By Jonty Ralphsmith
Talk about a day out.
Keysborough’s Yohan Arumadura decided Saturday was his day in DDCA Turf 2, scoring a blistering 169 off 132 before getting five wickets and two catches to steer his side to an upset 135-run victory over Narre Warren.
Arumadura capitalised on captain Christo Otto’s decision to bat first, opening up with Jonathan Mohamed before a 94-run stand with Jacob Hennigan.
He crunched 22 fours and two sixes, dismissed in the final over once he had helped his team to a score of 5/280.
“He went ballistic,” said president Daniel McConville, who played in the game.
“He was 80 off 88 balls and as soon as he got over 100, all the shots came out, ramps, reverse sweeps, he literally took the piss out of the bowling lineup to be honest!”
After starting the season in the middle-order, he looked dangerous last week at the top but was unable to go on with it, but his knock this week was chance-less as he took the long handle.
Through the innings, the centurion pulled fast bowlers, hit the gaps in front of square, and got down on one knee against the spinners in a masterful display of power, skill execution and precision.
“It was incredible to watch,” McConville added.
“I have been at the club for six years and it would be the best innings I have seen – I’d nearly put it as the best innings I have seen in my whole cricket career and I’ve played for nearly 20 years.
“The bowlers literally had no idea what to bowl to him because anywhere they were bowling, he was hitting them everywhere.”
With the ball, the juxtaposition of his figures, fellow tweaker Otto underlined how well he bowled.
While Otto went at almost eight runs per over, opening the bowling for a four over spell, Arumadura went at less than a run a ball when the Narre batters were trying to slog to get towards the mammoth total.
The offie got a wicket in his first over, that of Cameron Dinger who looked in good knick in making a brisk 32.
Arumadura claimed four more scalps, including two ‘bowled’ dismissals which completely bamboozled the batters, to finish with figures of 5/39 off his seven overs.
The visitors went at an excellent run-rate in pursuit, but the need to slog led to a consistent loss of wickets, preventing them mounting a charge for victory, dismissed for 145 inside 23 overs.
The result is a positive one for Keysborough, as it is the second consecutive week they have gone at better than four runs per over throughout the innings without substantial contribution from star batter Otto.
That Narre Warren loss opens up a tantalising clash this week with Cranbourne.
Narre Warren will be keen to bounce back, having been relegated into turf two this season, while powerhouse Cranbourne is in need of a win to steady its season after two consecutive losses.
Cranbourne was unable to form a partnership that would be the backbone of the innings as plenty of players got starts without being able to go on with it.
Promoted to the top of the order, Justin Dickinson was dismissed early bringing last week’s hero Harsaroup Singh to the crease.
Singh hit six boundaries, including an elegant upper cut which raced across a lightning outfield, but struggled to turn the strike over outside of his big hits, dismissed for 33 just before drinks.
Dimuthu Weerashinghe’s bowling was a highlight for Lyndale, the left-arm quick bowling three consecutive maidens upfront, finishing with figures of 1/16 off seven overs.
Matt Collett adjusted well to his new number-six position in the batting order with a well-made 37 before Jakeb Thomas hit two big sixes late to help Cranbourne set a target of 192.
Himesh Galhenage Don’s 77 for Lyndale set up the chase and despite three late wickets to Harsaroup Singh, which made things tense late in the day, Lyndale held on for a two-wicket victory with 14 balls to spare.
A late collapse from Parkfield left them about 30 runs short against Heinz Southern Districts (HSD).
It came after Dishan Malalasekera scored his second straight 50, this week one where he pounced on loose balls more freely, hitting seven boundaries, en route to 56.
The home side lost their last five wickets for just 15 runs, three of those being run-outs including that of Roshane Cooray by Craig Hookey, who dived to stop a well struck flick through midwicket, then threw the stumps down on his stomach.
Parkfield kept nagging HSD in the run-chase, continually claiming wickets just as it looked like the visitors had taken control, before two big straight sixes late to Jason Ward essentially got HSD over the line.
Kevin Seth was the anchor of the innings, absorbing 93 balls in scoring his 54, while Triyan De Silva made a less convincing 45, living dangerously before being caught on the crease swiping across the line to tweaker Nick Jeffrey, who was the pick of Parkfield’s attack.
At Doveton, Beaconsfield opening pair Mark Cooper (70) and Tyler Clark (104) essentially batted the home side out of the game, putting on 162 runs before Ryan Hendy claimed the first wicket.
Beaconsfield started slowly, assessing the wicket and combatting a thick and soft outfield, before catching up the run-rate once the openers were set.
“It was a lot of hard work for a long time, we both had to work through moments we weren’t going so well, and Tyler was able to do that and continue on,” said skipper Cooper.
Once he got set, Clark started to get inventive, playing several ramps, something Cooper is seeing come into his game.
“It’s evolving – a couple of years ago he was technically good and hard to get out, and then was challenged to expand his game when he was in and take over the game once he was the in batter – he really showed that growth on Saturday,” Cooper added.
In pursuit of 4/212, Doveton was never in the contest, bundled for 82, with Cal Tout the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2/9 off his seven overs.
