By Ian Ferguson
CATANI edged out the more fancied Tooradin team by two runs in a high scoring thriller on Saturday.
Cardinia achieved a narrow 12run victory at Clyde, while Kooweerup compiled a mammoth 9/420 to defeat Merinda Park by 123 runs in three absorbing roundeight games.
In other Agrade games Pakenham UpperToomuc (PUT) convincingly joined the winner’s list at Pakenham, Officer survived an early scare to win handsomely against Devon Meadows, while Beaconsfield cruised to victory in its limitedovers clash with Emerald.
Cardinia began its challenging run chase in impressive fashion at Clyde with Mark Cooper and John Nooy sharing a solid opening stand of 65.
However the Cougars bit back after Cooper fell for 58 and when the Bulls stumbled to 7/179 soon after the tea break, the home side was well in the ascendancy.
Significantly, while wickets tumbled around him, Troy Da Rose continued to prevail and his steady hand of 97, which included ten boundaries, was the foundation for some crucial lateorder stands by Cardinia.
Numbernine batsman Brad Goodman contributed a valuable 31 and an unbeaten lastwicket partnership of 21 runs between Adam Hobson and Chris Remy steered the Bulls to a narrow 12run victory.
The wickets were evenly shared among the hard working Clyde bowlers with Shane Webster (3/113 from 29 overs) being the leading wicket taker.
Fourteen fours and a huge six were included in Brenton Adams chanceless knock of 145 at Catani, but his superb innings just failed to deliver victory to the visiting Tooradin team.
The host side enjoyed its first sniff of victory early in the day when the prolific scoring Trevor Johnston fell for only 20 and Adams had only reached 24 when the Seagulls plummeted to 7/156.
However a magnificent unbroken eighthwicket partnership of 175 runs between Adams and Sam Clarke very nearly enabled Tooradin to swoop on an unlikely victory before stumps were drawn with the home side still two runs in front.
Sam Clarke received a nasty blow to the face during his innings, but he soldiered on bravely to score a defiant 46 not out.
Earlier in the day opener Sean Baker scored 39, and Andrew Sparks chipped in later with 24.
Bill Purvis, with figures of 3/83 from 26 overs, was the best performer in Catani’s quartet of bowlers, while Lionel Sexton and Paul Govaars also toiled hard for the host team in its 26over spells.
Wicketkeeper Brad McDonald completed a pleasing match by taking two catches and a stumping in the day’s play.
At the start of play on Saturday, Kooweerup faced the daunting task of matching Merinda Park’s imposing score of 7/297, but an impressive team batting performance from the Demons saw the home team achieve this challenging target comfortably.
English recruit Carl McGregor’s impressive score of 123 included 22 boundaries and opener Mick Damon struck nine fours in his contribution of 59.
Trent Cochrane celebrated his return to senior cricket by amassing 57; lowergrade player Duncan Caig reached 41, while Steve Johnson, Chris O’Hara and Matt Davey all scored useful 30s.
In total 64 fours and two sixes were included in the Demons’ mammoth score of 9/420.
Teenage Cobra Anthony Burr returned the best bowling figures for the visitors, claiming 5/110 from 12 overs, while Clay Riddle took 2/51 from his 12 overs.
PUT broke its victory drought by convincingly defeating Pakenham at the wellgrassed Toomuc Reserve.
Opening bowler Ben Jarred, who has mostly played lower grade cricket for the Yabbies in previous seasons, was the spearhead of the visitor’s attack and his figures of 5/51 from 14 overs enabled PUT to dismiss the host side for 198 in its first innings.
Sean Gramc top scored with a feisty innings of 67, while skipper Weerawardana contributed 38.
The visiting captain Darren Warne then enforced the followon and when the Lions stuttered to 5/38 in its second dig, the Yabbies began to tighten their grip on an outright result.
However sensible batting from Ruddell and Hayhow rescued Pakenham and the resourceful pair carried the hosts to the score of 5/106 by stumps.
Rob Borlase captured 3/32 from 11 overs for PUT in the last 27 overs of the day, while wicketkeeper Luke Willis completed a successful match by taking four catches behind the stumps.
Officer was a shaky 3/20 when it resumed hostilities against the Devon Meadows attack and the sudden loss of two more wickets saw the Bullants’ colony in apparent disarray when it slumped to 5/36.
However resourceful batting from Sean Marchetti, Ben Tivendale and Chris Savage rescued the host team and Officer’s imposing final score of 259 saw the top team finally record a resounding 96run victory.
Marchetti’s impressive innings of 85 included four towering sixes and three fours.
Savage also clouted consecutive sixes in his undefeated hand of 41, while Tivendale struck four boundaries in his valuable innings of 51.
Panthers’ veteran Peter Zauner toiled hard to collect 4/65 from 18 overs and his determined performance was highlighted by a hattrick in his 15th over.
Doug Louden (3/62 from 25 overs) and Darren Morrow (3/73 off 19 overs) also bowled well.
Emerald was shot down for a meagre 71 in 27 overs after Beaconsfield invited the host team to bat first in their oneday fixture.
Only two batsmen in the Bomber brigade managed to reach double figures against the rampaging Tiger attack dominated by Jason Dodd. The accurate assistantcoach collected the fine figures of 3/6 from eight overs, while Gus Patti, Johannes Jordan and Ray Cook all gained two wickets.
Beaconsfield only lost three wickets when it cruised past Emerald’s small total with allrounder Ryan O’Connor scoring an undefeated 27, while opener Kris Fletcher contributed 21.
The Bombers are producing worrying form at present and they will need to revive their flagging morale soon to avoid relegation.
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