CRICKET

CRICKET LATROBE VALLEY

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT and LIAM DURKIN

 

A Grade

FINE tuned by the end of the season.

Only three days remain in the home-and-away schedule of Cricket Latrobe Valley A Grade, and with weather disruptions throughout the weekend, most sides batting first remained in by the end of Day 1.

 

Imperials lead Latrobe by 183 runs

AS Imperials march towards finals after a momentary lapse during the course of the season, no one below seems to be able to catch them off guard.

While Imperials entered the match against Latrobe at Catterick Crescent three games adrift from top-seeded Churchill, locked into second-place, there’s still much to take out of the last two rounds – including dissolving one of the other clubs eyeing finals.

Winning the toss, the Sharks made the bold decision to field.

Given opener Tom Starkey (69) and Brett Chapman (96 not out) gained a 148-run partnership almost instantaneously made the Sharks contemplate their choice.

Starkey was finally claimed by Sam Wilson, but Imperials still remain during first innings at 3/183.

 

Churchill lead Willow Grove by 156 runs

SITTING in the driver’s seat as we head towards postseason play, Churchill continue to look undeniable.

At Andrews Park West against Willow Grove, the Cobras settled at 5/156 by stumps – again looking worlds apart from every single one of their counterparts due to their depth and bravado.

Ben Kearns opened with 27 off 62 balls before being subdued by the Wolves’ Luke Payton, while Ric Velardi retired on 21.

Further down the line is where Churchill began to make waves through the combination of skipper Ryan Ayres (43) and John Keighran (50).

The two lasted 25 overs for a total of 92 runs between them before Payton caught Keighran off the efforts of Darcy Walsh.

An over later, Ayres succumbed also just prior to stumps as Matt Harvey and Steve Warr got through to the close.

Payton has taken 2/51, Walsh 1/48 and Joshua Hammond 1/2.

 

Traralgon West lead Mirboo North by 115 runs

A BUMPY road this season to say the least, Traralgon West have made strides in the final lengths of their campaign.

After experiencing a tie in the opening weeks of the season and unable to pick up a victory until Round 7 – they’ve shown some fight recently against a difficult line-up of opponents.

Playing Mirboo North on their home turf, the Eagles went through north of 30 overs in Day 1, making 115 only one down.

Captain Hayden Kimpton opened the day undeterred, getting to the 50-mark with relative ease, adding plenty of fours and sixes.

Fellow opener Matt Griffiths was subdued with just 15 off 78 balls before being caught and bowled by Darien Mathews.

Kimpton (76) remains in alongside Tim Fitch (12 not out).

 

Gormandale lead Rovers by 78 runs

GORMANDALE sat as the only side across the weekend to bat and fall short before the end of Day 1.

Out at Duncan Cameron against Rovers, Gormandale were all out for just 79.

Rovers ran through the Tigers order quite comfortably, with no one but Nimesh Soyza (32) making anything of significance.

Scores were few and far in between, which was a disappointing result given Gormandale sit just a game off Rovers for third on the ladder (albeit among a number of other teams).

Skipper Ewan Williams took 3/15 including six maidens and Lachlan Patterson 3/17.

Rovers lasted 2.5 overs before stumps and will resume at 0/1.

 

Premier A Grade

ROUND 13 reverts to one dayers after all matches were washed out last weekend. Therefore, the maximum number of points any team can achieve is four.

With two rounds to go, the race to secure a home final is still mathematically alive, although Glengarry holds a 10 point lead at the top of the ladder.

First plays second this weekend when the Magpies travel to Traralgon to face Ex Students.

Morwell, in third, will trail the Sharks by just one point if the Tigers beat Moe this weekend and Ex Students loses to Glengarry.

The Tigers could then potentially pinch second spot and a home final in the last round if it outrights Raiders, who are fighting relegation (Ex Students will be favoured to defeat Moe).

Raiders (seventh) are on 17 points, four points adrift from their nearest challenger and this weekend’s opponent Toongabbie.

Fourth-placed Centrals rescued their season last round with a reverse outright, and can stave off Moe (in fifth) by beating bottom side CATS this Saturday.

If that happens, and provided Morwell beat Moe, the Traralgon-based Lions will go to 35 points, and be first innings points (essentially one game) clear of the Moe-based Lions with one round to play.

Centrals’ destiny could then be in their own hands when they play Toongabbie (who are just about out of finals contention) in the last round.

It will never happen, but this writer maintains there are reasonable grounds to play the last home-and-away round as one dayers.

