Premier Cricket: Shorye Chopra steers Kingston-Hawthorn home against Ringwood

Captain Shorye Chopra and fast bowler Zack Richardson star in Kingston-Hawthorn’s stirring run-chase win over Ringwood in Premier Cricket.

Hawks heroes Ramneet Dhindsa and Shorye Chopra.

A century in vain last week.

A century in victory on Saturday.

Kingston Hawthorn captain Shorye Chopra is a classy batsman and Victorian Premier Cricket has seen the best of him in the past two rounds.

Last week he hit 108 not out, but the Hawks (8-237) couldn’t catch Camberwell Magpies (7-247).

On Saturday he cracked 107 not out and this time his team went past its target, overhauling Ringwood’s 7-261 at Walter Galt Reserve.

What a win for the Hawks, who entered the round on the bottom of the ladder.

Chopra struck a boundary for the winning runs in the 49th over, his 10th four. He also smoked 1 six in his 115-ball innings.

“It was a wonderful captain’s knock,’’ Kingston Hawthorn coach Peter Marshall fizzed.

“Last week we didn’t get over the line. This week, chasing a few more, we did, and he ensured we got the chocolates.

“It was just so pleasing with him, because he’s a good egg and he’d been a little bit out of form and that’s not easy when you’re in charge of a developing team. It’s a big job.’’

Kingston Hawthorn bowler Zack Richardson took another four wickets. Picture: Stuart Milligan

He said the 24-year-old was on the way to fulfilling the expectations of his supporters and “constructing a really strong Premier career’’.

Before this season Chopra had scored only century from 76 matches.

The right-hander batted at No 4 on Saturday and went out with the score on 2-27.

He and veteran Ramneet Dhindsa (60 off 64 balls, 9 fours, 2 sixes) carried it to 96.

Romain Grenville chipped in with 25 and later Chopra found sturdy support from Prateek Patil, who clocked 36 not out off 24 balls.

Their partnership was worth 77, taking the Hawks through to victory.

The other notable performance came from opening bowler Zack Richardson, who has collected 12 wickets from three matches since being promoted from the seconds.

His returns are 4-26 off 10, 4-46 off nine and, against Ringwood, 4-43 off 10, with in-form Tom Rogers and star all-rounder Ian Holland two of his victims.

Richardson, 23, a medical student at Melbourne University, crossed to the Hawks with Marshall from Malvern, where he counted the great Graeme Rummans as his first Sub-District wicket.

“He’s relished his opportunities since Sacheedn Paramesh went down with injury,’’ the coach noted.

Marshall said he didn’t regard it as an upset win over Ringwood.

“Internally, we knew we weren’t far away,’’ he said.

“We made three changes to improve the team and we thought we could do OK. Premier Cricket, it’s not easy. You have to persevere and keep working hard and we’ve been chipping away. We see ourselves as a middle-of-the-ladder team, not a bottom-rung team.’’

He noted that the seconds won three wickets down, with two teenagers – Vithum Sathyajith (75no) and Prajay Paramesh (47) – leading the way.