PROVINCIAL LANGWARRIN sits at the top of the MPCA Provincial ladder after crushing Crib Point by nine wickets on Saturday. A half century to Taylor Smith and centuries to Andy Johnson and Matt Prosser saw the Kangaroos reach 1/284, in reply to Crib Point’s total of 162. Prosser played a typically patient innings opening the batting, hitting five boundaries in his 101, while Johnson was the aggressor, hitting nine fours and three sixes in a dominant display. Baxter’s woes continued on Saturday, humiliated by old foe Peninsula Old Boys. Chasing 212 for victory and resuming at 1/4 with Daniel Warwick…
Author: IT Gully
SUB-DISTRICT BALNARRING continued its superb form on Saturday on day one of MPCA Sub District cricket, scoring a massive 9/324 against Ballam Park. Seasoned campaigner Pete Mereszko was the star of the show for the Saints, opening with 74, including 13 boundaries, while there was plenty of support throughout the afternoon from the rest of the line up. Darrel Brown scored a half century (50), skipper Mal Coutts added 41, Mark Walles 39 and Nathan Kleinig 35 as the Saints marched past 300. Ballam Park will need to produce something very special this week to win the match. Tootgarook has…
DISTRICT A MIDDLE order revival has seen Seaford Tigers go from being in trouble to holding the upper hand in its MPCA District clash against Heatherhill. The Tigers won the toss and batted first on their home deck but looked to be in all sorts of trouble early when it lost its opening three batsmen for just 11 runs. Skipper David James was out for four, Dave Roach for two and Anthony Joel for three, all courtesy of Hill’s opening quick Jake Theobald, who was on fire early. The Tigers needed some intervention and it came in the form of…
PENINSULA MOOROODUC has placed itself in a wonderful position to knock over Somerville after the first day of round five in MPCA Peninsula cricket. The Ducs batted first in perfect conditions and progressed to 210 before being bowled out with nine overs left in the day. Ben Williams got the visitors away to a solid start with 42 at the top of the innings, while Rashimal Mendis provided great support at four with 57, including six boundaries. Keeper Nick Williams added 28 and there was some wag in the tail, which saw the Ducs get past 200. The Eagles used…
PROVINCIAL PEARCEDALE is just 39 runs away from victory after dominating Sorrento on the opening day of their MPCA Provincial clash. Sorrento won just one battle for the afternoon, the toss, and it did them no good at all. The Sorras were put to the sword and made to look second rate by the Panthers, rolled for just 98. Pearcedale’s Chris Dew started with the new ball and had an immediate impact, removing both Sorrento openers, Corey Harris (4) and Tom Clarke (5). At that stage the Sorras were 2/12. Things really turned pair-shaped for the home side when Jedd…
SUB-DISTRICT BONEO failed in its attempt to pick up a reverse outright win against Carrum Downs in MPCA Sub District cricket. The game was set up for an enthralling second day with the game poised with Carrum Downs just six runs ahead with five wickets in hand. Boneo was rolled for 73 in its first innings and Carrum Downs was resuming at 5/79. The Pandas achieved exactly what they were after at the beginning of the second day, taking five Carrum Downs wickets for just 20 runs, rolling the Cougars for 99. Trailing by just 26 runs, Boneo needed at…
DISTRICT SEAFORD has pulled off one of its best wins in recent times, picking up a reverse outright against Baden Powell in MPCA District cricket. When play resumed on Saturday, Seaford was 2/27, chasing Baden Powell’s first innings of 189. There were early celebrations for the Braves, ripping through Seaford’s batting line-up for just 98. Seaford skipper Ryan McQueen top scored with half of the entire score, hitting 49, while Shaun Allardyce hit 15. Braves’ skipper Craig Entwhistle was the pick of the bowlers with 4/17 while Nathan Rice snared 3/33. With first innings points locked away and a 91-run…
