DDCA: Parkmore Pirates win thrilling Turf 2 grand final over HSD
Parkmore has won its first premiership since 2005-06 after holding out HSD in a tense Turf 2 grand final. And Doveton is flying the Turf 3 flag.
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The Pirates are back on the high seas – or at least the highest grade – of the Dandenong District Cricket Association.
Parkmore Pirates earned promotion to Turf 1 after winning an absorbing Turf 2 grand final over HSD at Hallam Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
It was the club’s first flag since Leigh Taylor took it to victory over Coomoora in 2005-06, also in Turf 2.
The Pirates batted first, put up 6-191 off their 45 overs and held a game HSD to 187.
HSD needed eight runs off the last over and was bowled out off the second-last ball of the match.
Fast bowler Bradley Vantwest collected 5-53 off 10.5 overs and player-of-the-match Niranjen Kumar 3-34 off 12.
No 3 Johann Brohier (64), opener Ammar Bajwa (49) and Madhawa Fonseka (34no) gave the Pirates most of their runs.
Ethan French’s 69, run out, led the gallant HSD chase.
The victory led to hearty celebrations at Wachter Reserve in Keysborough on Saturday night.
The Pirates had been in Turf 2 since being relegated from Turf 1 in 2006-07.
Since they had suffered grand final losses in 2013-14, 2016-17 and 2019-20, as well as a string of semi-final defeats.
“To get over the line and clear that hurdle, it’s a massive feeling,’’ former secretary and president Harry Masson said.
He said the club was in “good nick’’ for the rise to Turf 1.
“We’ve got some really talented batsmen, some really talented bowlers and some homegrown players who are ready for the challenge.
“We’ll probably do some recruiting.
“But in the meantime we’ll enjoy this.
“It was an absolute thriller. HSD are such a young and talented side and they pushed us to the absolute brink. For us it was a really clinical performance. We didn’t drop any catches and that was the difference in the game really, the fielding. There were some screamers taken.’’
Ashwin Nash captained the Parkmore First XI.
The Pirates had four senior teams this season.
At one point the club got down to one but an influx of players from Mordialloc about 10 years ago helped rejuvenate it.
Masson singled out former president Gavin Lehmann’s contribution to Parkmore.
“The work he does behind the scenes to recruit and keep the club running, he’s been awesome.
“He’s head of cricket and technically the coach. If you need to mention one name in a story, it’s his.’’
Doveton is also celebrating a premiership after thrashing Springvale in Turf 3.
The Doves had the grand final at Lois Twohig Reserve in their keeping after batting first and clattering 6-271.
Opener Mitch Daley, recruited from Emerald, powered to 104 off 82 balls, putting away 10 sixes and 7 fours.
Semi-final hero Simon Mackie cracked 78 (6 sixes, 4 fours) and club great Ryan Hendy fired through the late overs with 64 not out off 48 balls.
The Vales lost early wickets in the run chase and never got close, falling for only 82.
Kaine Bundy grabbed 4-20, Kenny Smart 2-34, Nathan Wilson 2-17 and Hendy 2-10 as the Doves romped it in.
Doveton experienced some lean times following its relegation from Turf 1 after 2012-13.
By 2016-17 it found itself in Turf 4.
But the Doves won the Turf 4 flag in 2019-20 and are now back into Turf 2, a terrific achievement for a club proud to call itself the home of Test men James and Darren Pattinson.
In the Turf 4 grand final, a Springvale South team with veterans Andrew Sharp, Rory Ingram, Nick Bole-Brown and Gregory Scott swept aside Berwick Springs.
The team also included Mason Keatinge and Angus Cooper (sons of South stalwarts Mark and Tony), and they had both played in Dingley’s Under 16 flag on Friday night.
Mason made it a hat-trick of flags on Sunday when he figured in Berwick’s Under 16 premiership team.
Angus finished with three premiership medals too, having been part of the Dingley Under 18 side’s grand final win last month.
In Turf 1, Springvale South earned the right to play Buckley Ridges in the grand final next Saturday when it eased past its great rival Berwick at Arch Brown Reserve.
The Bloods had to top 7-153 and they did it well, reaching 3-154 with more than five overs to spare.
Openers Ryan Quirk and Mitch Forsyth set off the reply with a partnership of 44 and then Quirk (51) and Jordan Wyatt (43) carried the score to 112.
It was left to Jackson Sketcher (27no) and Blade Baxter (11no) to take the Bloods over the line.
Earlier their bowlers made early strikes, spinner Akshat Buch (2-16) and Josh Dowling (4-26) reducing the Wicks to 3-19.
The hosts rallied through Matt Robertson’s 55 and captain James Wilcock’s 36, but their total proved inadequate.
Dowling gave one of his best performances for the season, capturing 4-26 off 12 overs.
Springvale South is out to take its first Turf 1 premiership since 2010-11.
South and Buckley Ridges last met in a grand final in 2018-19 and it was an unforgettable encounter, with the Bucks totting up 5-326 and the Bloods replying with 315.
Long-time Leader DDCA scribe cam McDonnell called it the “greatest Turf 1 grand final in DDCA history’’.
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