By Marcus Uhe
Lucas Ligt’s fourth hundred of the CCCA District season has powered Devon Meadows to the top of the table in a statement win over Upper Beaconsfield on Saturday.
Ligt was unbeaten on 105, his second hundred in the space of three games, as the Panthers reached the target of 153 having lost only one wicket on their way to a total of 174.
The resounding victory moves them into prime position with just two fixtures remaining in the competition.
After taking 2/18 with the ball last week, Ligt’s innings made for one of the better all-round performances in the 2022-23 season, taking his season tally to 728 runs at an average of 72.8, and 15 wickets at 15, while his fourth triple-figure score of the season is a new club record for the Panthers.
Maroons captain William Haines was the only bowler to make a breakthrough, dismissing Will Halton for 44.
Pakenham Upper Toomuc completed a thumping win over NNG/Maryknoll by 253 runs in what was the largest margin in runs this season in a District cricket clash.
The Yabbies rolled the Marygoons for 108 on the back of Nicholas Kyval’s 5/25 from 14 overs, and enforced the follow-on, where NNG/Maryknoll could only muster 3/98 in their second innings.
James Markland and Nathan Phillips top scored in the first and second innings, respectively, with 39 and 40.
Their loss sees them drop out of the top four but they remain in finals contention, only four points back from Cranbourne Meadows.
The second day of their fixture with Lang Lang at Lawson Poole Reserve did not proceed, due to the condition of the playing surface.
Emerald made light work of Gembrook to ensure that their winless season continues.
Batting a second time, the Brookers fell 13 runs short of making Emerald bat again, having declared at 5-141 and dismissing Gembrook for 70 in their second innings to win outright.
Only three batters in Brett Burmeister, Jeremy Everett and Pat Laws, reached double figures for Gembrook, with Harrison Closter turning in remarkable figures of 5-7 from 7.3 overs, including four maidens, to be the chief destroyer for the Bombers.
The top two sides, in Devon Meadows and Upper Beaconsfield, have all-but secured a top-two finish, barring them losing and outright victories to Lang Lang and Cranbourne Meadows in the remaining two weeks.
Lang Lang’s grip on third is just half a game ahead of Cranbourne Meadows in fourth, while NNG/Maryknoll have fallen from fourth to sixth, due to Emerald’s big win against Gembrook.
Just 10 points separate third from sixth, making for an exciting conclusion to the season.
