All Devon Meadows wicket keeper Darren O’Brien can do is watch as Pakenham UpperToomuc 16yearold middleorder batsman Chris Smith belts a ball to the leg side on his way to a topscore of 61 for the Yabbies’ Agrade side on Saturday. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Ian Ferguson
TOORADIN captaincoach Trevor Johnston scored a magnificent 244 when the Seagulls totalled a commanding 364 at Kooweerup on Saturday.
In other round four fixtures in the West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) Officer is strongly placed to defeat Cardinia, but all other Agrade matches are evenly poised.
Trevor Johnston dominated the entire day’s play against Kooweerup.
He arrived at the crease when Tooradin was reeling on 3/6 and the power, placement and range of his strokes kept the runs flowing through a succession of vital batting partnerships.
Sean Wilson and Johnston added 88 runs together, while Sam Clarke and his irrepressible skipper shared a partnership of 99 runs. However Wilson’s handy contribution of 28 was the next highest score, which clearly illustrates the extent of Johnston’s dominance.
Twentyfour fours and eight towering sixes were included in his masterful knock that ended in the last over of the day.
Demon skipper Matt Davey was an early threat to the Seagulls with his purposeful newball bowling and his figures of 4/85 from 22 overs saw him take the bowling honours for the day.
The Demons’ batting depth will be tested to the limit next week when they attempt to match this mammoth score.
Officer gained a crucial breakthrough on the second delivery of the day when its inform fast bowler Kable Dowsett bowled Cardinia’s runmaking machine, Mark Cooper.
The Bulls never recovered from this early setback and were dismissed shortly before 5pm for the lowly total of 118.
Jamie Glen, who struck six boundaries in his defiant score of 51, was the only member of the visiting batting herd who made an impact against the accurate Bullants’ seambowling attack.
The wickets were evenly shared among Dowsett (3/55 from 15 overs), Andrew Tucker (3/23 off ten overs) and Ben Tivendale (2/27 from 15 overs).
Officer coach and wicketkeeper Colin Tucker would also have been pleased with his team’s fielding and his excellent legside catch to dismiss Steve Paterson set a high standard for his charges to follow.
Officer continued to dictate terms when it batted, advancing to 3/70 in the final 23 overs of play.
New opener Sean Marchetti reached 32, while his notout partner Rod Zlonzak smashed consecutive sixes (one of which landed on the clubhouse roof) when he advanced to 27 not out by stumps.
Cardinia’s spin twins Dwayne Doig and Cooper have currently collected all three Officer victims and this talented duo still looms as being the main threat to the Bullants’ strong grasp on victory.
Pakenham and Catani are locked together in a close lowscoring battle at the Toomuc Reserve.
Catani batted unimpressively when it scored a disappointing 130 after electing to bat first, but the Blues bounced emphatically back into the contest when the Lions stumbled to 4/35 in the final 15 overs of play.
Catani allrounder Lionel Sexton was the player of the day, top scoring with 32 and later collecting 2/18 and accepting a catch when Pakenham began its first innings.
Pakenham under17 player Jack Ryan made an impressive Agrade debut, claiming 3/32 from 17 overs, while Sean Gramc made a pleasing return to the Lion’s den by collecting 3/39 from 11 overs.
Clyde and Emerald created WGCA history when they began the first turf club game in local cricket and it was the host team that held a slight advantage when play ended on day one.
The Cougars, thanks to a stylish innings of 75 from Jarred Leontini and useful scores in the 30s from Noel O’Brien and Dave Denton, reached the respectable total of 193.
Offspinner Tim Sproule was the most successful member of the Bomber’s squadron of bowlers with his figures of 4/35 from 20.1 overs, while his veteran teammate Rod Smith snared 3/42 off 16 overs.
A feature of the day’s play was the excellent outfield catch taken by Andrew Walker that removed the dangerous Leontini.
Emerald ended the day on 0/1 and it faces a significant challenge this week to overtake Clyde’s competitive total.
Pakenham UpperToomuc (PUT) will feel reasonably satisfied with its tally of 221 against Devon Meadows at Pakenham Upper.
Yabbie youngster Chris Smith top scored with 61, captain Darren Warne contributed 59, while useful scores in the 30s from Luke Willis and John Wallin helped to elevate PUT’s tally beyond the 200run mark.
Doug Louden (5/55 from 22 overs) and Peter Zauner (3/67 off 24 overs) were the most dangerous members in the Panther attack, while wicketkeeper Peter O’Brien accepted five catches in an excellent display behind the stumps.
Devon Meadows reached the score of 0/3 in the final three overs of the day and a close finish is likely this week in this evenly poised game.
Merinda Park competed strongly on the opening day of play against the reigning premiers Beaconsfield.
Opener John Atwell top scored with 52 while Grant Mills scored a determined 34 not out when Merinda Park totalled 161.
The Cobras’ opening attack then produced some venom causing the Tigers to stutter to 2/29 in the final eight overs of play.
Leftarm spinner Ray Cook was Beaconsfield’s leading bowler, collecting 5/53 from 25.5 overs, while Troy McDermott captured 2/14 in his short fourover burst.
The strong Beaconsfield batting lineup is expected to overhaul the home side’s total this week, but Merinda Park has been competitive so far against quality opposition.
