By Gavin Staindl
IT WAS a productive day for the Pakenham seniors as three of its four sides recorded wins in the West Gippsland Cricket Association one-dayers on Saturday.
While the first XI edged their way to an emphatic win over Cardinia, the Lions’ B-grade and F-grade sides continued their push towards finals with wins over Emerald and Gembrook respectively.
In the absence of captain Michael McLaren, the 10-men Pakenham B-grade side rallied behind junior Rylan Dunn (3/17) as the Lions restricted Emerald to 8/101 at Chandler Reserve.
But it was Steve Dillon who impressed with the bat, registering 49 before playing a ‘ramp’ shot that found its way to the hands of a fielder.
Despite running out fill-in captain Troy Lehman for five runs, Dillon was at his explosive best hitting six boundaries including back-to-back sixes.
But as can happen to any youngster, the 17-year-old said he was “bored” after not making a run in four overs and decided some entertainment was in order.
After playing a reverse sweep, Dillon opted for the ramp shot made famous by Twenty20 sloggers and holed out one run short of a half century.
Luckily for Dillon, his slip-up didn’t cost his side as the middle order picked up the remaining runs needed for the win.
In F-grade, Neil Tomkins hit a career high 71 not out as Pakenham produced a seven-wicket victory over Gembrook in one of the week’s best chases.
Although he suffered the same fate as Dillon, Gembrook’s Andrew Williams, who was also caught on 49, led the Brookers to what appeared to be a match-winning total of 6/161.
But a resilient fight back by Tonkin and the Lions top order secured the unlikely win with three overs remaining to move Pakenham into the top four for the first time this season.
However, Pakenham’s E-grade side put in its worst performance of the season, yet only went down to Beaconsfield by two wickets at O’Neill Road Sports Ground.
After making only 66, the Lions had their opposition at 7/53 and nearly snatched a win from the Tigers’ grasp but a steadying hand by Beacy’s Brent Andrews (23) and Wayne Holden (13 not out) helped the Tigers avoid any embarrassment.
Keeping with theme of unlucky number 49, Pakenham Upper/Toomuc’s Andrew Hilder (49 not out) narrowly missed out on a half-century after scoring the winning runs and ending the day’s play as the Yabbies passed Beaconsfield’s total with eight wickets to spare.
Hilder top scored for the Yabbies while teammate John Miller topped off a good day, claiming 4/17 with the ball before scoring 34 runs with the bat.
Down the road, the Officer second XI was having just as much trouble handling Kooweerup as their counterparts in the Premier division.
While the Officer bowlers, led by Brent Pullen (4/17), managed to contain Kooweerup’s offence, they could not respond with the bat as the Demons’ Luke McMaster (3/11) and Daniel Hawken (2/11) bowled Officer out for 65 – a 30-run win.
A blistering opening-wicket partnership by two B-grade openers has given Merinda Park its most convincing win of the season.
Chasing a respectable 5/156, Matthew Grayson (54) and Daniel McCalman (46) combined for a 105 first-wicket stand that set the foundations of an exciting chase.
After losing 6/28, another McCalman, this time Michael (18 not out), came to Merinda Park’s rescue as he and Adrian Slater (nine not out) added the winning runs.
In C-grade it was the return, albeit a tardy return, of well-known Catani icon Owen Fitzpatrick that kept his side in with a fighting chance against Cardinia at Catani’s second oval.
After calling ahead on Saturday to inform the dressing room that he would be late to his first game for the season, Fitzpatrick finally arrived around 3pm with his side in strife at 7/74.
Not fussed about warming up, the former A-grade premiership player strolled to the crease where he belted an unbeaten 90 that included eight sixes and one lost ball.
He had help, however, with Catani president Bruce McFarlane holding down the other end.
Despite making one not out, McFarlane is happy to tell anyone who will listen that he played a pivotal part in an unbeaten 52-run last-wicket stand.
The fireworks continued in the latter stages of the day as Cardinia raced past the 9/192 target with seven wickets and more than 10 overs to spare.
The same can be said of Tooradin who didn’t have long to wait before knocking off Beaconsfield by four wickets at Rutter Park Recreation Reserve.
After restraining the Tigers for 7/117, the Seagulls, behind Adam Richmond’s 47, cruised past the target within 30 overs.
Lyndhurst Vikings caused the shock of the round upsetting Pakenham Upper/Toomuc by 58 runs at Lakeside Oval.
Lyndhurst put up an impressive 5/131 but for the team that walloped Cardinia two weeks earlier, it was a gettable total.
But a stunning collapse, spurred by Vikings’ Chris Slater (3/20), left the 10-man Yabby team stranded at 9/73.
It didn’t look good for Cranbourne Meadows from the outset and by the end of the day’s play it had only become worse as they were handed a 102-run thumping by Clyde at Lawson Poole Reserve.
Clyde’s Stuart Williams (34) and Ian Knox (22) combined for a 56-run opening partnership before Patrick Lawson (46*) helped amass an overwhelming total of 5/148.
None of the 11 Cranbourne batters managed to reach double figures as the Rebels were bowled out for 46.
Despite a valiant effort, the nine-man Upper Beaconsfield D-grade side could not remove the final Lang Lang batter required to record its first win.
Upper Beaconsfield posted a competitive 72 and after Shannon Bergman (4/11) removed Cailem Jenkins with the score at 8/47 the Maroons were odds-on to take home the 12 points.
But an invaluable ninth-wicket partnership of 15 between Wayne Atta (17*) and Clint Adderley (17) was enough to remove any chance of an upset at Bendigo Bank Oval.
A stunning performance from the Beaconsfield lower order has edged the Tigers to a three-wicket win over Emerald at Akoonah Park.
The Bombers’ Andrew Morris (62 not out) led Emerald to a total of 5/130 and at 4/41 the nine-man Beaconsfield outfit appeared destined for its first loss of the year.
But with the help of all five of the lower order batters, Beaconsfield added 90 runs and kept its winning streak alive.
Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll pulled off a remarkable six-run victory over Merinda Park at Lyndhurst Secondary College.
The Goon’s total of 8/144 looked under threat as the day’s leading run scorer, Mark Dipilla (42), took Merinda Park’s score past 120 with four wickets in hand.
But a stingy bowling display, highlighted by the Goon’s Darren Smith (3/25), removed the final four wickets with three balls left in the day.
Led by a half-century by Ross Baker, St Francis Xavier proved too strong for Nyora, winning their second game of the year by 60 runs at St Francis Xavier.
In the E-grade matches, Emerald snuck past Clyde’s total of 8/137 with two wickets in the bag while Pakenham Upper/Toomuc made it loud and clear they are the team to beat with a 37-run win over Kooweerup at Kooweerup High School.
Tooradin demonstrated why they are E-grade’s highest-scoring team with a seven-wicket win over Officer at Officer Recreation Reserve.
Led by Peter O’Hare (70), the Gulls swooped past the Bullants score of 9/116 with nine overs remaining.
In F-grade, Merinda Park made little work of Nar Nar Goon’s first innings total of 68 and rolled to a four-wicket victory at Maryknoll Recreation Reserve.
In the final F-grade matches, Devon Meadows’ Nathan Worstelling’s 6/15 helped the Panthers beat Officer by 42 runs at Junction Village Reserve while Clyde only needed the one wicket as Mark Coe’s half-century and Justin Gagalowicz five-wicket haul did the talking against Beaconsfield at Hillcrest Christian College.
