By Jonty Ralphsmith
Round 4 has started as a positive one for the health of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Premier competition.
Several sources around the league have become worried that the same four sides – Kooweerup, Tooradin, Pakenham and Cardinia – traditionally occupy the top four spots on the ladder.
If those four teams all record victories in round 4, there will already be a game and a half separating the finals bound sides from the rest, already effectively taking the wind out of half the teams’ seasons.
There is a strong chance that disconnect won’t occur on Saturday, though, given Clyde and Devon Meadows have positioned themselves well to claim a scalp.
At Clyde, a maiden club century to Michael Vandort propelled the Cougars to 8/272 against Pakenham.
The hosts saw off new ball bowlers James Close and Tom Tyrell, with their economy rates both less than two, before capitalising in the middle overs and after tea.
Vandort dropped down to number four against the Lions and his first five scoring shots were boundaries which laid the platform for a strong day.
“He batted beautifully from the first ball he faced,” skipper Trevor Bauer said.
“Maybe a little bit of pressure was off at the top; without the ball swinging around as much, he was able to find his rhythm.”
Promoted to the First XI for round 4, Praveen Perera came to the crease at 1/9 in the 12th over.
He was composed despite the match situation, punishing bowlers when their lines waivered, guiding elegantly through the offside and flicking powerfully when bowlers got too straight.
“We’ve seen glimpses from what he can do and the feedback from the twos is he’s a classy bowler who plays shots and understands what the bowlers will do, which helps him come up with game plans,” Bauer said.
“For him to come out and play his shots and hit the ball really crisply was superb and we were pleasantly surprised by how good he was.”
Following his dismissal, Anurudda Fonseka played a pressure-absorbing 59.
“We knew if we could see off the new ball attack one wicket down and get them into their second and third spells, we’d be in a good position,” Bauer said.
“Where Clyde has come undone in the past is that we’ll be 2/20 or 3/30 and we’re on the back foot against the good sides so to have that stable start and set the batting up to cash in later in the day was a clear focus for our batting group.
“We understand where we fit in the last couple of years but our best is good enough to compete with Kooweerup, Pakenham and Tooradin and we’re striving to compete with them and that’s the challenge as captain.
“We know Pakenham has an experienced top-order and (coach) Rob (Elston) manages the players in the field really well.
“To prove to ourselves that we can (match it with them) tells us we’re close.”
Elsewhere, Devon Meadows competed well against Tooradin, putting up a score of 270 led by crisp ball-striker Lucas Ligt, who set the innings up with 97.
Zac Sheppard, Nathan Kleinig and coach Chris Cleef all contributed important cameos against a Tyler Evans-led Tooradin attack, with the opening bowler claiming 5/74.
The Panthers finished fifth last season and were well-positioned for a tilt at finals in 2024-25, but the expectation on them waned somewhat following the departure of emerging ‘keeper-batter Will Halton to Casey-South Melbourne.
An up-and-down first three weeks had them intriguingly placed entering round 4, with Saturday proving they still have the batting line-up to take it up to the best.
Merinda Park was impressive with the bat, putting up 7/409 led by Daniel McCalman’s 181 to demonstrate an important step forward.
But the second half of their game was played on Sunday and they were unable to defend their total, as Chris Bright played a career-best hand to take apart the Cobras attack.
Meanwhile, Upper Beaconsfield managed 193 against Cardinia, a score likely under par, but positively the Maroons were able to bat out their 80 overs.
Nine members of the 11 reached double figures but just two managed to pass 20, with Trishane De Silva doing damage late in his opening spell before the slower bowlers controlled the game.
The first round of two-day cricket presented as one which would separate the best from the rest.
Positively, the competition had four compelling matchups which could open the table up.
