DDCA Turf 1: Buckley Ridges on top after seeing off great rival Springvale South
The wicket of Springvale South star Jordan Wyatt turned the match Buckley Ridges’ way in a tense Turf 1 affair at Park Oval on Sunday.
South East
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Buckley Ridges and Springvale South issued a joint statement last Tuesday saying they had met to discuss “several issues’’ that had bubbled up between them.
They said they were committed to change and “moving forward together without (incident)’’.
But their great rivalry continued on the field on Sunday at Park Oval in the Round 1 catch-up fixture, and the Bucks had the best of it, winning by 23 runs.
It went with their victory over Berwick on Saturday and put them six points clear on top of the Turf 1 ladder.
On Sunday Buckley, without Slick Davies and Wes Nicholas, raised 63 and dismissed the Bloods for 140.
South crashed to 4-24 in the run chase but steadied through star Jordan Wyatt and Brayden Sharp.
Wyatt looked in mint form, at one stage easing on to the back foot and clattering the ball over cover for six. It almost took a dip into Dandenong Creek.
He hit another delivery on to the top of the nets.
But he was always quick to take singles.
As long as Wyatt was there Springvale South was going to win. But Buckley’s great spinner Matt Goodwright knocked him over as he advanced down the wicket. His 60 came off 47 boundaries and carried the clout of 6 fours and 3 sixes.
It was superb bowling from Goodwright, who claimed Sharp (29) too and finished with 2-18 off seven overs.
Buckley finished off the Bloods through left-arm spinner Sanka Dinesh, whose 3-31 off 10.5 overs included the wicket of South captain Paul Hill, who pressed forward to a ball that appeared to hit bat and pad and then rolled on to his stumps.
Shivam Patel (3-48) made early strikes and caught the eye with his easy action and pace.
A Buckley junior, he’s had injuries, but he looks a prospect.
Bloods paceman Josh Dowling (4-36 off 11.4 overs) had a good match too. But Buckley’s former international Mahela Udawatte played a stroke-filled knock of 72 off 72 balls, with 8 fours and 2 sixes, and with veteran Troy Aust (38) gave the home team something to defend.
Udawatte was in the runs on Saturday too, hitting 59 as Buckley Ridges mustered 5-235 against a Berwick team missing injured pair Andrew Perrin and Matt Chasemore. Zafar Sheik made 63 off 86 balls and captain Ben Wright 39.
Berwick lost early wickets and never got close, being all out for 158. Paceman Hussain Ali did most of the damage with 5-53 off 11 overs. Patel grabbed 3-9 off six.
Narre South had two wins on the weekend too to jump into the top four at the expense of reigning premier Hallam Kalora Park.
The Lions put in a grand run chase on Sunday, hitting 7-196 in reply to the Hawks’ 7-195. Morteza Ali (49), Kaushalya Weeraratne (37), Vineth Jayasuriya Arachige (44) and Kirk Dickson (20) all contributed as the home team won with an over to spare.
Sachith Jayasingha (3-28 off 10) did his best to keep the Hawks in it.
Narre South (5-97) also stocked away points on Saturday against the winless Narre Warren, which was dismissed for 96.
The Lions were 4-29 but the experienced Weeraratne took control, crunching 4 sixes in an innings of 42 not out from 27 balls.
Benny Swift (31) again led Narre’s batting effort.
He did the same on Sunday against Berwick, scoring 49 in a total of 8-147. The Bears dashed to 4-148 in 29.2 overs, Jordan Cleland, Brodie Emmett and Damith Mapa Ralalage all hitting 30.
Quickie James Wilcock nabbed 3-40 for the Wicks, lifting his wicket tally this season to 26 at 14.7.
It was a tough weekend for North Dandenong, which pushed Springvale South on Saturday and St Mary’s on Sunday but lost both matches.
TURF 1 RESULTS
SATURDAY
Narre South 5/97 KU Weeraratne 42* KL Hardy 32 J Dinger 3/21 def Narre Warren 96 BL Swift 31 JD Zietsman 3/7 KA Dickson 2/5 M Ali 2/24 at Strathaird Reserve Oval
North Dandenong 164 JI Khan 41 T Sultani 41 JL Straker 4/43 AB Buch 3/41 def by Springvale South 9/174 (cc) BA Sharp 45 BE Baxter 41 S Shah 3/36 JI Khan 2/13 S Gupta 2/46 at Lois Twohig Reserve
Berwick 158 MJ Robertson 49 JD Wilcock 45 H Ali 5/53 S Patel 3/9 S Dinesh 2/34 def by Buckley Ridges 5/235 (cc) Z Sheikh 63 ML Udawatte 59 BJ Wright 39 JW Hobbs 27 JD Wilcock 2/55 at Arch Brown Reserve
St Mary’s 102 NT Kalumshehara 32 RM Hillard 3/26 LG Booth 2/5 W Whyte 2/16 UI Hettige 2/18 def by Hallam Kalora Park4/103 K Niranjana 2/11 at Carroll Reserve
SUNDAY
North Dandenong 9/173 (cc) AN Heldt 48* JI Khan 43 C Roberts 3/18 D Vimukthi 3/35 KG Fernandez 2/50 def by St Mary’s7/178 NT Kalumshehara 43 W Pires 36* J Kari 35 S Sadiq 3/47 at Lois Twohig Reserve
Berwick 4/148 (cc) J Cleland 30 B Emmett 30 DG Mapa Ralalage 30* J Dinger 2/38 def Narre Warren 8/147 (cc) BL Swift 49 JD Wilcock 3/40 NA Shirt 2/24 at Arch Brown Reserve
Buckley Ridges 163 ML Udawatte 72 TD Aust 38 J Dowling 4/36 AB Buch 2/19 BE Baxter 2/45 def Springvale South140 JN Wyatt 61 BA Sharp 29 S Dinesh 3/31 S Patel 3/48 M Goodwright 2/18 at Park Oval
Narre South 7/196 (cc) M Ali 49 VD Jayasuriya Arachchige 44 KU Weeraratne 37 S Jayasingha 3/28 J Hammond 2/34 RM Hillard 2/53 def Hallam Kalora Park7/195 (cc) M Cox 53 K Kean 38 LG Booth 29 JD Zietsman 3/60 at Strathaird Reserve Oval
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