed back-to-back under the three-pronged pressure of Athukorala (3/9), Stuart Squires (3/20) and Perera (3/20). From 1/39, the tail started high and failed to wag as the Hawks lost the next nine wickets for 39.
It leaves Hallam Kalora Park in the four-way scrum for the last finals’ spot. It will need to win this week against Buckley Ridges and hope for losses from at least Heinz Southern Districts to secure a place.
