Round Wrap - Round 6
Longmuir
After losing the toss and being asked to bowl, Hugo (2/44) and Jason (1/14) had West Bentleigh in trouble at 2 for 24. They pushed the score to 64 before 'Lurch' (2/50) had former Demon Bernie Vince well caught by Trent for 11. Wickets continued to fall until hosts got hold of our attack late to post a very competitive 7/246 off their 40 overs. Bryce also damaging with the ball, finishing with 2/38. In return, Hugo fell early before Cal and Max steadied the ship, putting on an excellent partnership of 59. When Cal (29) departed, