By Tyler Lewis and Nick Creely
DDCA TURF 2 AND 3
REVIEW – ROUND 13
TURF 2
It was certainly a fascinating string of scores that rounded out the second last home and away fixture of Turf 2 cricket on Saturday.
Ladder leaders and the previously undefeated, Dingley were dealt its first loss of the season to second place Parkmore Pirates.
The Dingoes were sent in by the Pirates and despite the early wicket of Matt Hague, were moving along nicely at 1/37.
Before the Pirates ran riot with the ball, Ammar Bajwa was unplayable, claiming 5/6 from just six overs to ultimately set up the game for the home side.
Despite being bundled out for just 94, every dismissed Dingley batsman managed to get off the mark.
In reply, the Pirates took their time to reel in the total, but did so comfortably, with seven wickets in the shed in just 35 overs.
Lyndale, meanwhile, knocked on the door of the top four with a convincing win over Narre North.
The Dales sent the Rams into bat and were on the front foot from the opening over.
Yohan Soyza proved once again why he is a nightmare to face out in the middle, jagging an incredible 4/4 from 6.2 overs, moving his tally of victims to 26 and still is yet to go wicket less in an innings this season.
The Dales bundled out the Rams for 110 and reeled in the total inside 25 overs with seven wickets in hand.
To cap off a dominant display from Lyndale, four of the five batsmen used in the second innings managed to reach double figures in the short run chase.
Hari Krishan, meanwhile, was at his destructive best once again with the willow for Dandenong West as it claimed a commanding victory over Cranbourne.
Krishan won the toss and opted to set the tone with the bat, to which he did in entertaining style.
He crunched 139 from just 77 balls, which included a whopping 16 maximums.
When Krishan departed for his 139, the Bulls total was at just 185.
Krishan now has 708 runs at 59 in Turf 2, 440 of those runs coming through boundaries.
Later on in the innings, Gurpreet Singh joined in on the fun his skipper was having at the crease, whacking 85 from 43 himself including nine sixes as the Bulls posted 308 after 40 overs.
In reply, the Eagles could only manage 8/125 from its set of 40.
Beaconsfield, meanwhile, recorded one of its more convincing wins over Narre Warren to remain in the hunt for finals cricket.
The Magpies had a day to forget, losing inside 50 overs of cricket.
After being sent in, Narre Warren was bundled out for just 87, courtesy of prolific bowling spells by Jack Benbow (4/16) and Jack Scott (3/12).
In reply, the Tigers belted their way to victory, passing the total inside only 22 overs.
Heading into the final round of the home and away season, spots inside the final four still remain undecided. If Lyndale knock off Parkmore Pirates and Dingley bounce back against Beaconsfield, the Dales can sneak into the final four on the cusp of finals.
TURF 3
Lynbrook emerged victorious in a top-four battle against Springvale at Marriott Waters on Saturday.
The two in-form sides are likely to meet again in the coming weeks as both search for premiership glory, but the Lakers got some early bragging rights to surge into second spot with a round to play.
After a disappointing loss the week prior to Silverton, the Lakers entered Saturday needing to find its very best form once again.
After the Demons won the toss and elected to bat, Nuwan Mendis (44) was able to get some flow going in his batting, but the home side’s discipline with the ball was the key, with the visitors rolled for just 130.
Jesse Walia (3/13) was particularly excellent for the Lakers to continue what has been a rock-solid Turf 3 campaign, while Ismatulla Shariffie (3/26) provided the perfect foil in what as an outstanding team-bowling effort.
The Lakers were rocked by two early wickets, but managed to fight its way back and six by wickets, with Varun Singh (40 not out) and Indunil Wickramasinghe (44) playing excellent innings to guide their side home.
Parkfield, meanwhile, suffered a surprise loss, with Silverton continuing its late-season wins against top-four teams as they too gear up for a huge finals campaign.
The Bakers lost an early wicket after being sent in to bat, but posted 7/179 off the back of a sparkling hand from Selva Tharaka (61), who once again shone at number three as he nears 400 runs for the season.
Despite being set a steep chase, Travis D’Souza was excellent with the ball to snare 3/31 from six overs as the Bakers charged hard.
It was an absolutely horrible start to the chase for the Parkers, who lost 4/34 to kick things off as Wijenayake Weerarathna (3/11) and Dimuthu Weerasinghe (3/23) rattled the top-order.
But a brilliant knock from D’Souza (87) gave the home side life, despite wickets continuing to tumble around him.
Eventually, the home side were bundled out for 128, but are all but assured of a top-two spot regardless of the final round’s result.
In the remaining games, Berwick Springs (7/134) held off Coomoora (130) in a thriller at home, while Fountain Gate (8/163) produced an excellent performance, downing Keysborough (100) at Rowley Allan Reserve.
With just a single round of cricket left to play before finals kick off, Parkfield, Lynbrook, Springvale and Silverton are all locked in to battle it out for the Turf 3 premiership; however the order of the final four will be decided in what is sure to be a fascinating round on Saturday.
