Early frontrunners Devon Meadows and Upper Beaconsfield will meet this Saturday as the District flights two undefeated outfits.
Upper Beaconsfield held its nerve at the weekend, keeping a plucky Emerald side at bay.
The Maroons got off to a solid start with the bat in the first innings, with Imesh Jayasekara (27) and Will Haines (18) posting 48 before the loss of the first wicket.
But after that solid start, a minor stumble occurred with both openers heading back to the sheds between just three runs of each other.
Jayasekara’s dismissal welcomed Corey Joyce (59 not out) to the crease, who directed his unit to a powerful score of 5/174.
His first half-century of the summer included five fours and one towering six.
While the Maroons failed to take steady wickets and each of the six Emerald batters used reached double figures, the Bombers fell 18 runs short.
As he typically does, skipper Owen Thorne led the way, punching out 46 from number three.
The result leaves the Maroons undefeated and the Bombers in third with the best percentage of the teams with a one-win and one-loss record.
The batting depth of Devon Meadows is already ringing alarm bells across the competition.
After crunching 305 last week, the Panthers piled on 9/186 in the first innings against Lang Lang this week.
And while it was Lucas Ligt who led the way last week, it was number nine Ben Hussey who blitzed bowlers this week, carving away an unbeaten 44 at more than a run a ball.
The Panthers were in trouble early at 1/1 and had consistent wickets tumble, leaving them 8/146 and 9/154, before Hussey took control.
The Swamp Tigers made a good fist of the chase, setting a strong platform at 2/120, but a collapse of 3/0 halted their momentum.
Lang Lang eventually fell nine runs short of victory, dismissed in the final over of the match.
Ligt claimed 3/22 from 4.2 overs, while Riley Worsteling (2/24 off eight with four maidens) cracked the game open in the period in which the home side crumbled.
Pakenham Upper Toomuc, meanwhile, staunched Gembrook in a commanding display.
The Yabbies sent the Brookers in and – led by Sahan Wijeratne – bundled the Brookers out for just 117.
Wijeratne jagged an imperious 5/16 from 7.1 overs and to make matters even more impressive, he also snared a run out.
He wasn’t required in the run chase however, as the visitors propelled past their close-town rivals in emphatic fashion.
Mitchell Mibus sliced 59 not out from just 70 balls as his side crushed the Brookers to the tune of nine wickets.
It was a quick-kill for the Yabbies, who claimed victory in just 60.2 overs.
Cranbourne Meadows, meanwhile, also secured its first win of the season by blasting NNG/Maryknoll.
The Rebels posted a more than sturdy 9/177 from its 40 overs – Karanbir Tiwana was the pick of the batters with 58 from number three.
For the Marygoons, Nick Mueller competed hard with the ball, claiming 4/26 from his eight overs.
Mueller’s figures are all the more impressive considering he donated five extras.
The Marygoons never stood a chance in reply, as Mohit Mandora collected 5/17 on his way to rushing the visitors out for 73.
After being 5/47, Mandora claimed the final five wickets remaining.
Saturday’s fixtures are highlighted by Devon Meadows hosting Upper Beaconsfield, and Pakenham Upper Toomuc and NNG/Maryknoll jostling for early positioning inside the top four.
FIXTURE
One-day match
Devon Meadows v Upper Beaconsfield
NNG/Maryknoll v Pakenham Upper Toomuc
Emerald v Gembrook
Lang Lang v Cranbourne Meadows
