Reigning premier Cardinia (3/162) is fully switched on and will take a power of beating for the 2025/26 CCCA Premier Division title after making it eight straight wins with a dominant display against Kooweerup (9/158).
The Bulls were better in every aspect of the game at Gunton Oval; pulling the plug on the Demons, who have now won just two of their last six outings.
A power outage turned the lights off for the Bulls on Saturday, but it failed to dim their brightest stars who generated impetus from the outset.
Bowling first, the Bulls were immediately on top after co-captain Travis Wheller (3/25) had Luke McMaster (2) trapped in front for a couple.
Wheller had the biggest impact in the early stages of this contest, also removing Ayden Mills (29) and Shiran Rathnayake (13) to leave the Demons in trouble at 3/54.
A promising 50-run partnership between opener Mitch Davey (32) and number-five Chris Bright (23) ignited renewed hope for the Dees, before Davey smacked one straight to Wheller at cover and called Bright through for a single.
Davey timed his shot well and thought the ball had broken through Wheller’s grasp; but cleverly stopped it in its tracks…leaving it in close proximity.
Non-striker Bright, one of the most dangerous players in the CCCA, gave up half way down the pitch…stranded…as Bulls’ wicketkeeper Bradey Welsh flicked off the bails with glee.
Bright was showing signs of explosion; the Bulls timing his exit perfectly.
Davey was next to go, stumped by Welsh after a beautifully delivered wrong’un from Bulls’ skipper Lachlan Volpe (2/48), who copped some tap, but also delivered some unplayable deliveries from his eight overs at the crease.
Matt Welsh (3/20) then took over the wicket-taking piece for the Bulls, removing Jess Mathers (13) and Rob Maskiell (0) in quick succession, before Volpe ended the prospects of Brannon Harrison (24).
The Demons had posted a competitive score, particularly at a slow Gunton, but the feeling as they ripped off the pads was that the Bulls were clearly on top.
That gut feeling quickly became a harsh reality for the Demons, with openers Bradey Welsh (63) and Morteza Ali (23) taking control of the game with a flying start.
Ali was brutal on anything loose, while Welsh looked in ominous form; cracking five boundaries with his timing a particular highlight.
Spinner Rathnayake (1/20) was quickly introduced to reduce a rocketing run-rate; but the Bulls were in command at 1/93 after 20.
Ali had been dismissed, while number-three Travis Welsh (31) was also back in the sheds; limping from the ground before the break after pulling up short from a run.
The Bulls then cruised to victory in impressive style, with Wheller (23 not out) and Yohan Arumadura (11 not out) reaching the target with 25 balls to spare.
This was basically a non-contest from very early in the piece; the Bulls looking every inch a three-game better team that the current ladder might indicate.
They looked organised and well drilled, with the three Welsh boys obviously enjoying their cricket and in some of the best form of their careers.
The Bulls will finish top two…lock that in right now…while Kooweerup will need to lift its standards if it is to be a genuine contender this season.
The Demons have now played ladder-leaders Cardinia and Tooradin twice, ending with a 1-3 record; and should still make finals comfortably with four of their last five games against the bottom-four teams on the ladder.
At best, they may take a five-game winning streak into finals; but doubts will still remain whether they can match it with the best.
The Demons head home to face Upper Beaconsfield this week; while Cardinia stays at Gunton and welcomes Clyde.
Hopefully with the power switched on and some cold beer in the fridge!
Pakenham (175) is the proud owner of the second-longest current winning streak, making it four straight wins after defending well against Upper Beaconsfield (9/136) at Toomuc Reserve.
The Lions were nothing flash before tea with Imesh Jayasekara (47) and teenager Sendhil Naidu (47) taking equal top billing, against a Maroons’ attack led by Will Haines (3/26), AJ Claxton (2/30) and Tyler Astle (2/32).
The Lions saved most of their best work until after the dinner break; ending two promising partnerships to remain right on top.
