Round 7 (14) Report
Southern Districts 8 for 265 (Isakka 103*, Bangs 60, Menzies 5/90) defeated Darwin 7 for 260 declared (Rossi 49, Kerber 101*, Garner 3/43)
An ambitious declaration from Darwin almost paid dividends before a carefree Bangs and a shackle-breaking Isakka saw Southern Districts to what, in the end, looked like a comfortable win. The Eagles, winning the toss and batting, needed the outright victory to get through and push the Crocs out of the four. They started in reasonable fashion but had luck on their side with multiple chances going down early. Dickman and Rossi put on 64 for the first wicket before both fell LBW, Rossi just one shy of his fifty. Kerber’s second 100 of the season couldn’t have come at a better time, as he was able to increase the run rate post-tea and then declare at 7 for 260. Brasher and Menzies were then able to crack open the top order with Broes departing caught behind, followed by nightwatchman Mylius in a similar fashion as the Crocs closed the day at 2 for 24.
Menzies blew open the top order on day one, with Mullon LBW, Paula caught at first slip, and then Garner caught at second off the fifth delivery, finishing with a three-wicket maiden and leaving the Crocs faltering at 5 for 33. Bangs then threw caution to the wind as he took a liking to Brasher, while Isakka was able to nullify the impact of Menzies. A brisk 112-run partnership came undone with the introduction of some left-arm birthday presents from Rossi, which Bangs didn’t quite get hold of, holing out in the deep. Bangs’ removal didn’t slow the scoring, however, as Scott continued the attack. When he fell at 180, leaving the team 7 down, the Eagles’ dreams of an outright result were done and dusted. Gawthrope, with his best knock of the season, closed the door on an Eagles win as he joined Isakka to get within 14 runs before becoming Menzies’ fifth victim and securing his first A-grade five-wicket haul. Isakka was resolute to the end, bringing up his 100 in the 49th over before McEvoy hit the winning runs in the following over.
PINT 226 (Ketheeshwaran 84, Martin 5/43) & 4 for 129 (Poulton 39*, Martin 3/33) defeated Palmerston 127 (Bembrick 4/57, Edmondstone 4/45)
Palmerston had a wake-up call with a shock loss to PINT after a long first day in the field. The PINTers were able to grind out most of the day on a flat MCG 2 pitch that offered little to the bowlers but still required application from the bats to score. Ketheeshwaran’s 84 was the rock of the innings. Martin and Shahzad bowled the bulk of the overs, with Martin grabbing his second five-wicket haul of the season, while Shahzad took two, meaning the pair took 7 for 109 in 46.3 overs. Bowled out for 227 on a stinking hot day, they were in a competitive position with five overs left to bowl in the day. Makeshift opener Scoble fell in the first over, bowled back through the gate, before Martin, filling in at 3, fell in the second to Edmondstone, leaving PINT in front with Palmerston at 2 for 15.
Day two started perfectly for the Green Caps with Bimbral edging a flashing drive to be caught at second slip on the first ball of the day. A slight rebuild began, but nightwatchman Shahzad was dismissed by young quick MacDonald, and the pressure began to mount on the last recognized bats. With only three bowlers used for the day, the PINT attack stuck at it and had Montague out to be 5 for 51. Firman and Bleakley steadied proceedings in a 53-run partnership before Edmondstone claimed his third and fourth wickets by removing Bleakley and then Anderson. The game was gone with McMahon attempting an audacious second run, Firman, and then McKell falling to Bembrick.
Waratah 4 for 183 (Livera 61, Koduru 67) declared & 1 for 63 defeated Tracy Village 154 (Sehrawat 53, Weerasinghe Silva 3/28) & 90
Waratah got the job done in convincing fashion against Tracy Village at Gardens Oval. An all-round bowling effort saw the Villagers dismissed for 154 on day one, with the wickets shared, Madura the best with 3 wickets. Leg-spinning all-rounder Sehrawat showed promise in the middle order with 53, but there wasn’t much else forthcoming. The Tahs, in reply, cruised to 2 for 108 at the end of day two, with Koduru scoring 67. Day two continued with some brisk runs, Livera passing fifty, and with his dismissal for 61, the declaration was made with a lead of 29.
With 60-odd overs left in the day, it was going to be a big ask for TV to put a score on the board to avoid outright defeat. They managed to avoid collapsing early before skipper Doyle was out for 22 with the score at 2 for 44. From there, the scoring slowed, and wickets kept coming regularly, with each bowling change bringing a dismissal. The last four wickets fell for just 2 runs, with TV all out for 90. The Tahs were able to chase the meager lead in 11 overs, losing only one wicket, and also claimed top spot.