By David Nagel
CARDINIA (83) V TOORADIN (121)
A once-in-a-lifetime display of bowling from superstar all-rounder Russell Lehman (8/34 off 18) has propelled reigning-premier Tooradin (121) to a memorable victory over a shell-shocked Cardinia (83) at Gunton Oval on Saturday.
Lehman claimed a hat-trick to finish off the match – to lay down the best figures of his decorated career.
After failing with the bat on Thursday (Australia Day) the Seagulls came out firing, just two-days later, to record their best win for the season.
Lehman was simply extraordinary, resuming on Saturday with 1/15 to his name and adding two wickets in his opening spell.
His first for the day was fortunate, with Alex Nooy (13) clearly edging a ball onto his pads but being adjudged LBW, with two noises echoing through the balcony at the Bulls’ home ground.
But from there it was complete dominance, with Nathan Volpe (0) falling victim just two balls later.
Lehman then returned and took 5/0 in his second spell, from just 18 balls, with all five wickets coming in the space of nine balls.
Cardinia resumed at 2/34 on day two after producing a brilliant bowling display against the Seagulls on the opening day of the round-12 fixture.
Skipper Cal O’Hare (39) top-scored for the Gulls against some high-quality bowling from the Bulls, with leg-spinner Lachlan Volpe (3/50 off 18) proving a tough nut to crack.
The leggie bowled with great control, and combined with Jake Prosser (2/20 off 16) to make scoring difficult.
O’Hare faced 99 balls for his 39, with 18 of those runs coming off four deliveries.
The remaining 95 balls were tough work!
“To their credit, they bowled really well,” O’Hare said.
“Lachie Volpe, he was brilliant with the ball, gave us nothing, one of the best spells of leg-spin you would see from him, and we threw away a few wickets, with three run outs, which was disappointing.
“But on this ground, that can happen.
“If they’re bowling the way they did, they’re spinners suit this ground and tied us up, and that builds pressure, they bowled really well.”
But even with 121 on the board, O’Hare knew his team was a chance.
“We always knew that with 120 we were always in the game on this ground,” he said.
“We obviously stuffed things up losing eight for 30-odd on Thursday, which was disappointing, but 120 on this ground is like 180 or 200, so we were always in it.
“And then Russ went and did his thing.”
In a season where Tooradin has been dominant in almost all of its wins, to claim victory in such extraordinary circumstances was an exciting experience.
A soft-clap has accompanied most wins this year, but this one was greeted with true passion.
“The game was on the line and we defended 120, that’ doesn’t happen too often so that’s one of the best wins you could possibly be a part of,” O’Hare said.
“It’s very special…and what a special spell of bowling from Russ.
“It’s a massive win, because sometimes it’s hard not to get ahead of yourself in this competition, but Pakenham is having a great year, Kooweerup is dangerous, so we’ve got the real stuff starting now so we need to lift our game.
“This win will give us a real boost.”
As for the Bulls, well they buckled quickly and meekly and looked a shadow of their former selves.
Nooy was unlucky, and skipper Prosser (16) brave – batting on after breaking his hand – but the only true heroics from the Bulls came from one of their youngest players.
Josh Grogan (20 off 116 balls) showed what a bit of discipline and determination could do, watching eight of his teammates fold on day two after being not out as a night-watchman.
The Bulls thoroughly deserved the spray they copped from Prosser post-match, but are they good enough to turn things around?
We’ll find out in round 13, on a tricky trip to Officer, and in a final-round home game against a firing Carlisle Park.
Tooradin face a huge clash, beginning on Saturday 11 February, in a top-of-the-table shootout with Pakenham at Toomuc Reserve.
CARLISLE PARK (6/344) V PAKENHAM
The exquisitely-talented batting line up of Carlisle Park (6/344) has finally clicked to its full potential after the Vikings set top-of-the-table Pakenham a huge chase at Carlisle Park on Saturday.
With the blazing sun keeping things hot and sticky for the Lions on the artificial outfield, the Vikings overcame a slow start to build an imposing total.
A glorious century from Shalika Karunanayake (111) – composed from just 92 balls and including 15 fours and two sixes – set the platform for the Vikings, while Ben Perry (121 off 212 balls) played a classic two-day innings to guide his side to the box-seat.
