A shock loss for HSD against Lyndale saw Parkmore move a game clear at the top of the table in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 2 competition on Saturday.
Lyndale needed 35 overs to chase HSD’s total of 168 in a surprise win at home, just the Two Blues’ second of the summer.
The Dales kept Mackenzie Gardner to one run and Triyan De Silva to 10, with only Brent Patterson (40) and Anuda Akmeemana (54) making starts in tricky batting conditions.
HSD took regular wickets early during Lyndale’s chase as Craig Hookey rotated his bowlers effectively to present consistent new challenges for Lyndale to conquer, but hard hitting and targeting the short boundary from the Lyndale batters saw the chase completed in the 35th over.
Himesh Galhenage Don batted through pain to post an entertaining half-century, with excellent support from Manroop Singh’s 38 and Priyan De Silva’s 24.
Singh’s 38 made for an excellent all-round day after taking 3/59 with the ball.
Parkmore, meanwhile, became the first team to reach five wins in the competition, having made light work of the Saints at home.
The match lasted just 34 overs in total; the Pirates needed just 26 to send the Saints packing for a miserly 64 runs, and completed the chase in eight.
Six Saints were dismissed without scoring, as Ankit Saxena’s brilliant season in blue continued, taking 4/18.
The former Premier Cricket seamer now has 19 wickets at 8.4, fast becoming one of the most lethal bowlers at Turf 2 level, now second for wickets taken.
Avisha Wilwalaarachchi, Satheesh Fernandu and Ammar Bajwa each took two wickets for the home side, with Fernandu crunching 44 in reply to ensure the chase was completed in quick time.
It leaves St Mary’s in outright last place as the only side with one win.
Elsewhere, Cranbourne moved into third, after chasing Narre Warren’s 154 in 37 overs at Casey Fields.
The Magpies were left short of contributors outside of Amila Ratnaike, whose brilliant first summer in black and white continued with a third half-century.
He failed to convert the opportunity into a major score, however, the second wicket for Harsaroup Singh in what was an first-rate spell from the legspinner.
He and Harrison Carlyon formed a difficult spinning tandem for the Magpies to counter, dismissed for 154 in the 39th over with Singh taking 4/56.
Carlyon then made 59 and Dean McDonnell 41, completing the chase in the 37th over.
Ruwan Jayaweera took 3/41 for Narre Warren.
Match of the round comes to Parkfield Reserve next week when the Bandits welcome HSD to Dunblane Road.
