By Marcus Uhe
360 runs.
That’s a great score in one-day cricket, and a preposterous margin in any form of the game.
But it’s exactly what the white-hot Devon Meadows Panthers did on Saturday in an emphatic thumping of Lang Lang, the biggest margin of runs in CCCA District cricket this year.
Tasked with a mountain to climb, Lang Lang lost openers Dale Cranston and Shamil Samarasinghe to Lucas Ligt in the first eight overs, and failed to recover.
Captain Jeshan Pius offered the most resistance, with 35 off 89, but it was all in vain, as his side were dismissed in the 41st over for 115.
Ligt finished with 4/31 to cap an extraordinary two days of cricket after last week’s 190, and Curtis Cleef took 3/5 off his five overs in the rout.
In any other week, Pakenham Upper Toomuc’s 248-run win over Gembrook would likely be the lead story!
Defending another monster score of 336, the Yabbies rolled Gembrook for just 88, their third consecutive double-figure score in two-day cricket after losing outright last week.
Ben McLeod backed-up his near century with a miserly 2/20 off 12 overs, but Bailey Smith was the chief destroyer with 4-30.
From two thumpings to two nail-biters, this week had it all.
Cranbourne Meadows’ eight-run win over NNG/Maryknoll saw them leapfrog Lang Lang into third place.
Their defence of 184 started excellently, as the Marygoons found themselves in strife at 4/43.
But a rear-guard from skipper Nathan Phillips and Mansoor Ahmad revived the chances of a spectacular comeback.
The two added 69 for the fifth wicket and when Phillips departed, the runs required had fallen to 73.
Ahmad saw partners perish at the other end, and batted with the tail to inch the Marygoons closer and closer, but the last three wickets fell for just 15, as they fell eight runs short.
Amreek Mann took three wickets, including the crucial final pillar of Ahmad, to lead the Rebels’ bowling attack.
Emerald, meanwhile, was just one boundary shy of a massive upset over Upper Beaconsfield that would have vaulted them into the top four.
Chasing 200, Jayden Joyce and William Haines bowled 36 of the 72 overs and combined for seven wickets to restrict Emerald to 196.
With one week remaining, both Emerald and NNG/Maryknoll can still qualify for finals, but will need other results to fall their way.
The two are tied on 74 points, 10 behind Lang Lang in fourth, and 16 behind Cranbourne Meadows in third.
Upper Beaconsfield, too, can retake first place, but that would require bottom-placed Gembrook getting the better of Devon Meadows.
