THE 200607 Kookaburra Cup Twenty20 tournament moves to the semifinal stage on Sunday when Tooradin takes on Beaconsfield and Kooweerup squares off against Cardinia.
Tooradin, the reigning Kookaburra Cup champions, maintained its perfect Twenty20 record through the group phase, thanks largely to the efforts of skipper Trevor Johnston.
Johnston became the competition’s alltime leading run scorer with his matchwinning 94 notout off 54 balls in Tooradin’s final group game against Devon Meadows and his continued good form is crucial to his side continuing its title defence.
Beaconsfield progressed to the semifinals by defeating archrivals Upper Beaconsfield in their final group match.
With a number of players unavailable due to interleague commitments, the Tigers’ depth has been stretched to the limit. However the Tigers have still proved too good, progressing to the semis with three comfortable victories.
Kooweerup dominated its group, cruising to a 64run win over Lang Lang, then decimated last season’s runnersup Nyora by 95 runs before winning on forfeit against Catani.
The Demons staggering 600run plus innings on Saturday came as no surprise to followers of the Kookaburra Cup, as they have scored at a competitionhigh 9.75 runs per over throughout the group stage.
Kooweerup will have to perform at its peak against Cardinia that won its three group games by a cumulative margin of 192 runs.
Steve Patterson has led the way for the Bulls, scoring 169 runs off just 103 balls in the three matches to date.
The semi finals will be held at Glover Reserve, Devon Meadows this Sunday, 11 February.
Tooradin and Beaconsfield will kick off a big day’s entertainment at 11am, with Kooweerup taking on Cardinia at 2pm.
The winner of each semifinal will progress to the final to be played on turf at the Cranbourne Racecourse on Sunday, 4 March, with the winner to receive $1000 in prizemoney.
For full results and all the latest news, visit kookaburracup.cricketvictoria.com.au website
PATH TO THE FINALS
Tooradin
Defeated Merinda Park by 37 runs.
Defeated Cranbourne Meadows by five wickets.
Defeated Devon Meadows by three wickets.
Beaconsfield
Defeated Emerald by 39 runs.
Defeated Pakenham Upper/Toomuc by 99 runs (bonus point).
Defeated Upper Beaconsfield by four wickets.
Kooweerup
Defeated Lang Lang by 64 runs (bonus point).
Defeated Nyora by 95 runs (bonus point).
Defeated Catani on forfeit.
Cardinia
Defeated Clyde by 18 runs.
Defeated Officer by 97 runs (bonus point).
Defeated Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll by 77 runs (bonus point).
