By Jonty Ralphsmith
A GRADE
A tense tie between Cranbourne Meadows and Tooradin was the zenith of CCCA lower grades action in the last game before Christmas.
It’s one Tooradin felt it let slip, while the Rebels kept nagging and came up clutch in the dying stages.
Chasing 194, Tooradin was ahead of the required rate for much of the chase, as Luke Adams and Bailey Lownds batted with positive intent.
But a procession of quiet overs late in the day saw the required rate swell to eight for the last two overs, with the Seagulls already sitting eight down.
Plagued by an inability to lay bat on ball off medium pacers Gurpreet Sandhu in the penultimate over, and Jaskaran Singh at the death, the lower-order batters scored just one of the required five runs off the first three balls of the thrilling final over.
Three runs off the next two balls built the game towards a climax with the scores tied with a ball to go.
Luke Townsend was unable to lay bat on ball, the keeper, standing back to prevent a potential ricochet alluding him, able to effect a simple run out of Michael Ralph, who scored an important 29 off 28.
Gurpreet Singh was the pick of the Rebels bowlers, keeping it quiet upfront and taking two wickets which upped the required run rate early in a high-scoring game.
As well as his half century, Lownds was the pick of the Gulls bowlers with 1/25 off eight, with Jaskaran Singh playing an important and brisk middle-order knock.
Cardinia’s match at Kooweerup was another close one, with the visitors holding on for a five-run victory.
Jye Shaw-Remy bowled his team home, taking the last three wickets for just 19 runs to catch the Demons short after Suchintha Mudiyanselage’s 58 off 41 had them in a formidable position early.
Elsewhere in A Grade, Harkamal Singh Khokar’s 78 off 84 balls helped Merinda Park set 7/254, which was 89 runs too strong for Devon Meadows despite a skipper’s knock from Mick Floyd.
Pakenham’s Nicholas Calder carted seven sixes in a 79-ball 109 against Clyde, which propelled Pakenham to 7/251 in a 117-run win over Clyde.
B GRADE
Ladder-leading Officer showed its supremacy in B Grade by bowling Pakenham out for just 93, with six bowlers taking wickets before a comfortable chase inside 23 overs.
Tooradin consolidated its grip on second spot, keeping Upper Beaconsfield to 7/132 before a David Freeman half-century helped the Gulls chase the score inside 34 overs.
Emerald let a golden opportunity slip, losing its last five wickets for just one chasing fourth-placed Melbourne Sixers 7/187.
Ian Crosher continued his strong season, combining with Dylan Roche in a 111-run second-wicket stand, which put the Bombers in a solid position, with the win within touching distance not long thereafter.
But Pramuditha Pathiraja and Isuru Umesh combined to take quick wickets as the hosts stole it at the death.
Lower-order batter Shayne Larner’s nerveless unbeaten 28 helped Carlisle Park over the line against Clyde by two wicket.
C GRADE
Devon Meadows sneaked home by one run in a thrilling conclusion to the day’s cricket in C Grade.
Defending a modest 133 away against Kooweerup, each of the Demons’ top three got starts which put them in the box seat to chase down the total.
A flurry of wickets got the Panthers back in the game before Kynen Dore-Wilson stabilised for the hosts with a middle-order hand of 36 in the see-sawing affair.
Devon’s Ayden Neil took two late wickets to wrap it up in a tense 40th over of the run chase.
At Officer, Jonathon Rewell and Noah Williams bowled Pakenham Upper Toomuc to a 42-run win to solidify a top-two position.
A four-wicket haul to Glen Hoskin helped Nar Nar Goon Maryknoll defend 8/127 against Merinda Park, while the all-round effort of Nadeera Fernando was important in Lang Lang’s win over Cardinia.
D GRADE
A Leigh Smith century helped Merinda Park inflict Melbourne Sixers’ first-ever loss in D Grade in a high-scoring one day match at Tony Way Recreation Reserve.
Smith hit 118 as the Cobras posted 5/257 before keeping the Sixers to 9/211 in reply.
The run-fest was a stark comparison to the remainder of the weekend, as Emerald defended 106 against Tooradin, and Officer chased Clyde’s 61.
Shane White took 5/27 for Officer in a horror batting display from the Cougars.
Pakenham, meanwhile, thrashed Pakenham Upper Toomuc by 96 runs, the Lions keeping the Yabbies to 9/128; chasing 224.
E GRADE
Officer Gold has broken through for its first win of the E Grade season, defeating Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll by 41 runs.
Their win was the only match with a semblance of balance in round seven, with the remaining four seeing victories by big margins.
Kerala Strikers’ and Officer Green’s margins of victory both eclipsed 100 runs, against Cardinia and Merinda Park respectively.
Davis Joseph took 5/17 for the Strikers to decimate Cardinia’s top order.
Pakenham and Devon Meadows, meanwhile, reached their targets with ease, losing one and two wickets respectively in their wins over Pakenham Upper Toomuc (Pakenham) and Kooweerup (Devon Meadows).
