By Justin Schwarze
In what could prove to be a season defining matchup; Officer stunned Pakenham Upper Toomuc on the road in round 12 of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association District competition.
Heading out to bat on day two, the hosts sat at 1/22 after the Bullants had posted a target of 181.
A slow start for the Yabbies saw Nicholas Kyval depart for a 28-ball duck, courtesy of the bowling of Dan Irvine.
Opener Danuka Thalabandaralage then patiently remained on strike, slowly chipping his way to 32 off 64 balls.
Pakenham Upper Toomuc was 2/36 after 18 overs before Devon Gabriel-Brown struck.
He claimed two wickets in four balls to completely flip the contest on its head, removing Pramod Rathnayake for just one then dismissing Thalabandaralage.
With two new batters at the crease the Yabbies were desperate to get their innings back on track.
However, skipper Brian Kulasena was bowled by Irvine the next over, also scoring just one and facing four balls.
The pressure was mounting on Pakenham Upper Toomuc, with a place in the top two potentially on the line.
Syed Shah provided some relief for the hosts, getting comfortable in the middle.
He blasted three fours and three sixes, quickly climbing his run total into the 40s.
John Langley also brought some resistance, holding out for 19.
As the Yabbies were about to surpass 100, Noah Parraga claimed the wicket of Langley.
Another pair of quick wickets basically sealed the Yabbies’ fate, as Casey Thomson didn’t register a run before he was bowled and Shah was caught out seven deliveries later.
With Shah on his way to the sheds the hosts were 8/104; still 77 runs shy of the required total.
Sohail Sadiq and Ryan Yeates formed a new partnership, trying to salvage the match.
Sadiq added 29 before he was dismissed by Irvine, and Ben McLeod became the final Yabbies bat to fall, adding a further four to the total.
Pakenham Upper Toomuc was bowled out for 141, leaving Officer as 40 run victors.
The win means the Bullants maintain their firm grasp on top spot, while Pakenham Upper Toomuc slides to third with a colossal matchup against Cranbourne Meadows coming up.
“To be honest, it was kind of like a finals match, it was both teams going as hard as they could,” Gabriel-Brown said.
“The plan was put out and the bowlers executed.”
Bowlers Irvine, Parraga and Gabriel-Brown all claimed multiple wickets, with Irvine taking four.
The bowling was very tidy, with only three extras being given away for the entire innings.
“I think we only bowled four bad balls for the whole day,” Gabriel-Brown said jokingly.
“It’s a pretty good feeling to walk out with all the boys knowing that we’re all real close, we know what we’re capable of and we expect it from each other.”
The motivation to get over the line started on the first day, as Officer was majorly boosted by the final wicket partnership of Irvine and Parraga.
The final stand saw the pair add 68 runs.
“They probably won us the game to be honest,” Gabriel-Brown said.
“For a number 10 and 11 to walk out and put on that kind of partnership, you don’t see that every day.
“It gave the bowlers confidence, as they’re full of confidence from batting, so they took it into the bowling.”
With Officer seemingly locked in for a top two spot, their chemistry is on point as the season ramps up.
Even without usual captain and star pace bowler Cooper Pursell, the Bullants marched against the then second-placed Yabbies.
“We’re a really close and tight-knit group, you can see it the way we play cricket with each other and how close we are off the field,” Gabriel-Brown noted.
Elsewhere, Cranbourne Meadows decimated Emerald’s batting order to cruise to a 210 run victory, stealing back second place in the process.
After the Bombers had all 10 wickets in hand overnight, the top order couldn’t hold together, leaving the hosts at 4/49.
From there, no Emerald batter could manage more than 34, including three ducks for the innings, and they finished at 131 after 55 overs.
Gurpreet Sandhu was excellent with the ball in hand, taking 4/41 for the Rebels.
Sandhu was supported well, with Sainyam Sharma and Onkar Uppal both managing a pair of wickets each.
The defeat puts Emerald in real danger of missing the postseason, placing them in fifth with just two rounds to go.
The final two rounds for the Bombers include a bye then a matchup with first placed Officer.
Carlisle Park leapfrogged Emerald after a dominant win over Nar Nar Goon-Maryknoll.
When play resumed on day two, the Vikings had already surpassed the first innings score of 86.
Ben Perry scored 75 en route to Carlisle Park declaring, but fell short in their hunt for an outright result as Marygoons opener James Markland dug deep to post an unbeaten half century in the second innings.
The Vikings have a massive clash with Officer this week, as they are separated with Emerald in the table by just percentage, but Carlisle Park has a game in hand.
Lang Lang had the bye in round 12.
