Author: Brodie Cowburn

PENINSULA A BRILLIANT performance from Moorooduc has seen them claim an outright win over Pearcedale at home. Pearcedale were bowled out for just 110 in their first innings, which Moorooduc chased down with pace. Moorooduc ended up being bowled out for 222 off just 41 overs, allowing them another opportunity to take on Pearcedale’s batsmen. Pathum De Mel was Moorooduc’s best, smashing 7 sixes on his way to an entertaining total of 70. Pearcedale’s innings got off to a horror start when they lost their opening batsman for a duck off a run out. Things didn’t get much better for…

PENINSULA MAIN RIDGE have had a tough afternoon in day one of their clash against Somerville. Main Ridge came in to bat first, and had difficulties. First drop batsman Chris Parker was their best performer with a half century, but he got no help from the rest of the top order. They ended up bowled out for 133, with 26 overs left to play for the afternoon. Jayde Herrick took seven wickets. Somerville had no trouble chasing down their target, and ended up at 1/148 at stumps, securing them the first innings win. Brenton Alp was electric with bat in…

PENINSULA A KNOCK of 98 from Nick Jewell helped Long Island to a comfortable win over Pearcedale last weekend. Pearcedale came in to bat first in the one day clash, and finished up at 8/143 from their 40 overs. Andrew Tweddle took 4/23 to help restrict Pearcedale to a low total. With Jewell in full flight, Long Island were able to reach their target with relative ease. They claimed the win with eight wickets and 18 overs to spare. At Ditterich Reserve, a stunning century from Damien Lawrence helped Pines get a win over Main Ridge. Lawrence came in as…

PENINSULA SOMERVILLE have chased down Red Hill to claim an impressive win in their first two day outing for the season. With a target of 194 to meet, Somerville started poorly when they lost an opener for a duck. Their other opener Jayde Herrick did better, scoring 35 runs to give his team a little bit of momentum. A strong middle order performance sealed the victory for Somerville, with each of their batsmen from number three to number seven contributing with scores of over 25. Somerville ended up securing victory with five wickets and five overs to spare. At Ditterich…

PENINSULA MAIN Ridge had a good day in their first two day outing of the season, bowling out Pearcedale without much trouble. Pearcedale were sent in to bat first at Ditterich Reserve, and struggled badly. After not finding much luck with the bat early, a complete tail order collapse saw Pearcedale bowled out for 87. Each of Pearcedale’s bottom three batsmen were dismissed for a duck. Main Ridge were able to bat 18 overs before stumps for the day, and ended up at 1/59. Michael Holmes impressed for Main Ridge, and ended up at 40 not out. Red Hill played…

PENINSULA RED Hill have secured a narrow win over Pines away from home. Playing out of Eric Bell Reserve, the travelling Red Hill chose to bat first. They lost their first opener for a duck but recovered well from there. All of Red Hill’s middle order performed well on the day, and they ended up putting 189 runs on the board by the time their innings expired. Pines bowler Patrick Jackson played a part, helping to clean up the tail and finishing with good figures of 4/24. Pines’ run chase started well with a 38 run opening stand, but they…

PENINSULA RED Hill have started their 2019/2020 season with a bang after a thrilling win over Long Island. Long Island chose to bat first and set a tough target of 175 runs for Red Hill to chase down. Opener Nick Jewell impressed for Long Island with 59 runs before he was caught and bowled. In response, Red Hill looked shaky and found themselves struggling at 2/22. A stunning 97 run third wicket partnership got their run chase back on track, but after their middle order were removed the tail began to struggle. With just one wicket in hand, Red Hill…

DIVISION ONE SEASON WRAP WINNERS: Dromana THE Tigers came into division one full of confidence after winning promotion last year, but not even their most optimistic fans could have predicted the success to come. Dromana were impressive in 2018 and ran out deserving premiers of the second division. They made history by becoming the first side to be promoted in the new two division MPNFL format, and their performance in division one would prove to be an interesting insight into the gap between the two competitions. Dromana didn’t miss a beat and relished the opportunity to play against the best.…

DIVISION TWO SEASON WRAP WINNERS: Red Hill THE Hillmen had a game plan in 2019. They worked hard in defence all season long, and it paid off handsomely. Although it may not be the most attractive brand of football, the Hillmen found success by keeping their opposition off the scoreboard. It worked wonders, as the finished top of the ladder with just two losses to their name and nearly half as many points conceded as their next best rivals. Their toughest task was facing Karingal in the grand final. The Bulls’ firepower in their forward line might have been enough…

DIVISION ONE DROMANA have made history by winning the MPNFL Division One and Division Two premierships in consecutive years. The Tigers travelled to Frankston Park on Sunday to take on powerhouse club Sorrento in a much anticipated Grand Final showdown. Dromana came into the clash looking to go back to back after their second division triumph last year, and Sorrento were looking for retribution after falling just short in last year’s big dance. Both sides had to battle through tough conditions throughout the afternoon. Dromana came out narrow leaders after a tense first quarter, and took a one point lead…

