By Jonty Ralphsmith
The DDCA Turf 2 premiership continues to prove elusive for Cranbourne after the Eagles were outclassed by a brilliant all-round performance by Beaconsfield at Parkfield Reserve on Saturday.
The Eagles, a perennial finalist in recent years, had no answer to an imperious all-round display from Beaconsfield captain Mark Cooper – who first top-scored with 60 to lead the Tigers to a competitive score of 7/187 from their 45 overs.
Cooper then proved equally as devastating with the ball, taking 5/37 from 9.5 overs to help roll the Eagles for an even 100.
Jesse Busacca (39 not out), Riley Clark (32) and Tyler Clark (27) were all valuable contributors for the Tigers, while Mitch Tielen (3/16) and Ashan Madushanka (2/17) proved important allies for Cooper after the tea break.
Beaconsfield will now play in the elite Turf 1 competition in 2023/24, while Cranbourne will need to lick its wounds and hope its day of glory will soon come.
CRANBOURNE TALKING POINTS
COLLETT PROMOTION?
Cranbourne never seemed in the contest after the loss of the third wicket, Harsaroup Singh, but one thing that may be reflected on is holding Matt Collett back until number seven.
By the time he got to the crease, the run-rate required was almost seven.
Had he come in at six, he could have combined with Pete Sweeney, the required run-rate still manageable at about five.
Given the need for an injection of aggression, Collett’s promotion, while still requiring a season-high individual score, would have given the Eagles an outside chance.
Arriving in the 28th over, he crashed the second ball he faced for a crisp boundary, just the second the Eagles managed after over four.
He finished with 20 off 23 including three of Cranbourne’s seven boundaries before holing-out as the run-rate was out of control.
The Tigers were allowed to dictate the tempo of the game until it was irreparable.
HUMILITY IN DEFEAT
Talk about bad luck. Coming to the crease early after the dismissal of Dean McDonell, Mick Sweeney was strong in defence facing his first delivery.
The Eagles’ rebound in 2022-23 has been built off the back of the skipper’s post-Christmas surge as he’s scored two centuries and a half-century, and he top-scored last week with 39 against Heinz Southern Districts.
But on Saturday he was out second-ball with one that hit his pad before brushing leg stump.
From there, it was always going to be an up-hill summit for Cranbourne.
The squad, led by Sweeney, however, remained in good spirits on the sidelines, aware it had been outplayed by a better outfit on the day.
HARSAROUP SINGH’S SELECTION
Singh’s fitness was the question mark all week for Cranbourne, the attacking opener and tweaker having ensconced himself as a key part of the line-up.
After missing the past two weeks with a finger injury sustained against Doveton, he was brought back in and played an important role with the ball.
His four overs cost just 13 runs just as Beaconsfield was starting to look to get more proactive.
With the bat, he put spinner Mitch Tielen on the back foot early, punishing two short balls to the boundary before succumbing to the scoreboard pinch on 19.
All-rounder Pardeep Boyal, who played an important role in the semi and has been in-and-out of the side for various reasons this season, was the unlucky man to miss.
