By Jonty Ralphsmith
Keysborough will meet Silverton in the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 3 grand final this weekend after both recorded comprehensive semi-final victories.
Fittingly, after so many years of carrying great expectation for the Knights, it was all-rounder Christo Otto who led his team to victory over Berwick Springs.
Otto contributed a valuable 49 in Keysborough’s 266 and took 6/54 off 26 overs in the Berwick Springs total of 209 to set up the Knights’ 57-run win.
Crucially, Keysborough was able to see off the new ball, with Chanaka Kahandawala’s 26 off 20 immediately putting the Titans on the back foot, while opening partner Jackson O’Brien’s 74 anchored the first part of the innings.
Otto played a skipper’s knock at four, while several teammates contributed handy cameos in the middle order against a bowling attack led by Shalika Karunanayake (2/50).
Berwick Springs got off to a flyer on day two, with five of star-opener Jackson Marie’s first 12 balls deposited to or over the boundary.
A 73-run opening stand between Marie and the more circumspect Riley Hillman (20) set the match up tantalisingly, but both were dismissed in quick succession.
Lachie Marie (23) and Archit Vora (27) also got starts, but Karunanayake (70) was the only Titans batter to pass 50.
Karunanayake ultimately ran out of partners, and was the 10th wicket dismissed as he was forced to try and change the momentum against a Keysborough bowling battery that was firing.
At Springvale Reserve, Silverton batted first against Fountain Gate and set the game up with an imposing score of 306 to win by 233 runs against arguably the deepest bowling attack in the league.
Frequently reliant on their bowling attack to restrict scoring and break through, the Gators’ inability to take quick wickets prevented them from putting significant pressure on the Bakers.
Only once did Silverton lose two wickets within 30 runs.
Captain Robert North scored his first half century since round one, with his experience coming to the fore as he saw off some dangerous spells and was willing to bide his time in a patient 73.
While he was the only batter to pass 50, Anmol Zakhmi (26), Rohit Sandhu (17), Charith Anthony (36), Varinder Virk (32), Kalapu Gamage (25), Harsha Dampahalage (35) and Harkanwal Singh (40 not out) all scored between 17 and 40.
It was a fine showcase of batting depth against a side which has frequently bowled well in partnerships throughout the season.
Spinner Surya Pratap capped off a fine season for the Gators with 4/102.
The Gators lost their first wicket in the second over of day two, courtesy of a rip-snorting Dylan Hayes (1/18) delivery and quickly fell into a deep hole, with just three batters facing more than 20 balls.
Singh led the bowling attack with 3/11 and Virk took 3/14 as the Gators were trounced for 73 inside 36 overs.
The decider will be played at Dandenong West’s Greaves Reserve across this weekend.
Keysborough will be seeking to return to Turf 2 after its relegation last season, while a jump for Silverton would represent a massive rise, having missed the top four last season.
The Knights recruited well in the off-season, with all-rounder Kahandawala providing firepower with the bat at the top of the order as the competition leading runscorer this season.
It has eased the pressure on Otto, who is also in the competition’s top-five run scorers, and the pair shape as key wickets for Silverton to nab early, while incumbent James Wright has lead an even bowling line-up.
In between some impressive performances, though, Keysborough have at times shown a propensity to lose quick wickets.
They were bowled out for 84 against Lynbrook in round two; lost 7/11 against Fountain Gate in round six and were skittled for 88 against Narre North in round 10, highlighting the opportunity Silverton will have with the ball.
Singh and Hayes will be looking for early breakthroughs, while Gamage took five wickets in the most recent fixture against Keysborough, and Virk is a proven performer in a reasonably new-look Silverton side in 2024-25, while the top-order will look to bat around North.
The Bakers will hit the match confidently, given how much time in the middle most of the batters got in the semi-final, but they will be coming up against a side which they lost to in both their home and away meetings.
Keysborough won by 10 runs in round 12, crucially relying on less heralded players to do a lot of the heavy lifting, undoubtedly giving the squad confidence in its ability to perform against the best.
That tight match followed a 60-run Knights win in the round five clash between the teams.