PENINSULA MAIN Ridge was completely embarrassed in its MPCA Peninsula match on Saturday, smashed by Pines by more than 150 runs. Cruising at the top of the table after the first three rounds, Main Ridge was set 235 for victory after the Piners were bowled out for 234. The Ridge never looked like winning, losing wickets from the outset with Nick Wilcox, Pat Jackson and Alex Coad all getting amongst the wickets for the Piners. Coad played arguably his best game for Pines, again realising his substantial potential and finishing with 4/27 from 14 overs. Harley Parker was also in…
PROVINCIAL LANGWARRIN has announced itself as a true contender for the MPCA Provincial title after beating Peninsula Old Boys on Saturday. Defending 9/216 going into the second day of the clash at Lloyd Park, the Kangas celebrated early when the dangerous Dylan O’Malley was the first man to go without a run being scored by the Old Boys. Old Boys’ skipper Wade Pelzer and Glen Prendergast dug-in and got the score past 50 before things started to turn pair-shaped for the ladder leaders. Matt Prosser, who has been in superb form with the bat but not so much with the…
DISTRICT HASTINGS is on the verge of winning its first game of the season after a good opening day against Rye in MPCA District. On the back of some ordinary form, Hastings was justifiably sent into bat by Rye after the Demons won the toss. Rob Hearn needed to get his side off to a good start and he obliged with a game-high 61, including eight fours. Ryan McNamara contributed 33 and Sean Hewitt 20 in the middle order to help the Blues to a final score of 177. Unfortunately for the Blues, they lost their final six wickets for…
PENINSULA THE MPCA Peninsula match between Long Island and Somerville will go down to the wire after 13 wickets fell on the opening day of their clash at Ballam Park. Somerville won the toss and elected to bat in the first two-day game of the season, a decision that didn’t work out too well for them. It could have been a lot worse had it not been for the efforts of Bailey White (38) and Brenton Alp (22) after coming to the crease at number seven and eight. At one stage the Eagles were reeling at 5/47. They finished with…
PROVINCIAL MORNINGTON’S Brad McDonald and Brad Wilson have placed their team in a commanding position in MPCA Provincial after both scoring centuries against Pearcedale. Sam Wiese left the middle after making 33 of the first 49 runs, before McDonald joined Wilson at the crease. What took place when the two came together was nothing short of a batting master class. McDonald finished unbeaten on 150 after hitting 15 fours and two sixes, while Wilson was out for 101 when the score was 290. Mornington pulled up stumps with six overs left in the day, declaring at 4/298. Shayne Gillings bowled…
SUB-DISTRICT BALNARRING’S dominant start to the season continued on Saturday against Frankston YCW in MPCA Sub-District. The Saints have continued to march on, batting first and scoring 257 against last season’s grand finalists. The visitors were shaky early, however 95 runs to Mark Walles and then some solid support to follow helped the Saints push 300. Lachlan Barton scored 46 and Ben King 35 batting at seven and eight. The Stonecats faced the final six overs of the day and finished at 1/24. Tootgarook is in the box seat to beat Carrum. The Lions batted first on Saturday and were…
SUB-DISTRICT BALNARRING remains at the top of the MPCA Sub District table after recording another easy victory on Saturday, this time against Boneo. Both sides went into the clash undefeated but it was no contest on Saturday. The Saints batted first and made a handy 8/187, Mark Walles top scoring with 65 and Pete Mereszko opening with 33 and Mitch Kleinig adding a valuable 28 at the end. The Pandas used seven bowlers. In reply, Boneo lost 4/15 to be in early trouble. They never recovered, despite 34 runs from Ryan Jellie, eventually bowled out for just 83. Ben King…
DISTRICT HASTINGS is the only side in MPCA District without a win this season after losing to Mt Martha on Saturday. The Blues have had a tough start to the year in its opening three one-day games and Saturday was no easier. Winning the toss and batting first, the Blues made 8/129 from its 40 overs. Rob Hearn top scored with 35 and opening partner Nathan Hunt contributed 27. Sean Hewitt then made 24, however, losing 4/17 in the middle order cost the visitors. Steve O’Neill was the best of the bowlers for the Reds with 3/34. In reply, although…
