-Is UPPER BEACONSFIELD expecting a tougher-than-usual finals series in the CCCA District Division this season? It would appear so after the Maroons were paid a visit by the Doveton Boxing Club last week. But don’t fear, fisticuffs are not expected to break out…the Maroons were simply getting some tips on footwork ahead of their up-and-coming premiership chase!
-The cricket and football clubs of TOORADIN came together for a special event last Tuesday, with the inaugural Ben Proctor Memorial 20/20 being won in spectacular style by the footballers. Chasing 142, the footballers cracked a four in the last over of the match to finish on 9/145. It was fitting that Andrew Proctor, Ben’s brother, won the Ben Proctor Best on Ground Medal. Both clubs thank everyone that supported the event and to those that donated to Beyond Blue.
-UPPER BEACONSFIELD inducted two new life members at its 1993 Premiership Reunion and Life Members function at Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Club on Saturday night. Into the most elite of clubs walk current players Daniel Brennan and Kyle Gibbs. Brennan made a quick dash home for the induction ceremony, arriving in Melbourne at 9am on Saturday after spending some time in Japan snowboarding!
-We’ve all got our own interpretation of a perfect delivery. Maybe it’s a toe-crushing inswinger, maybe it’s Pat Cummins hitting the top of Joe Root’s off stump. At Hallam on Saturday, Sayed Rihan’s didn’t involve a red kookaburra at all. After bowling four overs for 20 runs against NORTH DANDENONG, he welcomed the arrival of an Uber Eats bag as he watched his teammates go about chasing the total. It’s unclear what, exactly, was delivered, but having made one off six, he might choose something different next time!
-At DEVON MEADOWS, their third XI has welcomed their first female player into a senior men’s side, with Ella Burner making her debut last week against NNG/MARYKNOLL. “Smudge” as she is known around the club was chosen from the Panthers’ All Star girls side and was said to have had an “absolute blast” in the Panthers’ six-wicket win.
-BUCKLEY RIDGES all-rounder Mahela Udawatte had a successful Sunday in winning the Jack Peacock Cup for Mornington Peninsula club, Pines. Udawatte top scored for his side in the semi-final against Heatherhill with 36, before making 24 in the final.
-TOORADIN champion all-rounder Russell Lehman has certainly had a roller-coaster ride over the last few weeks, beginning with his hat-trick and 8/34 against CARDINIA in round 12. The following week against PAKENHAM he continued his great form, taking 4/41 in a losing cause against the Lions. However, Lehman did make a duck earlier that afternoon, LBW to Tommy Tyrrell, and then completed the perilous-pair after being bowled by Lions skipper Dale Tormey in the Seagulls second innings on Saturday. Opposition players beware…well Lehman is in the game – anything can happen!
-KOOWEERUP supporter Derek Blackley – who loves supporting the Demons while having a beer and a punt on a Saturday afternoon – might need to make a comeback to the cricket field, as captain, after his Nostradamus-like effort on the weekend. The Demons were struggling to break through CARLISLE PARK on Saturday when Blackley suggest the following, “It’s time to bring Mushy on.” Sure enough, Kooweerup off-spinner Matt ‘Mushy’ Bright was brought into the attack. Blackley then offered these words as Bright warmed up for his spell…”I reckon he’ll get him first ball.” Well, bang, Blackley got it right again with Vikings gun Shalika Karunanayake hitting a rank half-tracker down the throat of Cody Miller at deep-square leg.
-Another player to have an instant impact on Saturday was PAKENHAM UPPER TOOMUC’s Alfie Howat, who bowled one ball for one wicket to finish off GEMBROOK’s District Division innings at 88. Bailey Smith (4/30) may have taken bowling honours on the weekend, but we’re tipping Howat has bragging rights and will be in the ear of his skipper Prabath Kobbekaduwa to bowl him a little bit earlier in the upcoming final round of the season.
-Expect to see a couple of very valuable players in the CCCA Premier Division finals series sit out their round 14 engagements over the next fortnight. CARDINIA skipper Jake Prosser – recovering from a broken hand – was only going to play in round 14 if the Bulls could miss out on finals, while KOOWEERUP skipper Michael Giles is on the mend from a hamstring injury and is using the same patient philosophy. Kooweerup can’t move from third, and Cardinia from fourth, with just the last home-and-away game remaining. Both players are going to be hugely important when on semi-final weekend on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March.
-All, or most, players play for team success, but having a batting or bowling trophy on the mantlepiece is always a nice acknowledgement at the end of the season. In CCCA Premier Division, eight players have scored over 400 runs this season and are fighting it out for batting aggregates. Luke McMaster (459), Shalika Karunanayake (457), Dale Tormey (452), Michael Vandort (442), Anurudda Fonseka (438), Dylan Sutton (420), Josh Lownds (409) and Ben Perry (406) are all capable of knocking in a big score in the final round. As far as batting averages go, it looks to a two-horse race between TOORADIN all-rounder Dylan Sutton and PAKENHAM skipper Tormey.
-The CCCA Premier Division bowling awards are also a close-run thing, with four bowlers within a wicket of each other heading into round 14. TOORADIN quick Brad Butler and PAKENHAM spinner Jason Williams are joint leaders on 27 wickets, with Lions’ skipper Dale Tormey and Senal De Silva from CARLISLE PARK next best with 26 poles. Butler is also in contention for the bowling averages, alongside CARDINIA leggie Lachie Volpe and Butler’s Seagulls’ teammate Josh Lownds.
-Percentage is going to play a huge part in the final round of the CCCA Premier Division this season. At the top of the ladder, TOORADIN and PAKENHAM are locked on points (126) with just 0.03 percentage points between them, while at the foot of the ladder just .0015 separates CLYDE (seventh) and MERINDA PARK (eighth) from relegation to District Division. Ironically, Pakenham host Merinda Park this Saturday and Tooradin roll out the welcome mat for Clyde. The highest ranked winning semi-finalist will host the grand final, meaning the Seagulls and Lions are potentially fighting for a massive prize – and a huge cash injection – in round 14.
-LANG LANG Cricket Club is going to have plenty to celebrate when it hosts a reunion of past players at its flash new facility at Caldermeade this Saturday 25 February. The Swamp Tigers won back-to-back senior premierships in 1968 and 1969 and repeated the dose in 1990 and 1991. They then backed that up with another in 1994, with some legendary figures such as Greg Bethune and Steve ‘Brutus’ Dalgleish making things extremely hostile for opposition batters. The club will also recognise a myriad of junior and lower grade premierships over the years.
-All of Australia was probably shaking their heads in collective disbelief and disappointment on Sunday afternoon as six Aussie bats fell in quick succession to the sweep shot. One person who forecast it was Cranbourne skipper Mick Sweeney. He tweeted two weeks ago that we had gotten too cute with selection and added: “I’m not sure I can watch the top order commit to a sweep shot for an entire tour.” Pete Sweeney got stuck into him at the time on social media but Mick had the last ‘laugh’ – if you can call it that – on Sunday, the banter not far from his mind. He responded to his tweet by tagging Pete, and Cam Forsyth, with four ‘sweep’ emojis and another comment saying ‘this is a tough watch’. I think he speaks for all of Australia, there!
-Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll opener Cameron Watts recorded one of the longest ducks you’ll see in local cricket in his team’s pursuit of 156 on the weekend. Watts faced 45 of the first 77 balls, unable to get off the mark before finally being the second wicket dismissed with the score sitting at 25. The team lost by 41 runs.
