Dismissed for 65, Cranbourne rallies to win a stunning DDCA Turf 1 grand final

CRANBOURNE has pulled off a miraculous recovery to defeat Springvale South in an enthralling DDCA Turf 1 grand final at Keysborough.

Dandenong Dandenong CA: Springvale South v Cranbourne 2nd Innings

THE Steve Spoljaric legend grows.

The champion all-rounder yesterday led Cranbourne to an improbable DDCA Turf 1 grand final victory over a gallant Springvale South at Keysborough.

Bowled out for 65 in their first innings, Cranny pulled off a reverse outright, running down 161 inside 27 overs.

It was an epic finish to an epic match, one of the greatest in Dandenong cricket’s history.

Eagles back from the dead

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Sending out Brayden Roscoe and Stuart Plunkett to open in the chase on Sunday afternoon, Cranbourne started slowly, but got cracking when champion pair Spoljaric and Matt Chasemore came together.

RELATED: Matt Chasemore wins Wookey Medal in first season back at Cranbourne

Cranny wanted 89 off the last 10 overs, then 48 off six.

Spoljaric caught fire, taking to Nathan King and clouting 61 off 41 balls before playing on to Craig Slocombe.

But Wookey Medal winner Chasemore saw the Eagles home, and to their first Turf 1 premiership in 25 years.

Chasemore brought up his half-century with a six, the winning runs with a boundary and was 59 not out.

Hard to believe, but the Eagles had nine balls to spare, and success-starved Cranny supporters surged on to the ground to celebrate. They made for wondrous scenes.

Springvale South had been knocked over for 138 on day one, but grabbed control of the match through paceman Jarrod Armitage.

The speedster captured 7-20 off 16.4 overs as Cranny fell for 65.

But the Bloods themselves collapsed, being rolled for 87, Cranbourne leggie Cam Dinger (6-43 off 16 overs) giving a brilliant exhibition of spin bowling.

He received the Damian Fleming Medal as man-of-the-match.

The Bloods won the toss on Saturday and had no hesitation in batting, but Martin Kelly made the early breakthrough for Cranny, claiming Nathan King caught behind.

King was soon joined back in the sheds by Harry Staude, who failed to score after Spoljaric found the edge of his bat, presenting Jordan Cleland with another scalp.

Dylan Quirk started brightly but played a loose shot and was also caught behind. While this was going on, former Test man Michael Vandort watched from the nonstriker’s end.

Vandort was joined by Slocombe and the pair steadied before Slocombe (21) pulled a long hop from Chasemore to square leg.

Armitage and Tim Ford came and went, as Vandort played a restrained solo hand.

He reached a patient half-century before, out of nowhere, he holed out for 58. He faced 176 balls, hitting four to the fence and one over it. The Bloods innings was soon wrapped up for 138.

Martin Kelly and Dinger both returned 3-24, with Spoljaric and Chasemore each taking two wickets for the cock-a-hoop Eagles.

But in the 17 overs before stumps Cranny crashed to 5-23 as Armitage charged through. Spoljaric survived and on Sunday Cranbourne’s hopes rested with the champion.

He saw Armitage get Plunkett (12), Cleland (2) and Dinger (2). And then, on 20, Spoljaric himself departed, nicking a lifter from King.

The end for Cranbourne came when Cam Kelly was caught behind, Armitage again the bowler.

But, spun out by Dinger, the Bloods couldn’t bat out the day, leaving the door ajar for Cranny.

They burst through it to win the most exciting and absorbing Turf 1 decider.

Meanwhile Dingley’s meteoric rise through the grades is complete after it upset Keysborough to win the Turf 2 flag and earn a shot in the top grade of the DDCA.

It has been a mighty rise by the Dingoes. They were only promoted to Turf 2 from Turf 3 during the winter after an invitation by the league, despite not winning the Turf 3 premiership last season.

The undefeated Keysborough’s biggest vulnerability — its batting — again let it down on the biggest stage. It was the second week in a row its batsmen failed under the most intense pressure.

After miraculously winning with a reverse outright last week in the semi-final against St Mary’s, the Burra batsmen again failed to fire.

They were all out for only 116 not long after the tea interval. Only Shakeel Ahmad (48) could hold his head high.

Dingley pacemen Andrew Dalby was the wrecker with 4-30.

With 41 overs remaining in the day, the Dingoes’ top-order needed only to stay cool to set up the victory. That was done despite the early loss of a wicket and they headed to stumps at 5-98, with only 19 more needed to secure the historic moment. They continued on to 6-178 on Sunday.

In Turf 3, 13-year-old Jono D’Rozario starred as Buckley Ridges denied Beaconsfield a premiership in its first season in the DDCA.

Jono and his father and Buckley veteran Shane D’Rozario (74) sharing a 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

It took Buckley from 8-132 to a competitive 182 and left both with treasured memories.

Tigers coach Dylan Freitag led from the front with 4-47 from 24 overs.

But the Tigers fell for 168 in the chase, with young Jono snaring 5-56 off 21 overs.

In Turf 4, Springvale earned promotion by defeating Lynbook outright.

Shane D’Rosario with his son Jono enjoy the spoils of a Turf 3 premiership. Picture: Supplied

GRAND FINAL SCORES

Turf 1: Cranbourne 65 (J Armitage 7/20) and 5-163 (S Spoljaric 61, M Chasemore 59*, C Slocombe 2-30) d Springvale South 138 (M Vandort 58 M Kelly 3-24 C Dinger 3-24 M Chasemore 2-29 S Spoljaric 2-30) and 87 C Dinger (6-44).

Turf 2: Dingley 6-178 (S Tutton 57* D Fitch 38* T Sawers 26 Y Kumara 3-27 G de Silva 2/31) d Keysborough 116 (S Ahmad 48 A Dalby 4-30 S Tutton 2-8).

Turf 3: Buckley Ridges 188 (S D’Rozario 74 S Ali 26 D Freitag 4-47 J Beets 2-26) d Beaconsfield 168 (AW Bunnell 39 M Golding 38 G Marinic 26 G Perera 25 J D’Rozario 5-56 TK Burke 3-12).

Turf 4: Springvale 139 (T Harsha 35 P Madushan 27 SJ Veal 4/22 J Walia 3-29 J Webb 2-48) and 170 (T Harsha 47*) def Lynbrook 63 (S Rajapakse 3-12 MF Weeding 3-21 SM Lindsay 2-11 R Sahota 2-14) and 126.