PENINSULA MAIN Ridge remains the dominant force in MPCA Peninsula after making light work of Delacombe Park in round three on Saturday. But whilst the Ridge opened the season with three straight wins, last year’s grand finalists, Delacombe, are yet to win a game. Main Ridge had no hesitation to bat first when it won the toss on Saturday and arguably the best sportsman on the peninsula right now, Shaun Foster, went to work. In just his second game back and after scoring a half-century last week, he backed it up with 122 on Saturday. Michael Holmes opened with him…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER is outside of the MPCA Provincial top four for the first time in a long time after losing its second straight match on Saturday against Pearcedale. Baxter has been the dominant side in the competition for more than a decade but its start to the 2017-18 season has been shaky. It appears that if Chris Brittain or Daniel Warwick don’t make a score, Baxter cannot win. On Saturday it went into the match without opener Joe Rule, one player who has been holding up his end of the bargain. The middle order is really letting Baxter down right…
DISTRICT IT’S been a long time between wins but Rye celebrated one very hard on Saturday night after chasing down Heatherhill with one over to space in MPCA District cricket. The Demons let themselves down with an extremely poor performance in round one, however, they were superb with the bat on Saturday. Heatherhill batted first and made a very healthy 6/215 with Sam Mullavey opening with 75, Steven O’Donnell batting with him at the top of the order scoring 43 and Kristian Miller hitting 41. The Demons used seven bowlers, Zac Stevenson the best of them with 2/28. Rye skipper…
PENINSULA NEW Main Ridge coach Nick Jewell stamped his authority on the MPCA Peninsula competition with a menacing and unbeaten 161 on Saturday against Moorooduc. Jewell came to the crease with the score at 1/31 and put on 131 with Shaun Foster, who eased into the season with a lazy 86 runs in his first hit for the year. When Jewell left the field with Gareth Wyatt (32no), his side had scored a massive 3/302. The Ridge bowlers then got to work and rolled the Ducs for just 109 with Foster claiming 3/11, Oliver McEnroe 3/24 and James Abbott 3/20.…
SUB-DISTRICT By IT Gully BALNARRING sits at the top of the MPCA Sub District ladder after recording its second win of the season on Saturday against Tyabb. Boneo and Ballam Park are also unbeaten after two rounds, winning their matches against Dromana and Carrum respectively. The Saints made light work of Tyabb on Saturday, smashing them by more than 100 runs. The visitors batted first and made 5/183, Nathan Kleinig opening with 72, while Mark Walles and skipper Mal Coutts each hit 32. In reply, the Yabbies started alright but lost 9/39 to be bowled out for 89. Ben King…
PROVINCIAL PENINSULA Old Boys and Mt Eliza are the only undefeated teams in MPCA Provincial and stand alone at the top of the ladder. At the other end, Crib Point and Pearcedale remain the only teams without a victory in the opening two games of the season. POB has started its season in dominant fashion, belting Crib Point by nine wickets in the season’s second straight one-day fixture. The Magpies batted first on their home deck and failed to make it to the end of its allotted 40 overs, bowled out in the 38th for just 103. Jon Forrest was…
PENINSULA BOOM Somerville recruit Jayde Herrick guided his side to a round one victory against reigning premier Red Hill in MPCA Peninsula cricket. The former Victorian Bushrangers paceman opened the batting and scored 41 at the top of the innings, helping the Eagles to 156 after winning the toss and batting first. Andrew West provided some middle order support with 22 while Jay Parker came in at the end and added a valuable 18 runs. The Colletts were reunited at the Hill with Tom opening the bowling after returning from Kingston-Hawthorn for a return of 3/27, while his brother Glenn…
PROVINCIAL REIGNING MPCA champion Baxter has started its defence in the new MPCA Provincial competition with an emphatic 34-run win against Langwarrin. And defending cricketer of the year and league medallist Chris Brittain has taken off where he left us all last season, spellbound by his brilliance. Brittain opened the innings with Joe Rule (44) and belted eight sixes and six fours on his way to 106 before he was eventually run-out with the score on 173. Baxter went on to score 8/200. Matt Prosser (2/37) and coach Jake Prosser (2/33) were the pick of the Langwarrin bowlers. The Kangas…
