Rousing wins for Ormond, Brighton in Subbies qualifying finals

Fifteen-year-old Henry Pearson played a gem of an innings to steer the Tonners past Malvern in a tense finish.

Brighton sings the song after defeating Malvern.

Oakleigh prevailed. Caulfield wobbled. Brighton and Ormond thrived.

And Malvern and Box Hill bombed in a tension-charged round of qualifying finals in the Sub-District south-east section today.

It made for surprising semi-final match-ups next Saturday, with the Tonners, after running down Malvern’s 4-212 at the City Oval, to host Ormond, which toppled Caulfield at Caulfield Park, making 6-146 in reply to 144.

The Fielders must now play Oakleigh at Warrawee Park, where the Oaks swept past Box Hill.

Caulfield was left to curse its failure to bat out its 40 overs.

With Jacob Thorne and Jono Aikins at the creases the home team got to 100 three wickets down and could contemplate a 160-plus total.

But a brilliant catch on the boundary from man-of-the-match Tom Buchanan removed Thorne for 35 and Aikins was bowled by Buchanan for 21.

Aside from a cameo from Dale Denny (19, with 3 sixes) – and even as the Monders dropped catches that should have been taken – the lower-order folded like a beach chair as Buchanan pocketed 4-11 from four overs.

James Wild took 3-31 off five overs and quickie Blade Baxter 2-16 off eight, scalping openers Josh Agar and David Tantsis-Hall.

Brighton captain Ricky Damiano praises 15-year-old Henry Pearson after the match.

The Monders got a bit jittery in the late overs of the run chase, but captain and opener Ben Speake saw it through, hitting 62 not out off 124 balls.

Buchanan went in at No 3 and clouted 52 off 51 balls, with 3 fours and 2 sixes.

A couple of blows from Baxter (11no) took Ormond to a stirring victory.

At nearby Malvern, Brighton gave a rousing rendition of its club song after overhauling a testing target, six wickets down.

The Tonners were 5-192 off 37 overs but 15-year-old Henry Pearson turned it his team’s way with three boundaries in the 38th over, two of them with creamy cover drives. Oh yeah, the boy can play.

Three wides in the 39th over were a bonus for Brighton and Cal Rayner finished off the Roosters with a blast for four over mid-off.

Captain Ricky Damiano top scored with 72 (giving him 643 runs for the season), going to his half-century with a six over cover. He cleared the fence twice more but holed out to Alex Ross off the bowling of offie Tim Arbon (3-26 off eight overs).

No 4 Rob Salerni hit 41, and openers Brenton Murphy and Charith Cooray established firm footing in the pursuit with an opening partnership of 47.

It meant Tom Rickarby’s 96 not out off only 86 balls was a superb hand played in vain for Malvern.

He put away 6 fours and 5 sixes, and Randy Pathirana (34no off 20) gave the Roosters a flourishing finish too.

Veteran left-arm paceman Justin Butterfield was immaculate for Brighton with 1-20 off eight overs and young Pearson turned out six overs at a cost of only 21.

“An unbelievable win. I knew we could do it,’’ Damiano fizzed.

“We went hard early, we controlled the middle part and then those wickets in hand at the end got us home.’’

He called Pearson “an absolute class act’’.

At Oakleigh, left-arm spinner Jack Blyth finished off Box Hill with 4-14 off seven overs as the visitors fell for 76 in reply to 9-163.

Opening pair Mick Splatt (2-12 off eight) and Alexander Jones (2-17 off six) cut through with the new ball, as they invariably do. It’s not the reason they call Splatt “Jex’’ but it could serve as a reasonable explanation.

The Oaks had been in early trouble, losing the Pearson brothers cheaply, but Graeme Vimpani (39) and Brendan McGuinness (43) steadied them. John O’Keefe chipped in with 22 as the hosts moved past 160.

Hayden Rayner, Sam Kimbert and Muhammad Saeed each took two wickets for Box Hill but its batting couldn’t match the Oakleigh bowling.