By Justin Schwarze
Pakenham Upper Toomuc has applied significant ladder pressure in round 11 of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association District competition.
The Yabbies handled business against Carlisle Park at Harry Blackman Oval on Saturday, which now places them in second position.
The Vikings won the toss and sent in Pakenham Upper Toomuc to bat.
Opener Prabath Kobbekaduwa dug deep during his time at the crease, fighting his way to 77 off 100 balls.
However, other Yabbies batters struggled to support him, as no other player managed more than 31.
Adam Hollingworth made quick work of the middle order, taking 4/29 in his eight overs bowled, keeping the score manageable for the chase.
The hosts were 7/148 when Kobbekaduwa finally fell, and then the tail end of Ben McLeod, Ryan Mibus and Devin Wilke added a very handy 28 to the final total.
The final scoreline for the first innings read Pakenham Upper Toomuc all out for 176.
Nerves started to kick in for Carlisle Park when opener Ethan de Vries was removed by Raja Sadiq in the very first over.
A massive six from David Nutting gave the visitors some momentum, delaying the game by sending the ball into the bushes at the back of the oval.
However, Pakenham Upper Toomuc responded quickly, with Sadiq claiming his second victim, Ben Perry, the very next ball.
Nutting continued his quick hitting at the crease, reaching 44 off 43 balls before he was caught off the bowling of McLeod.
This caused a meltdown for Carlisle Park, as a flurry of wickets led to them losing their next five batters for just 14 runs.
Hollingworth and Jaan Balasuriya were brave at the very end of the order, with Hollingworth posting 25 and Balasuriya bringing up 31, but Syed Shah claimed the final wicket, leaving the visiting side 42 runs short.
McLeod took 5/26 for the Yabbies.
With Cranbourne Meadows going down to Nar Nar Goon-Maryknoll, the Yabbies have now leapt into second place.
“We’ve got momentum and a streak going,” Pakenham Upper Toomuc captain Brian Kulasena said.
The Yabbies will host the Bullants in a key top of the table clash in round 12, as the competition moves to two day matches.
The Yabbies have a home semi-final in sight, and have a real chance of finishing in first with a win this week.
“We want to play positive, aggressive cricket, regardless of it being a one-dayer or a two-dayer,” Kulasena stated.
“We’ve got a bit of everything in our side.
“Our batters have really fired, our top order has been vital all throughout the year and they’ve all contributed to our wins.
“Then, we’ve got probably the best opening bowling pair in the league, if one of the bowlers doesn’t fire the other one will.
“We’ve got two blokes who’ve taken more than 20 wickets this season, so it’s sensational to have that kind of quality in our side.”
For Carlisle Park, there is now a lot of pressure to get results in the final three rounds.
With Emerald claiming victory over Lang Lang, the Vikings now sit outside the four, but they have a game in hand.
The Bombers were unbelievably clutch to jump into the last finals spot, getting the job done by just two runs.
At Chandler Oval, the hosts took to the crease first and posted 8/205.
Despite being dominant with the bat all season long, Oshadha Ariyadasa showed off his elite versatility, claiming four poles for the Tigers.
With the score at 3/46, Tim Miller was bowled by Jack Raukola, bringing in skipper Ariyadasa in exceptional form.
In what was a foreshadowing of the ending, Clinton Marsh was able to claim the massive wicket of Ariyadasa for just two runs.
Lang Lang still looked primed to chase the target, led by a half century from Theekshana Hettiarachchi.
Damian Quinlan was also composed for the visitors, grinding his way to 65.
Quinlan and Hettiarachchi guided Lang Lang to what seemed like was going to be a comfortable victory, before Marsh turned the game on its head.
He bowled Quinlan in the 36th over, but the Tigers still felt comfortable, needing just five runs with two wickets in hand.
Lawson Cooks kept his bowling tidy to concede just one run the following over, before the ball was tossed back to Marsh.
Lang Lang still needed only four runs for victory, but Marsh had other ideas.
The Bombers’ veteran bowled Hettiarachchi on the second ball of the over, then after conceding a single, knocked over the stumps again on Lucas Halden, as the Tigers lost their tenth wicket just two runs shy of the total.
Marsh finished with figures of 4/37.
Elsewhere, a beautiful batting display from Nar Nar Goon-Maryknoll was enough for an upset victory away at Cranbourne Meadows.
A sublime ton for Liam Hill paired with 51 not out from Kuwarjeet Singh helped the visitors to a score of 6/222.
Jarratt Eastburn then took 4/34 off seven overs bowled and Abhi Sharma and Noah Hall added two scalps each to bolster their defence.
Cranbourne Meadows was bowled out for 176, a result which sees them drop to third place on the ladder.
Officer had the bye in round 11.
The competition has three rounds left as the format now shifts to two day matches for the remainder of the season.
