STAFF WRITERS
CRICKET
TDCA ROUND 18 was a big one in terms of what the final standings of the Traralgon District Cricket Association will look like at the end of the regular season. Clubs still in the hunt for the top four continued to battle it out and show some strong form with only three rounds to go last Saturday. EX STUDENTS ensured a top-two position after defeating Yarram District in a hard fought game in Yarram. The Sharks won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first on what is fast becoming known as the best batting wicket in the TDCA. Ex Students and Yarram District played each other only a few weeks ago. The Sharks had to battle for every run in that game, so the visitors were determined to put on a good show this time round. Lee Stockdale continued his top form as he was tasked with opening the innings, making 52 from 77 balls which set up the platform for the middle order to build a big score. When Stockdale went out it was then time for Jackson McMahon to take the reins of the innings. McMahon, in his fifth game for the season, put on a masterclass, coming in at number five, falling just eight runs short of a century. His 92 not out was made from 103 balls, which then took the Ex Students total up to 6/233 at the compulsory closure of play. It was tough going for the Yarram bowlers, especially without Jeremy Babb available for this match. Anthony Scott was the only multiple wicket-taker, claiming 2/39 from his 10 overs. Given what the bowlers had been through, the Pelicans knew that a big score could be chased down as long as the batsmen applied themselves. Scott thrust himself up the order to open the innings alongside regular opener Jack Moore, and the two put on 51 before Scott fell – 28 of his 30 runs came in boundaries. Daniel O’Keefe then joined Moore and the two put on another 68-run partnership before O’Keefe was dismissed for 32. Dylan Rash was next to fall with the score 3/157. The Pelicans were in the box seat, but then a string of wickets followed which included Moore after he smashed 92 from 97 balls which included 11 boundaries; six over the rope. Yarram then fell from 3/157 to be all out for 191. Ex Students grounded the Pelicans down thanks largely to Mitch Harris (3/37) and Stockdale (3/38) who were the best performed bowlers for the innings. This win now puts a decent sized gap between Ex Students in second place on the ladder and the Pelicans in third, which should be enough to earn the Sharks a home final. This win also has the Sharks circling top placed Glengarry for the minor premiership, so watch this space over the final three rounds. IMPERIALS headed to Roger Ries Oval confident they could repeat the efforts of Round 11 when they upset Toongabbie at Catterick Crescent. Toongabbie have a habit of winning the toss and sending the opposition in. This round was no exception, although when the visitors were 2/149, Toongabbie would have been a bit worried. Ryan Morley returned to form and was batting beautifully, but his opposite captain was in some good touch as well and he finally removed Morley for a well-made 82. From that point, Keenan Hughes ripped through the Imperials lower order, proving way too quick as he bowled the last five Imperials batsmen, to walk away with match figures of 6/38 from his 10 overs. Imperials had still managed to make 199, and Toongabbie would have been nervous when starting their run chase, especially when they lost their first wicket with the score on just eight. The Rams batsmen were able to stop Imperials from getting wickets though, and applied their own pressure back on the visitors as Gerard Mcilroy smashed 72 from 90 balls and Hughes, not satisfied with just a six wicket haul, made a superb 68 from 75 balls. Toongabbie passed Imperials total in the 40th over, narrowly missing out on a bonus point which may prove crucial at the end of the season. Toongabbie are now three points clear of Rovers, and although they are in the box seat for fourth spot on the ladder, they can still drop out of a finals position with a match against Rovers in the final round of the season set to be a massive match. Imperials have started to get some game into their younger players and are being rewarded for it. Dom Thompson, Ryan Bosch and debutant Hunter Dunstan took four of the six wickets to fall in this game. With no chance of playing finals, it now gives opportunity to these players who will be crucial for the future success of the club. IT was a dark day for Gormandale, as Rovers kept their finals chances alive with a huge 164 run thrashing. Rovers won the toss at Stoddart Oval, and from ball one were on top of the Tigers, getting off to a quick start of 2/52. Rovers continued to play their shots and the Tigers bowlers just couldn’t adjust their lengths, allowing the likes of Liam Little (40) and Dougal Williams (76) to free their arms and make use of the very quick outfield. Gormandale got themselves back into the contest with a lucky non-strikers end run out of Dougal Williams, and then the quick wickets of Ewan Williams and Olly Mason. The momentum they built was then thwarted by dropping Lachlan Patterson on eight, who then went on to make a hard-hitting 62, taking the game completely away from Gormandale as Rovers finished their innings 8/271. Gormandale started their innings horribly, and were 3/18 in quick time. Matt Hibbs and Campbell Peavey applied themselves and put on a partnership of 57 before Peavey was dismissed for 18. Hibbs would go on to continue to score, but he had no assistance from the other end as wickets fell quickly, thanks mainly to Simon Duff who ended up taking 5/17 for his efforts. Gormandale were eventually bowled out in just the 23rd over for 107, with Hibbs finishing on 57 from 51 balls. As mentioned above, Rovers now sit three points behind Toongabbie on the ladder, but with the bye coming and a match against Ex Students, they will need results to go their way a little and hope they are still only a few points behind Toongabbie when they meet them in the final round of the season. Gormandale have shown their best is good enough to win games and win them well, but their worst is the worst in the competition. With games against Ex Students, Toongabbie and Glengarry to come, its imperative they work hard and build on something to take into next season. GLENGARRY had the bye. B Grade THE top-of-the-table clash in B Grade ended up with Ex Students taking out the honours against Yarram District. The Sharks made 158 as Michael Stockdale top-scored with 37. Yarram District just couldn’t get going in the run chase, and were bowled out for 124. Damien Quigley made 39 to lead the Pelicans. The best bowler for Ex Students was Chris Potalej with 3/16, while for the Pelicans, Ben Layton claimed 4/28. Gormandale showed a bit of fight but ended up losing to Rovers, with the latter chasing down 144, losing six wickets in the process. Brendan Peavey did all he could for the Tigers, making 88 and taking 3/23, but it was young Ben Nicholls who stole the show, making an unbeaten 50 to win the game for his club. Premiership favourite Imperials got a wake-up call from Toongabbie. Imps were bowled out for 123 chasing 209. A Matt Whitechurch masterclass took place as he made 41 and then took 5/21 from eight overs. Imperials best batsman was Trent Paulet with 21, while for the bowlers, Jordan Anderson claimed 4/44. C Grade EX Students solidified top spot in C Grade, smashing 7/227 thanks mainly to Paul Richards who made 107. In reply, Glengarry could only muster 162. Benjamin Clark tried his best, top-scoring with 48, while young gun Lucas Richards took 3/16, which now has the 15-year-old third on the C Grade wicket takers list for this season. Imperials were overtaken by Rovers on the ladder. In a thriller, Rovers made 122 batting first, with Ricky Martin making 29 and Daniel Morris claiming 2/2. It proved to be enough though, as Imperials were bowled out for 103. Martin completed a superb all-round match, claiming 3/19 with the ball.