DIVISION TWO RED Hill have been crowned as MPNFL Division Two premiers for 2019. The Hillmen ran onto Frankston Park on Saturday with fire in their bellies, looking to avenge their Grand Final loss against Dromana last season. They took on Karingal in this year’s big dance. From the outset, Red Hill defended well and were able to restrict the Bulls from scoring. The Hillmen have been notoriously difficult to score against this year, with most sides rarely managing more than a handful of goals against them. Red Hill struggled to find the scoreboard themselves, but eventually went into half…

DIVISION ONE DROMANA have booked their Grand Final spot with a win over Bonbeach. The Tigers scored the only goal of a scrappy first term, and ended up going into the half time break with an eight point lead. Dromana stretched their lead in the third term, and managed to keep the Sharks at an arm’s length. Bonbeach couldn’t close the gap, and Dromana ended up taking the win 8.7 (55) to 5.6 (36). Sam Fowler booted three goals for the winning Tigers, while Sam Guerts also had a big impact. The Tigers go into this weekend’s clash against Sorrento…

DIVISION TWO ANOTHER huge performance from star forward Marc Holt has put Karingal in the Grand Final with a win over Langwarrin. Somerville Recreation Reserve played host to the clash on Saturday. It was a rematch of the qualifying final from two weeks ago, in which Langwarrin were able to get the win. Karingal came rushing out of the gates with a four goals to zero first term, before the Kangaroos bounced back to close the lead to 12 by half time. The Bulls stretched their lead back out to five goals by three-quarter time, and held on to claim…

DIVISION ONE PINES have gone crashing out of the MPNFL in straight sets after a shock 62 point loss to Bonbeach. The reigning premiers came into finals in patchy form, and weren’t able to correct course. Pines started well and went into the first break with the lead, but looked a completely different side after quarter time. Bonbeach got the upper hand with a seven goals to one second term, and never let it slip from there. The Sharks were able to keep the Pythons at an arm’s length in the third term, and finished the job with a stunning…

DIVISION ONE FRANKSTON YCW have gone crashing out of finals in week one after falling to Bonbeach on Sunday. Bonbeach got off to a stunning start at RJ Rowley Reserve. They booted nine goals to zero in the first quarter and held a whopping 57 point lead by quarter time. The Stonecats were better in the second quarter but by then the damage was already done. They couldn’t get close to the Sharks, and ended up falling to defeat 10.14 (74) to 20.9 (129). Shane McDonald’s five goal haul saw him named best on ground for the day. At Olympic…

DIVISION TWO A MAMMOTH 11 goal haul from star forward Marc Holt helped Karingal to a win over Somerville on Sunday. It was do or die for both sides, with the winner advancing to next week’s preliminary final and the loser being eliminated from premiership contention. Karingal got off to a red hot start, booting seven goals to two in the first term to race out to an early lead. Somerville were a little better in the second quarter, but were still down by 25 at half time. In the third quarter, Somerville started to make Karingal feel a little…

DIVISION ONE SORRENTO will head into finals with momentum on their side after easily defeating Pines in their last home and away match for the season. The Sharks put on a show in front of their home crowd at David Macfarlane Reserve. They took the lead early with an impressive first half, and never looked like giving it up. Sorrento went into half time comfortably six goals ahead, and didn’t let up in the second half. They were helped by three goals from Mitch Hallahan. Shannon Gladman, Nick Marston, and Chad Harris also had impressive games for the Sharks. Sorrento…

DIVISION TWO LANGWARRIN have got their finals campaign off to a flying start by securing an upset win over Karingal. Both sides travelled to Somerville on Saturday for the qualifying final keen to get a win. Both sides had a good season, and did well enough to to secure a double chance for finals. The Kangaroos got the early jump over the Bulls, and took a two goal lead into the first break. They managed to hold onto that lead throughout most of the game, and were still in the box seat by three-quarter time. Langwarrin led Karingal by 14…

DIVISION TWO SOMERVILLE locked up a finals spot with a big win over Hastings on Saturday. The game was expected to be a close one, with both sides coming into the contest with an equal amount of wins. Somerville raced out of the blocks with a five goals to one first quarter, but the Blues wrestled back control in the second term. They were down by five at the main break. Somerville were the better side in the second half, holding Hastings to just one goal. It was a tough task at times, but Somerville eventually secured the win and…

DIVISION ONE SORRENTO have all but locked up the top spot on the ladder after a hard fought win against Mornington on Saturday. Sorrento made the big road trip to Alexandra Park keen to get a win over the bottom placed Bulldogs. A win would have kept them four points ahead of Pines on the ladder with just one game remaining in the season. Sorrento have a big percentage advantage over the Pythons, meaning top spot was theirs for the taking. The Sharks started well with a three goals to one first term, but the Bulldogs bit back in the…