Perry came to the crease after Tom Tyrrell (2/67 off 18) made the initial breakthrough, the Vikings 1/14 and finding scoring extremely difficult.
He departed with score on 326, occupying the crease for 312 of his team’s 344 runs!
Perry was a shining star by the end of the day’s play, but only after he took a back seat to Karunanayake who made 111 of the pair’s 154-run partnership for the third wicket.
Karunanayake (429) now sits second on the CCCA run-scoring list this season – behind Kooweerup’s Luke McMaster (459).
Saturday’s century was his second for the season, with his last five hits of 126, 3, 41, 69 and 111 giving an insight into the class that has seen him make thousands of runs abroad.
Vikings skipper Anurudda ‘Teddy’ Fonseka was in awe of the Vikings new recruit after batting with him during last week’s win over Officer.
“He’s got a wealth of experience, with over 5000 first-class runs in Sri Lanka, and he’s played around the world, and it’s just amazing batting with someone like that and watching them go about their work,” Fonseka said.
“Just the mindset of these guys, they’re cut from a different cloth; they’re a bit more attacking and that’s their form of defence.
“They tend to counterpunch, more than someone like myself, and it’s a great learning experience because you see the way they operate up close.”
Fonseka (50 off 64 balls) had no issue counterpunching himself on Saturday, making a vibrant half-century – and sharing a 103-run partnership with Perry – that continued the Vikings’ momentum.
Videsh Dassanayake (25) then finished off the job with a 51-run stand with the century maker.
While not all teams have batted in round 12, Karunanayake (second), Fonseka (third) and Perry (fifth) currently sit inside the top-five batters in the competition, highlighting the dangerous potential of the Vikings, who are favourites to win their fourth game in six outings.
It’s a shame they lost their first five games for the season because, on current form, they’re clearly a threat to any opponent, including the top four.
This one is not over yet, with key Lions such as Dale Tormey and Chris Smith having the potential to match the heroics of Karunanayake and Perry and rein this one in…but it’s an almighty task!
The Vikings should salute and move to within one game of the top four.
CLYDE (0/5) V OFFICER (238)
The bottom-of-the-table clash between Clyde (0/5) and Officer (238) could not be more evenly poised after an absorbing battle on day one at Ramlegh Reserve on Saturday.
For both teams, their seasons balance on a knife edge.
The Cougars, last, on 30 points, but only one game behind the Bullants, Merinda Park and Carlisle Park – fifth to seventh on the ladder – require victory to remove themselves from ‘relegation favouritism’.
A loss for Officer – seventh – would see them assume that unwanted title, but victory would well and truly keep their faint finals hopes alive.
Win this and the Bullants creep within one game of fourth-placed Cardinia, with the two teams to meet on the Bullants home deck at Starling Road in round 13.
Given the Bulls capitulation against Tooradin over the Australia Day weekend…the Bullants would go in confident.
But first they need to defend a par score on a fast outfield at Ramlegh after wasting four opportunities to really build a big one.
Opportunity one came when openers Nick Whitelaw (32) and Chathura Imbulagoda (16) put on a 48-run partnership, before both players fell on the same score.
Whitelaw was first to go, caught by John Simpson, becoming the first of six wickets for Thanuja Senarathna (6/51 off 21.1 overs).
Senarathna would later play a key role in bringing down ‘opportunity four’ for the visitors.
‘Opportunity two’ came via a 57-run third-wicket partnership between Kane Hawkins (49) and Jack James (33).
Hawkins played the aggressor, making all but eight runs of that union, crunching four boundaries and an equal amount of sixes in a 46-ball stay that threatened to take the game away from the Cougars.
A huge sigh of relief was exhaled by the hosts after Jacob Janssen (2/45 off 11) had Hawkins caught by Kane Avard.
Hawkins had made scores of 75 and 80 for Flinders in the MPCA Peninsula Division prior to Christmas, before switching across to the Bullants in December.
Since making the move he has added stability to the crucial number-three position, making scores of 63, 50 and 49 against Pakenham, Carlisle Park and the Cougars respectively.
