By Hayley Wildes
WGCA LOWER GRADES
REVIEW – ROUND 11
B GRADE
Emerald and Carlisle Park played out a high-scoring thriller at Chandler Recreation Reserve.
The Bombers batted first and put up the daunting total of 5/227 after Dave McDonald (113) dominated from the outset. Lachlan Crnogorac (42 not out) and Caleb Lobbe (36) were also impressive.
With plenty of work to do, the Vikings – despite no batsman scoring over 32 runs – got solid contributions from across the board to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
It took until the final over, but Carlisle Park got home with a total of 9/230 in a thrilling finish.
Catani was too good for Devon Meadows as the Cats chased down the Panthers total.
Devon Meadows batted first and with Henry Dolphin (47) and Mick Floyd (31 not out) leading the way, posted a total of 9/164. In reply, Catani struggled early and stood at 4/28, but lower order contributions from Leigh Jose (45) and Scott May (25 not out) led the Cats home with a total of 8/167 in 37 overs.
Tooradin claimed a win over Aura Vale after the Lakers were sent into bat.
The Seagulls – led by Hayden Lownds (3/12) – restricted the Lakers to a total of 9/166 after Chris Webb (44) top-scored for Aura Vale.
In reply, Tooradin got off to a strong start but lost four wickets for two runs to sit at 4/49 as Chris Webb (3/18) caught fire. Hayden Lownds (58) took over with the bat after dominating with the ball and partnered with Alex Johnson (37 not out) to get the Seagulls innings back on track and eventually home with a total of 8/168.
Cranbourne Meadows was too strong for the top-placed Officer. The Bullants batted first but struggled to defend against the likes of Iftikhar Rauf (3/27) and David Vannes (3/37). Shannon Marum (36) led the way for Officer as they posted a total of 9/162.
The Rebels – led by Sami Muzaffar (52 not out) and Jasmeet Virdi (39) – were in control and got home comfortably with a total of 5/167 in 30 overs.
C GRADE
It was an intense battle between Pakenham and Pakenham Upper/Toomuc, with the Yabbies just getting over the line.
The Lions were led Michael McLaren (46) and put on a total of 152, while Jake Abel (3/32) bowled well for the Yabbies.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc left it until the final over, but eventually scraped home with just one wicket in hand. The Yabbies (9/156) claimed the win after Ian Mortimer (41 not out) and Justin Harris (38) took control. Dale McCraw (4/37) bowled well for Pakenham.
Officer was no match for NNG/Maryknoll. The Bullants batted first and struggled from the outset, managing just 82 runs as Nick Mueller (3/19), Bryce Thomas (2/11) and Ashley Bailey (2/2) bowled impressively.
In reply, the Marygoons posted a total of 6/172 as Nick Bransgrove (62) put on a show.
Clyde claimed a win over Cardinia after posting a total of 7/194. Noel O’Brien (75) was in fine form to lead the way for Clyde and in reply, Cardinia only managed a total of 158 as Stuart Williams (3/23) and Nicholas Miles (3/24) led the Cougars bowling attack superbly.
Cranbourne Meadows put on a great batting display against Upper Beaconsfield to claim a comfortable win after lower order contributions from Maqbool Laiq (44) and Shahzad Khalid (42) pushed their total to 221. David Westra (4/28) was impressive for the Maroons.
In reply, Upper Beaconsfield (154) was no match as Rafiq Saqib (3/8) bowled five brutal overs. Russell Muir (37) and Blake Westra (33) battled hard for the Maroons.
D GRADE
Kooweerup flew by Emerald to claim an easy win. The Bombers were dismissed for just 74 runs as Scott Gray (3/17) led a balanced Demons bowling attack.
In reply, Kooweerup (2/84) took just 15 overs to reach the target as Brent Wilson (54 not out) led the way.
NNG/Maryknoll was too strong for Pakenham. The Marygoons took care of the Lions, restricting them to just 104 runs as Kunal Nanda (4/12) delivered eight fine overs of bowling.
Bryan Woodley (48 not out) led the Marygoons (2/105) home.
The Victorian Vikings got home against Merinda Park. The Cobras (8/175) were led by Brett Armitage (65), while Jaideep Karnik (3/32) and Srikanth Vakiti (3/38) bowled strongly for the Vikings.
The Vikings (4/179) took 33 overs to chase down the required runs as Shashank Sharma (94) batted brilliantly.
Carlisle Park obliterated Lang Lang in a barnstorming display.
The Vikings batted first and great knocks from Gaurav Dutt (51 not out), McGregor Brough (45) and Ekansh Bhambhani (36) helped Carlisle Park to a daunting total of 5/223.
The Tigers simply had no answers with the bat either, dismissed for just 69 runs as Rupinderjeet Brar (5/33) ripped through Lang Lang’s batting line-up. Aiden Brown (35) was the lone Tiger to score over six runs.
E GRADE
In an incredible result at Lakeside Oval, Devon Meadows and Pakenham Upper/Toomuc played out a tie.
The Panthers batted first and put on a total of 123, with Brett Irvine (28) top-scoring, while John Miller (3/22) bowled strongly for the Yabbies.
In reply, Pakenham Upper/Toomuc – with one wicket in hand – was unable to get the winning runs in a thrilling final over and the game ended with both teams on 123. John Baker (30) top-scored for the Yabbies.
Clyde put the foot down against Officer and the result was never really in doubt. The Cougars (6/200) were led by Brett Whittingham (68) and Anthony Galley (51 not out) in a dominant display.
The Bullants were never in the hunt, totalling 8/143 as Brett Whittingham (2/11) and Josh King (2/20) bowled well for the Cougars.
Tooradin claimed a win over Nyora, defending their total of 6/198. The Seagulls got great contributions from Keith Bundy (57) and Liam Simpson (36).
In reply, the Maroons – despite Glen Burns (40) and Kevin Bongers (34) battling hard – were dismissed for 129.
Cranbourne Meadows defended their total of 8/182 against Merinda Park. The Rebels batted first and put on 8/182 as Trevor Poole (44) top-scored. In reply, the Cobras were dismissed for 153 as David Waller (5/13) tore through the Rebels batting line-up in a brutal bowling display.
F GRADE
Devon Meadows didn’t just win the game against Merinda Park, they absolutely torched the Cobras.
The Panthers were sent into bat and immediately made the Cobras regret that decision as Mick Hawkins (110) and Glen D’Alton (95 not out) put on an incredible 201-run partnership. The pair played near-perfect cricket and Merinda Park had no answers as Devon Meadows posted a total of 4/252.
The Panthers were just as dominant with the ball, dismissing the Cobras for just 51 runs as Robert Worstelling (4/9), Blake Roberts (2/7) and James Pickering (2/18) tore through Merinda Park’s batsmen.
Clyde hung on for a thrilling win over Pakenham. The Cougars batted first and solid contributions from Sam Manujith (36), Ben Cooper (34), Ron Kane (32) and Chintan Swadia (29) saw them post a strong total of 205.
The Lions got off to a great start as openers Shayne Svenson (40) and Paul Hart (37) combined for a 74-run partnership. Mark Coe (4/32) wrestled back the momentum for Clyde, before a 93-run partnership between Rodney Downes (47) and Hiren Patel (37) had Pakenham back on track.
The Lions fell agonisingly short of the required runs, totalling 7/201. Jack Lowis (3/50) was important for the Cougars.
Catani was too good for Cranbourne Meadows. The Cats were led by Chris Duncan (58) on their way to 5/204. In reply, the Rebels – despite the best efforts of Bryce Memery (47) – were never in the hunt, totalling 6/124.
Cardinia had the bye.