DIVISION TWO HASTINGS have kept their finals hopes alive with a thrilling come from behind win over Seaford. A win for the Tigers away from home at Thomas Barclay Oval would have put them two games ahead of Hastings and in a good position heading into the last games of the year. A loss for Hastings would have effectively ruled them out of finals contention. Seaford started strong with a three goals to zero first term, but Hastings fought back in the second. Seaford overturned the two point deficit in the third quarter, and were up by nine heading into…

DIVISION ONE PINES have slumped to their second consecutive loss after being defeated by Dromana on Saturday. The out of form reigning premiers played host to the Tigers in what would prove to be a tense afternoon. Dromana got the jump early in an even first quarter, and had established a handy three goal lead halfway through the second term. Tensions bubbled over just before half time when Pines defender Guy Hendry wiped out his opponent with a massive bump in a marking contest. The hit fired both teams up, and after a short scuffle Dromana continued to play with…

DIVISION TWO KARINGAL have suffered their second loss for the year after a shock defeat against Langwarrin. The ladder leading Bulls were put on the back foot early by the Kangaroos. A strong first half performance saw Langwarrin hop out to a 17 point lead by half time. Karingal maintained pressure in the third quarter, but couldn’t close the gap enough to threaten Langwarrin. The Kangaroos were impressive all day and eventually secured a much deserved win. Langwarrin messed with the Bulls, and took them by the horns. The final score read Langwarrin 14.16 (100) to Karingal 10.8 (68). Marc…

DIVISION ONE PINES have let top spot on the ladder slip out of their grasp after a defeat to Frankston YCW on Saturday. The Stonecats hosted the Pythons, and came into the contest desperate for a win. The powerhouse club has suffered all year with inconsistent form, and needed a victory to stay in the mix for a finals berth. Pines got off to the better start, and went into the half time break in the box seat. Up by 21 points at half time, the reigning premiers looked in a good position to go on and claim a win.…

DIVISION TWO HASTINGS have fallen short in an important matchup at home against Rye on Saturday. The game looked to be a good chance for Hastings to get a win and keep touch with a finals spot. Rye came into the game below Hastings on the ladder. Hastings looked the better side in a scrappy first half. They led at both quarter-time and half time, but not by enough to be comfortable. Rye looked a much improved side after half time, and held Hastings to just two goals in the second half. The Demons rose from the dead to take…

DIVISION ONE PINES have come from behind to secure a thrilling win against Frankston Bombers.The Bombers raced out of the blocks with a brilliant first quarter, putting four goals on the board and holding the Pythons scoreless. Pines scraped their way back in the second quarter, but couldn’t snatch the lead. They were wasteful in front of goal and kicked 2.7 in the second term. The Pythons continued to fight in the second half, and managed to just sneak into a one point lead by the time the three-quarter time break rolled around. They held onto that one point lead…

DIVISION TWO THE top of the table clash between Red Hill and Karingal has ended triumphantly for the Bulls, as the Hillmen were held goalless in miserable conditions. Red Hill Recreation Reserve was pummelled by harsh conditions throughout the day, leaving players fighting through the mud all afternoon. The Bulls had their struggles too, and only managed two goals of their own in the first half. Karingal led by ten points at half time. Red Hill had only managed to register two behinds by the main break. After half time the scrappy contest continued, as Karingal extended their lead with…

DIVISION ONE DROMANA have picked up an impressive win over Sorrento in front of their home crowd on Saturday. Dromana have looked right at home in division one this season, but faced a tough test in Sorrento. Last year’s grand finalists came to Dromana Recreation Reserve looking to prove that they are a good chance of doing one better and winning the flag in 2019. Dromana at home has proved to be a tough test for all sides who visit this year, but Sorrento looked well and truly comfortable in the first quarter. A stunning six goals to zero start…

DIVISION ONE FRANKSTON YCW bounced back from a tough loss last week by taking to the road to defeat Dromana. The Tigers have made their home ground a fortress in recent times, and have been a tough side to beat this year. The Stonecats on the other hand were looking to redeem themselves after falling to relegation candidates Moninngton in a shock result last week. Dromana raced out of the blocks with a strong first quarter, and led by three goals at the first break. Frankston YCW, who have been struggling at times this season, kept touch in the second…

DIVISION TWO KARINGAL have had their undefeated streak snapped by Seaford. The Bulls have rampaged through their competition this season, going 12 games without a defeat. Seaford hosted Karingal on Saturday, looking to pull off a major upset. The Tigers got off to a good start and took a three goal lead into the quarter time break. Karingal worked their way into the game after the first break, and by half time had taken the lead. Seaford were facing a 10 point deficit against the division’s top side heading into the second half, but proved themselves up for the task.…