CRICKET

PROVINCIAL

OLD Peninsula continued its good start to the 2022/2023 season with a win over Long Island on Saturday.

After a month of rain delays and cancellations, the weather gods finally smiled on MPCA cricketers last weekend. Old Peninsula played host to Long Island.

It was a nightmare start for Long Island at the crease. They batted first and suffered through a catastrophic top order collapse.

At 6/27, the game looked dead and buried. A late knock of 55 from Cameron Wheeler helped Long Island put a respectable total on the board.

Long Island managed to avoid being bowled out. They finished their 40 overs at 9/141.

Old Peninsula chased down their target thanks to the efforts of opener Dylan O’Malley. He scored an unbeaten 97, helping guide his team to a seven wicket win.

At Overport Park, Pines picked up a hard-fought win over Baden Powell.

The top order did the heavy lifting during Baden Powell’s innings. Their openers combined for 112 runs, and at 3/179 they looked in a good position.

The loss of 7/19 cost Baden Powell the game. They finished all out for 198, which Pines chased down with three wickets and three overs to spare.

Patrick Jackson’s unbeaten 51 proved vital for Pines.

Baxter picked up a good win at home over Red Hill on Saturday. They chased down 170 to win.

PENINSULA

MT Eliza had to work for it, but they managed to score a good win on Saturday.

Mt Eliza traveled to take on Heatherhill at Bruce Park. They struggled early, losing 3/1 at one point and sitting at a paltry 5/47.

With the help of an unbeaten 45 from Scott Tansley, Mt Eliza corrected course. They finished up their innings at 8/156.

At 3/91 Heatherhill looked well on their way to chasing down their target. Their middle order couldn’t get the job done though.

Heatherhill was bowled out for 141, 16 runs short of the win. Nicholas Baron’s 3/37 was a big help for his side.

An unbeaten 88 from Matthew Gale wasn’t enough for Flinders to get the win over Mornington last weekend.

Gale’s knock helped his side reach a final total of 8/177. Unfortunately for him Mornington was up to the task.

The Bulldogs reached their target with six overs and seven wickets to spare. Mitchell Goddard top scored with an unbeaten 56.

Somerville smashed Dromana at home on Saturday. Dromana was bowled out for just 69.

DISTRICT

SEAFORD got the better of Main Ridge in a competitive matchup on Saturday.

The two sides did battle at Ditterich Reserve. Main Ridge was sent in to bat first.

Opener Ryan Harrison put in a good shift for his side. He was Main Ridge’s top scorer with 61 runs.

Main Ridge finished their 40 overs at 7/183, a total they are capable of defending.

Seaford’s run chase didn’t get off to a good start. Opener Dil Pageni was dismissed for just six, his third single digit score this season.

A strong middle order showing got things back on track for Seaford. They ended up hitting the winning runs with four wickets to spare and a little more than over left to play.

Mathew Herbert top scored for his side with 48.

Crib Point hit the road to take on Carrum Downs on Saturday. Carrum Downs put on a good showing on their home deck, defeating Crib Point by five wickets.

Delacombe Park had a great day at home, getting the win over Rosebud. Delacombe Park’s huge total of 223 proved just too much for Rosebud to chase down. They were bowled out for 179.

Carrum rounded out the winner’s list with a win over Hastings.

SUB DISTRICT

BONEO emerged victorious from a thrilling match with Skye on Saturday, with the game going down to the final over.

Skye batted first and struggled. They lost three wickets for just eight runs early on, and only got back on track thanks to a strong middle order showing.

After 37 overs, Skye was bowled out for 134.

Boneo’s run chase was helped on its way by opener Dilasri Lokubandara. His 36 from 35 got his side started on the right foot.

As Boneo’s innings progressed, the runs began to dry up. Their middle order began to fall, and at 8/110 they looked in huge trouble.

The tail end managed to score some more, but lost another wicket with 13 runs still left to score.

Sean Spencer and Caolan O’Connor managed to guide their side to victory with just one ball left to spare in the match. The duo got Boneo over the line for a brilliant one-wicket win.

Without O’Connor’s late knock of 24, Skye would have been certain winners.

Balnarring and Tyabb also played out a close game last weekend. Balnarring batted first, setting their opponents a target of 192 to chase down.

Luke Hewitt and Mark Walles each scored half-centuries for Balnarring.

Tyabb chipped away at Balnarring’s score, but time ended up working against them. They were six runs short of victory when their innings expired.

At Peninsula Reserve, Ballam Park just held on to defeat Frankston YCW.

Ballam Park scored 132, opening the door for YCW to grab the win.

Frankston YCW’s innings got off to a poor start when their openers were dismissed for scores of 0 and 9. First drop batter Josh Duncan scored 41, but he had little help from his teammates.

The game went down to the final over. The tail end let down YCW, as they went from 7/126 to all out for 130. They fell three runs short of the win.

Mt Martha also fell just short of victory on Saturday. Their 40 overs came up when they were seven runs short of beating Tootgarook.

Rye scored a comprehensive win over Pearcedale to close out the round.

First published in the Mornington News – 8 November 2022