By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong District Cricket Association sides will put-away their coloured clothes this week as Turf 1 returns to two-day cricket for a three-round stretch towards the end of the home-and-away season.
Buckley Ridges’ points suspension has them well-and-truly in the midst of a compact top four, the flawless Springvale South a clear outlier sitting clear at the pinnacle.
Only six points separate second (Berwick) and fourth (North Dandenong), a further six the gap between North Dandenong and Narre South in seventh.
It makes the Bucks’ trip to Hallam Rec Reserve to tackle the Hawks all the more significant, with the Hawks desperate to keep their finals chances alive.
At third and fifth respectively, every point they can extract in the run home will be vital.
There’s very little exposed form for these sides in the last 12 months; round two’s contest was washed-away in October rain, while a play-off for second place in the final home-and-away round was also abandoned prematurely in the face of wet weather.
Lacking a consistent standout contributor this season, the Bucks have continued to find ways to win, leaning on their vast depth to find winners at every turn – from Michael Davies, to James Anson, Ishan Jayarathna and Roshane Silva.
The Hawks, by contrast, have leaned too heavily on too few, and find themselves battling to keep their season alive as a result after an underwhelming campaign.
Mahela Udawatte will be eager to fire against his old side, but he and Jordan Hammond cannot be expected to shoulder so much of the batting load from week-to-week.
The season’s second ‘Battle of the Creek’ between Beaconsfield and Berwick shapes as a huge contest for both sides, having experienced vastly different returns to play since the Christmas break.
Where Berwick has gritted-out two vital wins from tough predicaments, Beaconsfield’s slide down the ladder has continued with two losses.
A nine-wicket thrashing from Springvale South suggests that the pressure and length of the season may be wearing the young Tigers down, but Mark Cooper’s side will be eager to build on the positives of the first half of the campaign to stay in the top flight.
Narre South’s trip to Carroll Reserve to battle St Mary’s offers plenty more than you would expect from a match between seventh and eighth.
St Mary’s desperation to stay in the top division has seen them perform admirably in the two weeks since Christmas, yet to taste a win but pushing two likely finalists to the very edge.
St Mary’s was right on-top at the halfway mark of the corresponding clash between the two before poor batting in the chase proved a sign of things to come for the remainder of the campaign.
The Lions, with just wins against the Saints and Beaconsfield to show for their efforts to date, need wins like oxygen if they are to challenge for a finals place, and could begin their push for a top-four spot in the best possible way.
Springvale South’s winning streak could stretch to seven matches when it welcomes North Dandenong to Alex Nelson Reserve, maximising the quirk in the fixture in a third-straight home game.
But to underestimate North Dandenong would be a mistake, as one of the competition’s dark horses.
David Bell’s side’s season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster, their wins coming amongst some erratic and disappointing performances with bat and ball.
They will do everything in their power to avoid a third-straight defeat, but will have their work cut-out for them against the competition’s benchmark.
All eyes will be on Jawid Khan, the predicted front-runner for the Wookey Medal, to see how he fares against Blade Baxter, Josh Dowling, Jarryd Straker and co.
Tips: Hallam Kalora Park v BUCKLEY RIDGES, BERWICK v Beaconsfield, NARRE SOUTH v St Mary’s, SPRINGVALE SOUTH v North Dandenong.
