The ladder in the Warragul and District Cricket Association (WDCA) Division 1 competition could not be any closer as the fight for fourth spot comes down to the final round which kicks off this weekend.
The top three is set but there is a great level of intrigue around fourth spot, and depending on the outcomes of this final round and which teams are brave enough to attempt an outright win, it is anyone’s spot.
The results from round 13 have set the stage for an exhilarating final round of cricket, with four teams essentially playing off for the last finals spot.
As expected, Drouin’s strong total of 245 was too much for Catani as the Blues were bowled out for 116 off 61.5 overs, 130 runs short of victory.
It was a classy century from Hawks opener Damon Healy which set up the strong first innings total, before Thomas Brown did the damage with the ball.
Brown was clinical, taking 5/18 off 15.5 overs (seven maidens) as he destroyed any hope that Catani had of chasing down the total despite Liam Adams (26) trying his best, ultimately helping Drouin edge closer to a top-two spot.
In other games, Trafalgar declared with 348 on the board on day one before David Bremner took two late wickets to bring the possibility of an outright victory and a spot inside the top four firmly into view, leaving the Swamp Tigers 2/47 at stumps.
Centuries from Alex McKenna (126) and Rhys Holdsworth (166) had set up the match strongly in favour of the home side.
Things didn’t start well on day two for Iona as Bremner struck again, taking his third wicket as he bowled Thomas Cottrell (15) with the third ball of the day.
Just five runs later, Bremner had a fourth wicket to leave the Swamp Tigers in real trouble at 4/52, hitting the stumps on all four occasions.
Bremner had his 5fa shortly after when he removed Carter Davis for 5, before Jackson Noonan got in on the action taking two wickets of his own to leave the score sitting at 7/75 … Iona in serious danger of not only losing, but losing badly.
Hayden Stockdale (22) top scored for the Swamp Tigers before he was dismissed and his team was bowled out for just 113 off 39.5 overs.
The stumps copped a hammering, with seven of the 10 wickets bowled, largely thanks to Bremner who finished with incredible figures of 6/19 off 12 overs.
Iona was sent back in and Trafalgar could almost taste fourth spot, with the Swamp Tigers once again in a serious spot of bother at 4/75 … still needing to survive another 26 overs.
Enter Thomas Cottrell (64 not out off 117 balls) and Hayden Stockdale (25 not out off 77 balls) who saved the game to combine for a 73-run partnership and almost double their team’s score.
They finished the second innings 4/148 as Trafalgar won by 235 runs on the first innings result.
Ellinbank fought back late on day one against the formidable Western Park, keeping the premiership favourite to 225 after they threatened a much bigger score.
Gavin Roulston (61) and Gregory Munro (51) led the way for Western Park with the bat, before Warriors bowling duo Joel Batson (4/26 off 14 overs) and Ellis Whiteford (4/34 off 19.4 overs) backed up their team’s batting performance.
Aaditya Varadharajan (57) and Euan Hurst (34) were the only Ellinbank batters to reach scores of note as the side was bowled out for just 137.
After Hallora posted 161 on day one last week, hopes were high for Longwarry as they went about the chase with a win potentially putting them into the four, but it wasn’t to be as the team fell 45 runs short of victory.
A half century from Mitchell Smith led Hallora to the total on day one, but it was Crows’ Yashan Samarasinghe who impressed with a five-wicket haul to put his team in a winning position being 1/24 at stumps.
Longwarry opener Jake Serong worked hard for a return of 35, but the rest of his team struggled against the Hallora bowling attack, with frequent wickets ending the Crows’ day, all out for 117.
There is plenty to play out in the two-day matches this weekend as the final round of the regular season gets underway … fourth spot currently belongs to Ellinbank, but can Trafalgar, Longwarry or even Hallora get there?
WDCA DIVISION 1
RESULTS R13 (Day 2): Hallora 161 d Longwarry 117, Drouin 9/245 d Catani 116, Trafalgar 8/348d d Iona 113 & 4/148, Western Park 225 d Ellinbank 137.
LADDER: Western Park 69, Catani 51, Drouin 49, Ellinbank, Trafalgar, Longwarry 36, Hallora 30, Iona 9.
FIXTURE (Round 14 – Two Day): Longwarry (6) v Catani (2) at Longwarry Recreation Reserve, Ellinbank (4) v Drouin (3) at Ellinbank Recreation Reserve, Western Park (1) v Iona (8) at Western Park Reserve Oval 2, Hallora (7) v Trafalgar (5) at Hallora Recreation Reserve.
