Bloodhounds Clinch Thriller, Upset at Dendy Park - CSB Mens Round 5 Recap
Round 5 of the CSB Mens competition continued over the weekend, and as we move closer to the Christmas break, the ladder is heating up in all grades.
After another tightly fought round of Championship Division cricket, last years Grand Finalists South Caulfield and Beaumaris have emerged as the ladder leaders, with Bonbeach and Mordialloc hot on their tails.
Beaumaris hosted Bentleigh at Oak Street in what had the early makings of Match of the Round. This was far from the case with the home side easily accounting for the visitors.
Batting first, sent in by Bentleigh, Beaumaris made the most of the opportunity afforded to them by their opponents and posted a total of 3/230 off their 40 overs. Coming off a half century last week, star player Sam Coates was able to control the innings from start to finish, with an unbeaten 124* off 107 balls. Lachie Fryer (49 off 69) also contributing.
In response, Bentleigh were only able to reach 143, dismissed in the 39th over. Openers Will Avery (2/18 off 7) and Ben Earney (2/23 off 8) were able to strangle the Demons early, adding immense pressure with the wicket of Ciccarella for naught. Chris Hall (4/19 off 8) was the pick of the bowlers, with his spell pushing the visitors well beyond winning contention.
Bonbeach continued their strong start to the season with a relatively comfortable win over Carnegie at Shark Park. Batting first the Sharks were able to post a total of 9/218, with Jack Bailey (78 off 97) and Akila Lakshan (47 off 49) inflicting the brunt of the damage.
In reply, Carnegie fell to 4/38, and despite a middle order fightback led by Tarun Rabari (50 off 58) and Vinay Tripathi (31 off 40), the visitors were dismissed for 175 in the 36th over. Once again, recruit Harley Dale was damaging with the new ball, picking up the first four wickets and finishing with 4/35 of 8.
In the Match of the Round, Mordialloc were able to pip Murrumbeena at the post to claim a win that will have huge ladder implications as we move towards the break.
Batting first, Murrumbeena struggled to build momentum right through their innings, losing regular wickets and failing to capitalize on any partnership starts. The visitors were eventually dismissed for 139 in the 38th over, with Xavier Ross (23 off 43) top scoring in the top order. Wickets were shared by the Mordialloc bowlers, with Matt Campbell taking the lions share with 4/38.
Murrumbeena were able to turn their luck around, coming out firing to bring Mordialloc to 7/54 and 8/88 in their chase. The Bloodhounds needed a savior, and Insaf Iqbal answered the call, steering his team home in the last over with a match winning 53*. Iqbal was able to build partnerships with the lower order batsmen and steal the win from Murrumbeena’s grip.
What makes the win even more special is that it came in Skipper Nick Connellan’s 250th game for the club.
South Caulfield continued their unbeaten start to the season, dominating Hampton at home in a 9-wicket victory.
Batting first, Hampton was unable to build upon starts, falling all out for a total of 157. Jarrod Munday (26) and Will Bowden (28) were the only Seahorses to reach the 20’s. Lachlan Mahon (4/41 off 8) again led South Caulfield’s attack, finishing with his second four-wicket haul of the season.
In response, South Caulfield was clinical, reaching the target in the last over for the loss of one wicket. Bradley Erasmus (66 off 103) and Lewis Mildenhall (80 off 109) showed poise and control, steering the home side to a resounding win.
Beaumaris and South Caulfield meet each other this upcoming round, in a mouthwatering Grand Final rematch.
In Division 1, Parkdale were able to secure their first win of the season, while Brighton District were able to upset ladder leader Mckinnon announce themselves on the competition.
Mentone managed to secure the points against Parkdale United, In a contest that ran a little closer than what was expected. Batting first, the home side were able to build strong partnerships and reach a total of 5/207 from their 40 overs. Recruit Comrey Edgeworth (84 off 82) was again a main contributor, along with proven Performers Dane Heverin (41 off 32) and Simon Cormie (46 off 87).
The Pythons were able to mount a strong case, but the continuous loss of wickets proved to be their Achilles heel, falling all out for 190 in the 38th over. Tymko (48) and Marsh (36) top scored for the visitors, who will go into next weeks matchup against Dingley with the confidence and learnings from their Round 5 clash with the premiership favorites.
Brighton District were able to cement themselves as a contender in this years race, with a win against ladder leaders Mckinnon.
Batting first, Brighton District gave us a glimpse at their middle order depth, with Paul Gould (49 off 19) and Scott Gordan (34 off 58) leading the way to a defendable total of 8/185. Wade King picked up 3/12 off 5 for the visitors.
In reply, the Heat fell 10 runs short of their target, dismissed for 175 in the last over. Lee Weiss (59 off 72) led the chase for Mckinnon, supported by Tiron Fernando (37 off 31) in the lower order. Strike bowler Tom Williamson (3/30 off 8) was able to claim his first multiple-wicket haul of the season. He has been down on form but will be a vital asset in the Dragons 2021/22 campaign.
Parkdale secured their first win of the season against St Brigids St Louis, with a 10-wicket win at home.
Winning the toss and batting first, St Brigids St Louis started well, reaching 89 before the first wicket. It was all downhill from there, as the Saints lost regular wickets to stumble to 152, leaving 5 overs out in the middle. Openers Mark Jamieson (58 off 50) and Jeremy Heys (37 off 47) were the best with the bat, but lacked support from the middle and lower order. Ab Das bowled superb, claiming 3/28 off his 8 overs, featuring two maidens.
The Two Blues looked unphased in their chase, reaching the target in the 25th without losing a wicket. Ab Das (82 off 74) and Dale Elmi (65 off 76) were in control the whole innings, both finishing with unbeaten half centuries in the teams first win for the year.
In another close encounter, Dingley were able to fight off Clayton District to secure an important win.
Batting first, Dingley again demonstrated their ability to make big scores, reaching 7/220 off their 40 overs. The Dingoes top four all got starts, but only Brody Balfour went on with his, top scoring for the home side with 87 off 101.
Clayton District were certainly up for the chase, starting with an opening partnership of 107 courtesy of Prabhjot Singh (88 off 51) and Kevin Harris (61 off 94). The Clays lost two clumps of wickets at pivotal times, which stemmed the flow of runs, as they ultimately fell just seven runs shy of victory. The wickets were shared by the Dingoes bowling unit, with Owen Chugg the most economical with 2/27 off 8.
Division 2
Cheltenham 9/163 (L Wintle 4, M McCalum 3/33) def South Caulfield 117 (J Cull, L Wintle 4/15)
Middle Park 9/173 (C Fagan 53, F Shehan 4/51) def Chelsea 131 R Julicher 26, T Jeffrey 4/19)
Bentleigh 10/142 (A McInnes 31, M Sullivan 3/7) def by Aspendale 8/205 (B O’Hanlon 58, F Webster 36*, S Booth 4/48)
Carnegie 3/250 (A Suresh 117, L Middag 52*) def Bayside 7/210 (H Bean 76, R Balasubramanyam 2/25)
Batting Performances of the Week
Sam Coates (Beaumaris) 124* vs Bentleigh (Championship Division)
Arvind Suresh (Carnegie) 117 vs Bayside (Division 2)
Jared Williams (Murrumbeena) vs Mordialloc (Division 3)
Bowling Performances of the Week
Zac hart (Chelsea) 8/5 vs Bonbeach (One Day D3 Sunday)
Liam Griffiths (Beaumaris) 6/7 vs Port Melbourne (One Day D3 Sunday)
Bilendra Gunawardena (Bonbeach) 6/10 vs South Caulfield (One Day D2 Sunday)