By Tyler Lewis
WGCA DISTRICT AND SUB-DISTRICT DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 14 (DAY TWO)
DISTRICT
The home and away season has officially finished and the final four are set to play off for the silverware over the next two weekends.
While it wasn’t a picture finish to the top four, the final round produced an array of highlights heading into the final three matches of the season.
Upper Beaconsfield comfortably defended the large total it set last week (260), restricting Pakenham Upper/Toomuc to 9/224.
In those 224, Yabbies skipper Sahan Wijeratne fought extremely hard for his 65, but it wasn’t too be as the Maroons had the upper hand from the outset, thanks to their runs on the board.
With the ball, the Maroons weren’t shy of throwing the ball around to inject a bit of comedy to the match.
Gloveman Imesh Jayasekera certainly provided a highlight for his Upper Beaconsfield teammates, claiming his second club wicket in his one over.
Carlisle Park, meanwhile, has the mental edge over Officer after taking the win in the final game of the season before the two face off again this week.
Chasing the Bullants’ 138 from last week, the Vikings batted out the day for 206, but passed the total with five wickets in the shed.
In an enormous positive for the Vikings, run machine Ravindu Kodithuwakku went first ball of the innings last week, but his side still managed to perform with the bat.
And it wasn’t off the back of a single blade. The Vikings side showed depth with the willow with not a single player reaching the half-century milestone, yet three batsmen scoring 38 or more.
For the Bullants Adam Reid personified the saying ‘toiled away’ with his mammoth spell of 26 overs.
He claimed only 1/43, but sent down 12 maidens.
Emerald finished its home and away season in form, dismantling Clyde in an outright victory.
After posting 7/237 and then bowling the Cougars out for 113, the Bombers sent the visitors in again.
It had immediate results as at 0/11 the Cougars lost 5/2 to plummet to 5/13.
A fighting 40 from John Simpson was generous to the score, but Clyde ultimately fell for 121, four runs short of making the Bombers bat again.
The wickets were shared evenly in the second innings. Lionhearted seamer and club president Clinton Marsh was the pick of the bowlers with 3/29 from 11.
DISTRICT SEMI-FINAL FIXTURE
SATURDAY 14, SUNDAY 15 MARCH
Upper Beaconsfield (1st) v Emerald (4th) at Upper Beaconsfield Recreation Reserve (1pm)
Carlisle Park (2nd) v Officer (3rd) at Carlisle Park Reserve (1pm)
SUB-DISTRICT
Despite securing the required outright win over Officer, Cardinia will miss the finals after a bizarre string of events in the Cranbourne Meadows and Lang Lang match.
Cardinia needed an outright win over Officer and also desperately needed the Rebels lose to the second-placed Lang Lang to make the final four.
And after the Swamp Tigers posted 8/249 in week one, the result looked ominous for the Bulls to make the finals, but the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the second day after the playing surface at Lawson Poole Recreation Reserve was deemed unfit for play.
Cardinia fulfilled its end of the bargain, decimating Officer in a huge victory.
The Bulls dismissed the Bullants for just 54, posted 155 (a lead of 101), and then bowled the Bullants out again for 147 in the second dig.
With 47 to get, the Bulls finished the job in scintillating fashion, belting 63 without the loss of a wicket in just nine overs.
The brunt of the carnage came from the blade of Pat Nolen, who crunched 40 not out.
Despite the equation being awfully simple, the Bulls couldn’t do quite enough as the game between the Swamp Tigers and Rebels was called square.
Kooweerup, meanwhile, just called it a day in its clash against Pakenham with top spot sewn up.
The Demons pulverised the Lions in the first innings, bowling them out for just 43, before posting 191 themselves.
And despite having the Lions 3/22 in the second knock, the skippers called the game as it was and went their separate ways as the Demons head into the finals without the need of an outright win to secure the minor premiership.
SUB-DISTRICT SEMI-FINAL FIXTURE
SATURDAY 14, SUNDAY 15 MARCH
Kooweerup (1st) v Cranbourne Meadows (4th) at Toomuc Reserve (Oval 2) (1pm)
Lang Lang (2nd) v Tooradin (3rd) at Lang Lang Recreation Reserve (Caldermeade) (1pm)