Haines (28), Mitch Summers (25) and the free-flowing Taylor Joyce (24) looked dangerous for the Maroons at times, but Lions’ skipper Jack Anning had all the answers.
The future of the Lions looks bright, with 18-year-old Naidu (2/18) capping off a complete all-round performance with a fine spell of bowling, while leggie Jordan Seers (2/16) and medium pacer James Close (2/24) took late responsibility…with both in their early twenties.
The Lions make the short trip to Rob Porter Reserve this week; looking to make it five straight against Officer.
A pulse is still well-and-truly beating for Clyde (9/236) after the Cougars held on in a nail-biting finish against Devon Meadows (8/231) in front of a huge crowd on Saturday.
The Cougars rescheduled the game until 3pm to cater for their Past Players and Pink Stumps Day, that ran simultaneously and created a great vibe around the club.
With A and C Grade beginning at 11am, their early finish ensured that the Cougars home ground was pumping as the game came down to the wire under lights.
The Panthers put up a brave run-chase with Lucas Ligt (33), Ethan Wood (29) and Nathan Worsteling (31) taking care of business in the top order.
Chris Cleef (51) and Ben Marsh (41) then took the game deep, the Panthers 4/205 after 36 overs; needing an achievable 32 to win from the final four overs with six wickets in hand.
Ryan Adams (1/29) then stood up for the Cougars, bowling Cleef with a beautiful yorker…the Panthers 5/209 after just four runs were scored from over 37.
Nick Shannon (3/60) then backed up the over of Adams with another decisive set, bowling Marsh with a full-pitched delivery before following through to run out Zac Shepherd (1) at the strikers’ end.
The Panthers had lost 2/3 in over 38; and 3/7 across two overs, now requiring a more difficult 25 runs to win with just two overs remaining in the contest.
Nine runs came from over 39; leaving the Panthers at 7/221…needing 15 runs to tie and 16 left to win.
Things tightened significantly after a Shannon ‘full-toss’ no-ball was edged to the third-man boundary; the Panthers scoring five runs to make it 7/226…with six balls still to rub!
Shannon then held his nerve; having Mitch Kleinig (1) caught by skipper Trevor Bauer at mid-off in the final over that only went for a further five runs.
The Panthers needed six runs to tie from the final ball of the match; with a Lucas Carroll (19 not out) single leaving the Panthers five runs short of a result.
Earlier in the day, Marsh took 4/23 and Ligt 2/38 as a steady stream of Cougars set up their winning total.
Yashan Gunasinghage (38) and Ramneet Dhindsa (34) both cracked into the thirties, while contributions from Bauer (27), Kane Avard (26), Shamil Samarasinghe (26) and Shannon (21 not out) would prove vital as the afternoon wore on.
The Cougars and Panthers face daunting trips this week; the Cougars to Cardinia and the Panthers to a dominant Tooradin (5/220), who took care of business against Officer (8/163).
Russ Lehman (73) regained some of his former batting magic for the Gulls, setting up an imposing total alongside league-leading run-scorer Lahiru Jayakody (56).
The pair put on 72 for the third wicket; Jayakody notching his fourth half-century for the season to go with his solitary ton to take him to 458 runs.
Ash Smith (46) top-scored for the Bullants in reply, while Sam McDavitt (27), Cooper Pursell (25) and Billy Carlyle (22) made the Seagulls work hard for their scalps.
Josh Lownds (3/28) was best for the Gulls and sits alongside Cardinia’s Matt Welsh as the only two all-rounders to be top-10 in both batting and bowling this season.
Lownds has made 384 runs and taken 13 wickets, while Welsh has 313 runs and 19 wickets on the board.
Premier Fixture R10 (One Day): Tooradin (2) v Devon Meadows (7), Cardinia (1) v Clyde (5), Officer (8) v Pakenham (4), Kooweerup (3) v Upper Beaconsfield (6).
