Lyndale and Cranbourne snared the last two finals positions up for grabs in round 14 of the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 2 competition.
It resulted in heartbreak for Coomoora, which fell out of a top-four position it has held for most of the season at the last hurdle despite sneaking past Narre Warren by two wickets.
Cranbourne successfully defended 112 against Parkfield, putting them ahead of both the Dales and Roos on points, while the Dales had a 17-run victory over Parkmore, their superior percentage to Coomoora placing them fourth.
Heinz Southern Districts blitzed past St Mary’s in the other game, comfortably chasing down 71 after bowling the Saints out inside 21 overs.
It was a thrilling game at Coomoora, with the hosts taking two early wickets before an 87-run partnership between Akshjit Sammi and league medallist Amila Ratnaike got the Magpies back in the contest.
The visitors lost that pair in near-immediate succession, though, putting the match in the balance again before Ben Swift’s quickfire 61 off 46 gave Narre Warren 204 to defend with the white ball.
Coomoora’s innings had similar momentum swings, with two early wickets, before Jarrod Munday (57), Joel Robertson (33) and Lance Baptist (53) played key roles through the middle.
A string of single figure scores followed that trio’s dismissals, though, which put pressure on the lower order.
Having been forced to hit the winning runs in a similar situation last season, number nine Michael Klonaridis played a fearless 25 off 12 to get Coomoora over the line.
At Casey Fields, a four-wicket haul to first-year player Sahan Jayawardana appeared like it would set Parkfield up for a consolation round 14 win, with captain Harry Carlyon (36) the only player to pass 20 in Cranbourne’s 112.
But Parkfield’s poor running between the wickets stung, with four runouts contributing to an all-out total of 89.
The Bandits lost seven wickets before establishing a partnership between captain Steve Cannon and Roshane Cooray but it wasn’t enough against an Eagles outfit vying for finals.
Rajika Fernando’s 4/23 was the standout performance in Lyndale’s victory over Parkmore.
The results set up a Heinz Southern Districts matchup against Lyndale and Parkmore bout with Cranbourne in the two semi-final clashes.
HSD has experienced plenty of finals in recent years but struggled to win the big moments in the post-season.
While they have lost at times under the weight of expectation in the past, the Cobras have arguably never been hotter favourites going into a final.
That’s despite going down in the only home and away match between the sides – a one day fixture prior to Christmas.
Top-order batter Mackenzie Gardner has had his best season for the club after being recruited to add sturdiness and experience when it matters, allrounder Triyan De Silva has had another consistent campaign and Sakuntha Liyanage and Ryan Patterson have shared 49 wickets leading the bowling attack.
Opener Brent Patterson is another trusty asset.
Lyndale, meanwhile, have been the big improvers of the competition – along with the promoted Coomoora – and it has largely been built off quick bowler Rajika Fernando.
His 36 wickets at 17 comfortably leads the competition.
Explosive batter Himesh Galhenage Don has played some impressive knocks and opener Faraz Rahman has frequently given his team a platform throughout the year.
The other game is much harder to pick; Cranbourne, like HSD, is a perennial force in Turf 2, while Parkmore’s 2023-24 campaign was poor after relegation from Turf 1.
This season, though, Parkmore has been the much more consistent side and has more assets that have shown recent form.
Kyle Gwynne is always hard to dismiss at the top of the order and could anchor an innings, while Satheesh Fernandu and Hewa Fonseka also average more than 30 this season.
By contrast, Cranbourne has not had the consistent output from as many batters in 2024-25, with Harrison Carlyon’s 420 runs in his first season at the club critical in the victories.
Spinner Harsaroup Singh has led the way with the ball, and has also shown in the past that he can light it up with the bat, and Cranbourne will hope he can call on that experience on the weekend.
Tips: HSD v Lyndale, PARKFIELD v Cranbourne
Results: HSD 4/73 v St Mary’s 71, Coomoora 8/207 v Narre Warren 204, Parkmore 10/153 v Lyndale 9/170, Cranbourne 112 v Parkfield 10/89
Turf 2 ladder (Final Standings): HSD 66, Parkmore 60, Cranbourne 52, Lyndale 48, Coomoora 48, Parkfield 34, Narre Warren 24, St Mary’s 12