He also bowls at a handy clip with the pill and will be a huge inclusion for the Bullants moving forward.
Hawkins departed with the score on 105, with his skipper Ash Smith (3) becoming the second wicket for Janssen on 117.
With opportunities one and two done and dusted, the Bullants once again built hope with James joined by the aggressive Nick McLennan (40 off 54 balls) for a 51-run stand for the fifth wicket.
James once again played the anchor, allowing McLennan to bludgeon nine boundaries as ‘opportunity three’ took nice shape.
But once again, the Bullants lost two wickets in quick succession with McLennan and James both back in the sheds within the space of 14 runs.
James, the sixth wicket to fall, began a run of five consecutive wickets for Senarathna.
‘Opportunity four’ came via a 45-partnership between Darren Kneebone (42) and Cooper Pursell (20 not out) that took the score to 6/227…and with plenty of overs to bat.
A strong finish from the Bullants would see them challenge the 300-run mark!
But it was not to be, with Senarathna running through the Bullants lower-order.
The Cougars, Senarathna, claimed 4/11 to kill off the Bullants innings for a moderate 238, a poor result considering their launching pad.
Classy left-hand openers Michael Vandort (3) and Trevor Bauer (2) then survived a nasty three-over spell to set things up perfectly for a thrilling contest on day two.
Which team will take their opportunities!
MERINDA PARK (0/1) V KOOWEERUP (195)
Kooweerup (195) can thank its classy number-three Gamini Kumara (84) for posting a competitive score against a disciplined Merinda Park (0/1) attack at Donnelly Reserve on Saturday.
While several of his highly-rated teammates are suffering a slight blip on the form-radar, Kumara was once again the rock that the Demons’ innings was built around.
He arrived at the crease at 1/40 and was the last wicket to fall, guiding the Demons to a more-than-competitive total against the most out-of-form batting side in the league.
The Cobras are coming off totals of 106 and 103, so will need a remarkable turnaround – against a quality attack – to end a two-game losing streak.
Kumara had a shaky start to his time at Kooweerup, after building a brilliant career in the Warragul and District Cricket Association (WDCA) with Yarragon.
The elegant right-hander has scored almost 10,000 runs and taken close to 350 wickets to be the best player in the WDCA over the last decade.
Kumara came to the crease after the departure of Luke McMaster (13), who opened the batting with his skipper Michael Giles (23).
The McMaster-Giles pairing is a new look for the Demons, with regular opener Chris Bright (1) slipping down the order to number-four to accommodate Giles’ confrontation with the new ball.
Giles made his name as a dashing left-hand opener in his prime, and his return to the top of the order has been designed to recapture that match-winning form.
But the Demons have a dilemma, with Bright one of the most damaging opening batters in the competition, while McMaster leads all-comers in the competition while opening the batting this season.
Three into two doesn’t go, and the Demons have some thinking to do as they prepare for a serious tilt at this year’s premiership.
The big question is: What would opposition teams not like to see?
But back to Kumara and his stabilising knock that camouflaged some failures and built two partnerships that saved the Demons from having a poor day.
After a stunning collapse of 4/4, which became 5/23, Kumara and Mitch Davey (24) put on a valuable 59-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Kumara and Jess Mathers (33) then added 60 for the eighth wicket, building a 7/122 scoreline to 8/182.
Mathers played an important innings against his former club on the weekend and he looms as the biggest dangerman when the Demons look to defend their total this Saturday.
Kumara, who now has scores of 51 not out, 82 not out, 31 and 84 from his last four visits to the crease, was last-man dismissed in the 76th over.
The Cobras toiled valiantly on the weekend, and will be rueing missed opportunities to put the final nail in the coffin.
Mat Campbell (3/45 off 25) was clearly the pick of the bowling group – taking three quick wickets during the collapse – while Tyson Bertrand (3/37 off 12.2) claimed three of the top four scorers.
The left-arm spinners of Sasindu Perera (1/45 off 19) were also important in keeping the run-rate under control.
While Kooweerup appears safe in third position, a win for the Cobras will see them move within one game of the top four with games against Clyde and Pakenham to come.
But with a loss, they could be equal relegation favourites with just two rounds remaining in the season.
