By Hayley Wildes
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 13 (DAY TWO)
There were a number of Round 13 clashes that had massive finals implications, but none more so than the battle between Devon Meadows and Cardinia.
With Devon Meadows (78 points) holding onto fourth position prior to Round 13, Cardinia was 10 point adrift in fifth, while Tooradin (84 points) sat third.
At Glover Reserve, the Bulls finished day one at 9/224, with the game well and truly in the balance heading into day two on Saturday.
The Panthers got vital early runs as Luke Hamilton (35) partnered with Ryan O’Connor (13) for a 48-run stand. When O’Connor was run out, off the brilliant fielding of Travis Wheller, Kyle Salerno (68) stepped to the crease and he would go onto produce a fine knock which Devon Meadows would build their innings around.
Although Hamilton fell shortly after Salerno joined him in the middle, Brad Miles (40) was next up and the pair combined for a composed 60-run partnership before Miles was dismissed by Brady Boswell (1/12).
Salerno was anchoring the innings, but others were falling around him as Wheller (4/64) was in fine form with the ball. A valuable 35-run seventh wicket partnership between Salerno and Scott Clark (22 not out) had the Panthers standing at 7/218 when the former finally fell to Ryan Little off Wheller.
Needing just seven runs to claim the win and with plenty of overs in hand, the Panthers got home with a total of 7/226 in 74 overs.
The win all but seals a finals berth for the Panthers, who now sit third; 18 points ahead of fifth placed Clyde. For Cardinia, their long run of finals campaigns looks set to come to an abrupt end; sitting sixth and 16 points adrift of fourth placed Tooradin.
Pakenham remains on top of the WGCA Premier ladder – by less than 0.01 percent – after taking care of Tooradin.
The Seagulls posted a total of 9/222 on day one and despite a spluttering start to their run chase, the Lions remained calm and steadied the ship as they so often do.
Cal O’Hare (2/30) claimed openers Jack Anning (1) and Chris Smith (13) cheaply to have Pakenham struggling at 2/38.
Things quickly turned around for the Lions as superstar Dale Tormey (82) and Zac Chaplin (66) put on a masterclass. The pair combined for 17 boundaries and a 120-run partnership to have Pakenham in the box seat.
Bailey Lownds (3/43) finally broke through to dismiss Tormey, and almost immediately he had another wicket, dismissing Ben Maroney (0) thanks to some skilled glove work from Brody Harbinson.
With Chaplin still anchoring the innings, Pakenham continued to push ahead and eventually got home with a total of 8/224 in the 74th over.
After dominating proceedings on day one, Kooweerup was unable to come away with an outright win over Merinda Park, instead having to settle for first innings points.
The Demons dismissed the Cobras for 105, before aggressively declaring at 5/142 to send Merinda Park into bat again to begin day two.
The Cobras put up a much-improved display on day two as opener Cambell Bryan (68) anchored the innings. With Kooweerup desperate for wickets, skipper Mark Cooper gave nearly everyone a chance with the ball, calling on 10 players to try their arm.
To Merinda Park’s credit, they battled hard and defended well as Bryan, along with skipper Daniel McCalman (29) and Karanbir Tiwana (21) ensured the Cobras avoided an outright loss, finishing day two at 3/157 off 69 overs.
Clyde remains in the finals hunt, at least mathematically, after defeating Upper Beaconsfield. After the Cougars posted a total of 190 on day one, the Maroons entered day two at 2/42.
Matthew Aslett (5/29) took the two wickets late on day one and his tremendous form continued to day two as he claimed the first two wickets – Kyle Gibbs (20) and Daniel Brennan (9) – of the day’s play.
The Maroons were unable to string partnerships together and were dismissed for 140 in 68 overs as Clyde claimed a vital win. The Cougars sit fifth, 12 points adrift of the Seagulls in fourth.
In a scriptwriter’s dream, Clyde and Tooradin face off in the final round of the season. The Cougars will need to win, and win big, to scrape into fourth.
