By Marcus Uhe
So compelling was the final day of the DDCA Turf 1 competition that the battle for second place and the all-important double chance at Park Oval felt like somewhat of an afterthought on Saturday evening.
Outside of Springvale South’s grasp on first place, all seven other ladder positions were yet to be determined.
Narre South was gunning to unseat North Dandenong in fourth, Parkmore and St Mary’s were scrapping to avoid the drop-zone, and Buckley Ridges and Hallam Kalora Park were playing-off for second.
There was a final day of the English Premier League feel to the afternoon, where all games are scheduled to start and conclude at the same time to build the suspense at the business end of the season, should ladder positions present the opportunity for a last-day surprise.
That bubble, however, burst early in the day with the Lions and St Mary’s taking the field at Strathaird Reserve earlier than the regular 12.30 start.
A second-wicket partnership of 82 between Ashan Anthony and Raveen Nanayakkara was the highlight of the day for the Saints, who could only manage 200, as Jeevan Mendis made one final pitch to the umpires for Wookey medal votes with 3/45 off his 12.
Over at North Dandenong, it appeared the Maroons were feeling the pressure, while Berwick, excluded from the earlier summary, played with the freedom of a side looking to enjoy themselves and finish the year on a high, despite not qualifying for finals.
Jake Hancock batted superbly for the Bears, carrying his bat for 93 and handling David Bell’s enigmatic bowling attack comfortably as the Bears hit their highest total of the year, in 4/260.
He and Jordan Cleland worked the spinners for ones and twos, punctuated by the odd boundary, for a 69-run stand, before Damith Mapa Ralalage cashed-in at the end of the innings with a boundary-laden 62.
Where Berwick’s batters embraced the liberty, Parkmore’s were not as laissez-faire, as they fought for Turf 1 survival.
Josh Dowling spearheaded the Springvale South bowling attack to take 4/32 as the Pirates could only manage 135.
While this was going on, Jake Cronin’s excellent first hundred in Turf 1 cricket propelled Buckley Ridges to a commanding position against Hallam Kalora Park.
Cronin, who did a superb job of replacing the injured Jayson Hobbs, batted conservatively for the first portion of his innings before freeing his arms later in the piece to finish with 142 off 127.
He saved his most destructive best for Hawks skipper Jordan Hammond, hitting four consecutive sixes off the 2021/22 Wookey Medallist as Buckley made 5/273.
With one innings out of the way, all clubs knew what was required from them in the second half of the day.
Narre South wasted no time as they looked to close the percentage gap between themselves and North Dandenong.
The decision for Jeevan Mendis to open the batting did not pan-out, only scoring 14, but Jonty Jenner’s hundred filled the breach comfortably.
88 of his 107 runs came in boundaries as the Lions eclipsed the total in 21 overs.
Not that the rest of the league knew what was going on, as scores were not being updated online during the chase.
As the stakes raised later in the day, so did the millimetre count in the rain gauges, as showers began falling and forced intermittent pauses across the competition.
All batting sides felt the impact of the moisture acutely as chasing became more and more difficult.
Look no-further than Springvale South, who slipped to 6/66 against Parkmore with the fall of Jackson Sketcher’s wicket in the 19th over.
Star pair Ryan Quirk and Jordan Wyatt were both removed without disturbing the scorers as the prospect of the unlikeliest of upsets had the attention of the Turf 1 community.
When Dowling joined Yoshan Kumara at the crease at 9/95, needing another 41 for victory, Ashwin Nash’s Pirates had one hand on seventh place.
But Kumara, who had played two other crucial late-innings knocks earlier in the season, manipulated the attack on his way to a match-winning 59 not out, to guide the Bloods home, and shatter the hearts of their opponents he were consigned to Turf 2 status once again.
All the while, scores at North Dandenong were not being updated on MyCricket, keeping everyone guessing as to who would finish fourth.
Back at Park Oval, the Hawks’ chase never really got off the ground.
Hadigallage Jayaratne was lively with the new ball for Buckley Ridges, beating Jagveer Hayer for pace a number of times and removing the experienced pair of Leigh Booth and Matthew Cox during his opening spell.
Booth, who was caught in the slips cordon by Cronin, appeared unhappy with the decision, as Cronin grasped the chance low-down, prompting a short discussion in the middle before making his way back off the field.
The Hawks struggled their way to 5/88 before showers forced them from the field.
Covers came on and off on multiple occasions, but after 16.2 overs the captains shook hands, meaning points were shared, and Buckley held-on to second.
With three matches wrapped-up, all that was left was for the outcome of North Dandenong to be determined, but as cans were cracked and stubbies popped, the result was unclear.
Play was abandoned at 6.30, as light faded and showers persisted, to the relief of the Maroons, who had succumbed to 5/71 after 17 overs.
After a dramatic day, ladder positions remained as they had begun the day, drawing the home and away season to a close.