Results in the last round often determine if teams play finals or not, and most veteran local cricketers would be able to reel off any number of stories involving teams and juicy Day 2 decks in this situation.

 

Premier B Grade (Round 15): Glengarry 1/43 def Traralgon West 42 (A Hodson 4/13, P Henry 4/20, T Duncan 2/3); Toongabbie 1/71 (J Love 51*) drew with Morwell (washed out); CATS 3/79 (C Beaver 37*) def Mirboo North 77 (M Anthofer 2/4, J Bellingham 2/10, J Motta 2/10); Jeeralang-Boolarra drew with Ex Students (washed out); Thorpdale drew with Churchill (washed out).

B Grade (Round 18): Centrals 3/53 (D Rode 26*, A Van Zuyden 2/17) def Rovers 51 (B Ould 3/6, J Downs 2/12, J Donovan 2/15); Latrobe 197 (N Brewer 51, R Hebbard 45, G Hebbard 37, M Whitney 3/36, D Farmer 2/32, J Atkinson 2/36) washed out vs Moe 5/148 (M Johnstone 53*, R Duncan 2/28); Raiders drew with Imperials (washed out); Gormandale drew with Willow Grove (washed out).

Premier C Grade (Round 14): Ex Students 3/89 (J Robertson 36) def Centrals 86 (T Poursanidis 44*, T Kosterman 4/18, D Millington 3/11); Rovers drew with Morwell (washed out); Mirboo North 1/12 drew with Moe (washed out); Glengarry 3/58 (J Ponnattu John 25*) drew with Toongabbie (washed out); Imperials – BYE.

C Grade (Round 14): Raiders 9/129 (K Hutchinson 64*, M Metcalfe 3/23, J Wiseman 2/20) drew with Rawson 0/9 (washed out); Willow Grove drew with Latrobe (washed out); Churchill drew with Jeeralang-Boolarra (washed out); Gormandale drew with Imperials (washed out); Traralgon West – BYE.

Under 16s (Round 11 – Day 1): Willow Grove 136 (J Keily 73*, D van der Stoep 32, S Blines 3/13) vs Raiders; Ex Students 228 (D Smith 45, R Conway 44, F Graham 40, L Henry 25, C Howlett 2/21) vs Centrals; Moe 3/148 (T Duff 36) vs Morwell-Latrobe; Gormandale-Rovers vs Toongabbie (no score supplied); Glengarry – BYE.

Women’s Championship (Round 15 – PINK STUMPS ROUND): Mirboo North 0/67 def Rovers 5/66 (S Minster 16, S Brown 14, R Francis 2/19); Ex Students 6/80 (R Adams 20*, J Langstaff 19, C Wilkie 2/5) def Morwell 5/78 (A George 14, C Mayberry 14); Raiders vs Willow Grove (no score supplied).

Women’s Premier (Round 15): Imperials 2/107 (K Morley 30*, A Murtagh 30*, P Wheeler 16*) def Churchill 7/44 (A Hodson 3/4); Latrobe 4/60 (J Rainbow 33*, M Hayes 15, T Williamson 2/14) def Centrals 1/58 (L Pettie 24*, F Morrison 18*); Raiders 3/81 (Z Quinsey-Munro 29, S Blines 16) def Willow Grove 5/47 (M Donoghue 21, K Mann 14*, G Sanders 2/10, Z Quinsey-Munro 2/12).

Under 14s (Round 9, Day 2): Jeeralang-Boolarra 95 (O O’Brien 18*, C Stanton 16, O Stanton 15, J Bull 2/0, B Bremner 2/6, J Armstrong 2/8) def Gormandale-Rovers 8/83 (J Towers 23, B Fulham 20, C Stanton 3/21, S Blines 2/15); Centrals 73 (E Dissanayake 19*, N Gamage 16, A Nardone 2/3, L Walsh 2/15) def Moe 9/58 (H Boothman 17, K Morrison 4/14, N Gamage 2/1, J Poursanidis 2/8); Mirboo North 2/143 (J Calafiore 50 ret, L Chila 44*) def Morwell 4/63 (W Frankland 17*, R Teagle 2/13); Ex Students 7/217 (B Cooper 77 ret, T Churchill 55*, L Mackay 40*, J Hazelman 31, N Sallee 2/8, J Grima 2/27) def Willow Grove 159 (N Sallee 52, J Reavley 30, M Edebohls 17, H Outhart 3/5); Latrobe – BYE.