APS cricket: Xander Buxton, Jaxon Binns, Jake Rothnie and Noah Guida hit centuries

Haileybury newcomer Dinal Gamage fell one run short of a century in a round when bat dominated ball.

Haileybury College Dinal Gamage with his parents and teammate Zac Grech.

It was a round for batsmen in APS cricket.

There were four centuries – including two for Caulfield Grammar players – a score of 99 and some tall totals on Friday and Saturday.

Runs were particularly in abundance at St Kevin’s College, where the hosts put in a mighty chase to top Haileybury College.

They piled up 8-356 in reply to 8-355, with opener Oliver Garlick (77) and No 4 Liam McCashin (74) scoring half-centuries and No 10 Dante Tomarchio slapping 57 not out off only 51 balls to take his team through to victory.

Tomarchio hit 8 fours and 1 six.

Throw in his bowling performance of 4-76 off 19 overs and he had an outstanding match.

Haileybury opener Dinal Gamage, on debut in the First XI, was run out for 99.

Gamage, who played in Ormond’s VSDCA John Craig Shield premiership last season, faced 173 balls and laced 12 fours and 1 six.

He and Zac Grech (75) put on 139 for the first wicket, and Xavier McGrath put more pressure on the bowlers with a hand of 85 not out, with 12 boundaries.

Caulfield Grammar pair Jaxon Binns and Jake Rothnie both his centuries as their team got the better of Brighton Grammar.

Binns, who is also playing Premier Cricket at Melbourne, sped to 113 of 95 balls, putting away 18 fours and 2 sixes.

Rothnie, who came through Port Melbourne Cricket Club, came in at No 7 and hit 100 not out off 139 deliveries, with 11 fours and 2 sixes.

CG clocked up 6-274 (dec) in reply to Brighton Grammar’s 188. Callum Heath’s 84 was the home teams’ best innings by some distance.

Alexander Buxton was in mint form for Melbourne Grammar, cracking 153 against Scotch College.

Buxton, regarded as one of the state’s most promising batsmen, shared a 175-run partnership with a patient Will Gilmore (52) and hit 21 fours and 3 sixes.

It lifted MG to 289. Scotch was all out for 230, with Luca Van Der Sluys unbeaten on 91.

Nick Sharpin took four more wickets for the Melbourne team.

Carey Grammar pinned a first defeat on Geelong Grammar, which was eight runs short of its target of 250.

The Geelong team lost Charlie Calvert (0), Henry Melville (0) and Oliver Peake (1) and Alexander Hatzoglou (0) to crash to 4-5, but rallied through the likes of Thomas Neate (44), Marley McCombe (77) and Oliver Hollands (63).

In the end the middle and lower-orders were left with too much to do.

Opening bowlers Jack Lyndon and Ben Oppy both took three wickets for Carey, which had Charlie Grummitt (78), Finn Peake (54) and Jamie Shepherd (76) in the runs.

Dan Hawker claimed 5-40 for Geelong Grammar.

Geelong College’s Noah Guida crafted an unbeaten 102 off 183 balls as his team hit 5-214 in reply to Wesley College’s 195.

Guida, who had earlier opened the bowling for the Geelong side, hit 15 fours in a 288-minute stay.

Archie Bain led the Geelong College bowling effort with 4-28 off 13.3 overs.