Tooradin’s determination and grit willed it past Cardinia in the grand final rematch in the opening round of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Premier Division.
In a battle of the heavyweights, the Seagulls did not let any ghosts of last year haunt them in their return to Gunton Oval.
Tooradin kept its bowling attack extremely tidy, restricting the Bulls on a deck that was tough to bat on.
The outfield was incredibly slow, limiting boundaries and applying pressure at the crease.
Top order bats Morteza Ali (5) Travis Welsh (5) and Matt Welsh (8) couldn’t provide much damage before a solid stand from Bradey Welsh (24) and Yohan Arumadura (25) got the innings back on track.
After Bradey Welsh was run out by a brilliant throw from Russell Lehman, Travis Wheller (10) came and went before Jacobus Hynes settled nerves and held his ground.
He provided 28 not out for the hosts and his composure was important to Cardinia seeing out the 40 overs and posting a modest but competitive score of 7/131.
The Seagulls looked well on their way to chasing the target until Cal O’Hare (10) was dismissed by Josh Grogan.
However, Josh Lownds and recruit Lahiru Jayakody added a 50-run partnership before Lownds (44) was trapped in front by Matt Welsh.
Dismissals in quick succession of Praveen Perera (1), Lehman (2), Jayakody (37) and Jack Mannix (0) saw Tooradin go from 1/88 to 6/101 and suddenly some tension was injected into the contest.
But a brave 29 not out from Tyler Evans lifted the visitors to their maiden win of the summer.
Lachlan Volpe was a standout for Cardinia, grabbing figures of 3/11 off eight overs.
“I thought we were pretty well disciplined but we probably didn’t execute perfectly,” Tooradin coach Luke Sibley said.
“We executed reasonably well bowling but there’s a little bit to work on there.
“To restrict them to the score we did, we were rapt.
“We thought 160 was par so we were pretty happy with that.
“With some new guys in the team, it was good for Russ to get a look at them and see what they can do, we’ll learn more from that.
“The bowling depth was good.
“We identified it as a really important game because we think we’ll be fighting with Cardy for similar ladder positions.
“To get the season off to a start like that, it was good.”
At Clyde Recreation Reserve, the Cougars cruised to victory over Upper Beaconsfield thanks to a deep batting effort with contributors across the board.
Skipper Trevor Bauer top scored with 81 whilst Shamil Samarasinghe also raised the bat as he posted an unbeaten 66 off 57 deliveries.
Ramneet Dhindsa provided a handy 42 and Ryan Adams made 39 not out in the middle order, helping the hosts reach 4/267.
The visitors batted out the full 40 overs but struggled to keep the pace, ending their innings at 9/149.
Dominic Evans looked impressive in his first game in Maroon, scoring 76.
Young opener Josh Westra was also productive as he posted 31.
For Clyde, Nick Shannon and Dhindsa both took three poles each.
Newly-promoted Officer was taught a lesson by Kooweerup as the Demons were uplifted by reigning league-medallist Luke McMaster’s ton.
The Bullants won the toss and elected to bowl and McMaster and Chris Bright got to work.
Bright posted 40 before he was bowled by Jack James but McMaster smashed 17 fours on his way to raising the bat.
When he was dismissed for 101, Kooweerup were at 5/187.
Ayden Mills (22), Adam McMaster (20) and Brannon Harrison (25 not out) all rounded out the innings well as the Demons brought up 6/236.
Opener Bill Carlyle made a half century for the hosts but wickets began to fall around him, leaving Officer well short.
The Bullants were knocked over for 101, giving Kooweerup the 135-run triumph.
Skipper Charith Keerthisinghe and Shiran Rathnayake both bagged three-wicket hauls.
In round two, Tooradin hosts Pakenham, Clyde visits Kooweerup, Officer welcomes Cardinia to Rob Porter Reserve and Devon Meadows travels to face Upper Beaconsfield.