DISTRICT BADEN Powell has launched its 2017-18 District season in the best way possible, beating Seaford Tigers with ease. Whilst the Braves didn’t set the world on fire after being sent into bat first, it still managed to score a defendable 141 from 39.2 overs. Elia Carter top-scored for the Braves with 26 from 36 balls, Ryan Barnett hit 20 at the top of the order while Charlie Collopy hit 20 at the bottom of the order. Matty Roach snared 2/37 on debut for the Tigers, while Jack Brooking picked-up 2/18 from eight overs. In reply, the Tigers were never…
SUB-DISTRICT BALLAM Park has walked away from a thrilling match against Frankston YCW with a victory in MPCA Sub District. The Knights batted first after being sent into bat and David Cross got his side going with 56, while Jake Williams opened with 21 and Zac Clements hit 17. Levi McLoughlin-Dore and Brett Hudgson did everything they could for the Stonecats to get their side over the line but they fell short, bowled out for 139, chasing the Knights 7/151. Justin Moore was the pick of the bowlers for the home side, picking-up 4/23 from 7.4 overs, while Cross was…
THE new-look Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association season will launch this Saturday with four divisions set for 2017-18. The MPCA announced its new structure in May this year, however, a Presidents’ extraordinary meeting held a couple of weeks ago saw the names of the new four divisions changed. In May, the launched divisions were Premier, Provincial, District and Sub District. However, they were changed only last week to Provincial, Peninsula, District and Sub-District, in order of division one to division four. Peninsula Old Boys president Adam Jones was behind the name changes, which make sense. Jones branded the names of the…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER was crowned the final MPCA Provincial premiers on Saturday. With a new competition coming into play next season, the Provincial premiership cup handed over to the Baxter players will stay with them forever. It took just a couple of hours on Saturday for Baxter to pick up the two wickets required to win the match. In fact, it took until the first ball of the 14th over of the day to claim the title. Justin Bridgeman took out the off stump of Tim Clarke to wrap up the match, Mt Eliza all out for 209. At the beginning…
DISTRICT RED Hill captain Simon Dart produced one of the finest innings ever witnessed in MPCA cricket on Saturday to play a major role in steering his side to the District premiership. Dart played a masterful innings that saw him bat an additional 71 overs on the final day, on top of the overs he batted last Sunday, to finish unbeaten on 133. With four overs left to play in the grand final, the Hillmen had worked their way into a commanding position and needed just 10 runs off the final 24 balls with four wickets in hand. If the…
PROVINCIAL BAXTER are just two wickets away from MPCA Provincial premiership glory against Mt Eliza. The Mounties were still 100 runs short of the Baxter total of 272 at stumps on Sunday. They will head back to Tyabb this Saturday in the hope that Tim Clark (37no) will carry them to the promise land. It is highly unlikely though. Baxter are on the verge of winning their fourth flag in less than 10 years – a sensational performance from the club. On Saturday night at the end of the first day, Baxter had left themselves in a commanding position, batting…
DISTRICT DELACOMBE Park are in a winning strong position in the MPCA District premiership against Red Hill. The Hillmen, the best team in the competition all season, still need more than 230 runs with just seven wickets in hand against the Parkers in the final day of the match at Graydens Rd this Saturday. With skipper Simon Dart still unbeaten at the crease, one wouldn’t be wise to write off the Hillmen just yet. However, there is no doubt that the parkers are in the box seat after Joel Malcolm finished with an unbeaten 104 and Jon Guthrie hit 94.…