By Marcus Uhe
A second consecutive 150 from Emerald’s Sembakuttige Lakshan helped the Bombers reel in Pakenham Upper District’s monster total of 346 on Saturday in the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association’s District competition.
Lakshan hit an unbeaten 153, pushing the Bombers to reeling in 348 in just 67 overs in a rampaging display of batting, scoring at more than five runs per over in the chase.
He crunched eight sixes and 12 fours in his match-winning knock, his second hundred of note after 154 against Cranbourne Meadows the week before.
After a lean opening to the season, he’s finished the campaign with 460 runs in his final five innings and secured the leading runscorer’s mantle as a result.
Lakshan came to the crease with a solid foundation to build on thanks to a half-century from Ethan Crosher and 30 from Michael Nell.
He added 66 with Owen Thorne and 83 with Jordan Robinson on his way to the huge score to ensure the Bombers’ season ended on a positive note, despite missing finals qualifications.
A whopping 37 extras didn’t help the Yabbies’ cause, with only John Langley and Ryan Mibus keeping their economy rates under four.
Where the Yabbies will begin their finals campaign with a sense of disappointment having squandered vital momentum, Upper Beaconsfield tuned up in style with a brutal assault of Lang Lang.
After rolling the Tigers for just 66, the Maroons took the opportunity for an open net at Lang Lang Recreational Reserve, plundering 369 runs.
Nicholas Pastras led the batting card with 108, supported by half-centuries to Josh Westra (67), Corey Joyce (55) and Daniel Brennan (55), as the Maroons showed no mercy in the sweltering heat.
Pastras and Brennan shared in a 122-run stand until Brennan was run out, signalling the beginning of the end for the Maroons, as a late flurry of wickets prevented the total from being even worse.
Upper Beaconsfield reached the 300 mark only four wickets down after passing the target of 67 during the opening partnership.
All 11 Lang Lang players bowled, including wicketkeeper Jeshan Pius, with Oshadha Ariyadasa taking 3/95 as the most productive with the ball.
The result gave Lang Lang, a team that finished third in 2022/23, no hope of climbing off the bottom of the District ladder, despite Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll’s loss to Officer.
Chasing 132, the Bullants made light work of the assignment, reaching the target three wickets down.
Chathura Imbulagoda appears to be returning to his early season form that took the competition by storm for Officer, hitting 67 to make it two half-centuries in his last three innings.
With the home-and-away season all wrapped up, a pair of semi-finals this weekend will determine who advances to the grand finals the following week.
Officer welcomes Pakenham Upper Toomuc to Officer Recreation Reserve for a match that will be closer than the first v fourth match-up suggests.
The Yabbies won the most recent contest by 75 runs, despite slipping to 3/7 early in the match batting first, and defended 215.
The other was abandoned due to rain, after the Bullants made 307 on the first day.
In Imbulagoda and his opening partner, Jaswinder Gill, the Bullants boast two of the top four run-scorers in the competition this season, making breaking the opening stand of upmost importance for the Yabbies.
Cooper Pursell and Devon Gabriel-Brown, meanwhile sit first and second, respectively, for most wickets taken.
In the second final, Upper Beaconsfield heads to Lawson Poole Reserve to face Cranbourne Meadows.
The Maroons thrashed the Rebels when the two sides met in Cranbourne earlier this season in a two-day clash but Cranbourne Meadows turned the tables in round 10 when it went up the hills for a one-day clash.
Rohit Sharma and Karanbir Tiwana are the key men with the bat for Cranbourne Meadows, and will need to see-off Kyle Gibbs and Jayden Joyce if they are any chance of progressing.
The finals will be played over both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
