A highly-entertaining innings at Harry Blackman Oval boosted Pakenham Upper/Toomuc to a 2-0 start in the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) A Grade competition.
The Yabbies won the toss and opted to take to the crease against Emerald, and immediately it was clear they wanted to bat fast and aggressively.
Cameos from openers Prabath Kobbekaduwa (21) and Mitch Mibus (29) got the innings rolling, but wickets in quick succession after the pair were dismissed left the hosts at 5/94.
However, skipper John Langley and former skipper Brian Kulasena then got into gear, smashing their way to a massive partnership that put Pakenham Upper/Toomuc back on top.
Langley hit the ball to all ends of the park, hitting 52 off 36 balls while Kulasena ended agonisingly short of a half-ton of his own, falling on 49 after also facing 36 deliveries.
Raja Sohail stepped up and blasted five boundaries before being trapped in front and the Yabbies finished their innings all out for 246.
The hosts batted at a run rate of just under 6.2, hitting 16 fours and 12 sixes in the innings.
Lawson Cocks and Trent Rolfs both took three wickets for the Bombers.
The visitors got off to a rocky start in the chase, as Michael Nell (15) was the only one in double figures from the first five bats, stranding Emerald at 5/36.
But a strong partnership of Rolfs (41) and Bodie Hughes (32) steadied the ship until Rolfs was caught, leaving the Bombers at 6/108.
Jordan Robinson (9) didn’t last long until Cocks provided another late-order stand.
Cocks got cooking and reached 42 off 30 before he was stumped with the last ball of the innings as Emerald was short and concluded the match 9/173; marking a 73-run victory for the Yabbies.
“I was trying to get my players to play with a bit of freedom,” Pakenham Upper/Toomuc captain Langley said.
“We batted free, batted positive, there wasn’t much more to it.
“I thought we were set up well by our openers PK and Mitch.
“They set the tone and got us off to a good start especially in the first 10 overs.
“We consolidated through the middle which allowed Brian and I to get going as the pressure was off by that point.
“I thought the team dynamic was pretty good.”
The Yabbies bowled well to keep the visitors to 9/173, making the pursuit difficult with tidy bowling and pressure with the ball.
This was set up with seven Pakenham Upper/Toomuc bowlers claiming a pole, including Ben McLeod with 3/27 off eight overs.
“I thought in the first 20 we bowled really well, we got wickets at a pretty consistent rate,” Langley said.
“We were able to get rid of their top order relatively quickly but I think we let the foot off a little bit in the back 20.
“We’ve made a good start, I think we’ve still got a lot of work to do in terms of getting the team gelling a bit with some new guys, especially in the batting lineup.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do in keeping the pressure on for the full innings but I think we’re well on our way to becoming a pretty good side in the A Grade competition.
“We’re really excited for the test this week, we’re really looking forward to having a big test in front of us at Merinda Park.”
Nar Nar Goon survived an absolute thriller against Carlisle Park at home as the Marygoons survived by edging out the Vikings by six runs.
Things looked bleak for the hosts as they sat 9/102 in the first innings before a 10/11 partnership from Sukhpal Singh (29 not out) and Will Selleck (17 not out) guided Nar Nar Goon to 9/142.
However, again the Marygoons were on the back foot in the chase as Carlisle Park neared the target at 7/129 and skipper Jarrod Armitage was still at the crease.
But Armitage played a poor shot and was caught, before some unbelievably gritty bowling from the hosts saw them take 2/7 and squeeze out the victory.
Selleck and Qasim Ali both contributed three wickets in the attack for Nar Nar Goon.
Merinda Park moved to 2-0 with a steady triumph on the road over Clyde.
Brett Reid (71) and Ben Knowles (54) were the standouts for the Cougars in the first innings, leading the hosts to post 9/199 but brilliant contributions across the board from the Cobras snagged the 12 points.
Hayden Cleland (29), Jordan King (14), Cambell Bryan (39), Ashley Slater (49 not out) and Leigh Paterson (63 not out) got Merinda Park across the line at 3/200.
Pakenham nabbed its first win of the campaign by bowling beautifully against Kooweerup.
The Lions had the Demons all out for 115 despite Mathew Bright’s 50.
Sendhil Naidu, Jack Melbourne and Anthony Ponweera all took two wickets each while Jake Webster claimed figures of 3/18.
The pursuit was shaky as wickets fell but ultimately Pakenham got the job done with a score of 6/116.
More great bowling at Gunton Oval saw Tooradin roll Cardinia on its home deck and secure the scalp.
The Bulls won the toss and chose to bat but struggled to score as the Seagulls applied pressure with the ball.
Brandon Mackie (37) and Bradley Reiner (27) top scored for Cardinia with the Bulls being all out after 29 overs for 114.
Cooper Shipp’s 57 was enough to push Tooradin to victory with 5/116.
In round three, Nar Nar Goon looks to make it two in a row in a visit to Kooweerup, undefeated heavyweights Pakenham Upper/Toomuc and Merinda Park clash at Lochaven Reserve, Carlisle Park hosts Pakenham, Emerald travels to face Cardinia and Tooradin is at home against Clyde.
