Rebels skittle Marygoons

By Nick Creely

WGCA DISTRICT DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 7 (ONE-DAY)
Cranbourne Meadows are beginning to cement itself inside the top two as Christmas approaches, with the Rebels knocking off the third placed Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll by 58 runs on Saturday.
Rebels skipper Ash Uppal and his side were sent in to bat at Nar Nar Goon Recreation Reserve, and the Marygoons’ decision to bowl was quickly vindicated when Ken McLeod (2/20) and Sam Hayes (3/29) picked up crucial wickets of Veerpartap Singh (0) and David Vannes (8) to leave the visitors jittery at 2/49.
Classy opener Sunny Paul (54) resisted strongly with a strong knock at the top, and combined with a supporting hand by Pankaj Goyal (20), put on 47 runs to lift the Rebels to near 100.
Hayes, Daniel Salmon (2/33) and Sean Somers (3/36) bit back with a cluster of wickets in the middle, before Will Cloney (16) helped lift the visitors to a competitive 162 off their allotted 40 overs.
The Marygoons got off to a horror start with the bat, losing four early wickets courtesy of a brilliant spell by Iftikhar Ahmad (3/16) to be hanging precariously at 4/26.
Kyle Dorman (34) attempted to resurrect the innings, but through the likes of Uppal (3/10), as well as Munish Mahajan (2/13), the Rebels skittled the home side for just 103 in 34 overs.
Down at Glover Reserve, Devon Meadows and Carlisle Park played out a high scoring belter, with the Panthers just edging out the finals fancies.
Winning the toss and electing to bat on their home deck, the Panthers were expected to carve up some runs, and they did.
Off the back of yet another electric knock to Brad Miles (71) and strong supporting knocks to Kyle Salerno (32) and Nathan Worsteling (25), the Panthers were bowled out for 209 in 39 overs, at a click of more than five per over.
The Vikings didn’t leave any stone turned, and kept the run rate within reach, but Matt Hutchinson (3/27), Jason Dodd (2/25) and Lucas Carroll (2/39) ensured that the visitors would be bowled out for a respectable 181.
Ammar Bajwa (49) top scored for the Vikings in an aggressive innings opening the batting, while Michael Sinclair (30) also hit some handy runs.
Officer, meanwhile, defeated Pakenham Upper Toomuc in yet another high scoring affair at Officer Recreation Reserve.
Batting first, Matt Southall (68) and Daniel Strahan (47) were outstanding, helping lift the visiting team to a daunting 8/172 off 40 overs.
Lachlan Porter (2/19) was the standout bowler for the Bullants, who struggled with Southall’s boundary scoring.
Tyler Clark (68 not out) then anchored a tense run chase, with the Bullants making the runs six wickets down and with just one over to spare.
Opener Anthony Galley (30) also did a terrific job getting the Bullants off to a flying start, while with the ball, Corey Moncrieff (3/36) was the chief wicket taker for the Yabbies in the close loss.
In the round’s final match, Clyde (4/119) – off the back of a stellar 78 not out to Gavin Adams – knocked off Tooradin (114) at Tooradin Recreation Reserve.

WGCA SUB-DISTRICT DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 7 (ONE-DAY)
Pakenham and Cardinia played out a thriller down at E Gunton Oval on Saturday, with the ball dominating the bat throughout the match.
The Lions had a bat first, and with Kim Bentick (4/14) and Josh Browne (3/24) on song, the Bulls rolled the visitors for just 122 in 39.2 overs.
Daniel Vela (22) top scored for the Lions.
Brad Remy (40) provided a spark at the top to keep runs flowing off the bat, but the Bulls couldn’t fire a shot from the remaining top six, with just six runs scored between the five other players.
The home side were 6/66, and with the game on a knife’s edge, skipper Ryan Little (25) was cool as ice, guiding the Bulls to victory with just one wicket left in the shed.
Apart from Little, keeper Daniel Boyle (14) was crucial with a supporting knock to his skipper.
Down at Narre Warren East Reserve, Aura Vale inflicted struggling Nyora with a heavy loss, with the Lakers still breathing down the neck of Pakenham in fourth spot.
The Maroons won the toss and elected to bat, and couldn’t handle pressure from bowlers Zach Buckland (3/34) and Aaron Corrin (4/18) to be rolled for just 105 in 37 overs.
It took just 21 overs of good batting from run machine Nathan Phillips (58) and Paul Hoenderdaal (41) to chase the runs down, with the Lakers reaching the target just three wickets down.
Gembrook, meanwhile, put together an impressive performance at home to knock off Tooradin.
The Gulls put in an admirable effort with that after being sent in, with Owen Johnstone (37) and Ned Harrison (39) combining superbly to reach 4/158 off their 40 overs.
Usual keeper Ryan Scott (3/20) was the pick of the bowlers in his first bowling spell of the season, and managed to restrict the Gulls’ scoring with two maidens in his eight overs.
Scott (24) and Tim Gray (43) got off to a fast start in the run chase, and the momentum stayed with the home side throughout the chase, with skipper Geordie Scott (47) continuing his fine season with a terrific knock in the middle order.
The Brookers won the game in just 26 overs and with three wickets down, in a dominant performance.
Lang Lang also defeated fellow premiership fancy Catani away from home, with the Swamp Tigers continuing to find ways to win.
The Swamp Tigers racked up a strong total of 9/176 off the back off excellent performances by Ross Douglas (44) and Daniel Esler (37), and kept the momentum going with a clinical bowling effort.
The Cats could only muster up 128, bowled out in just 37.2 overs, with Clint Fulton (5/11) absolutely starring in a brilliant match winning bowling effort.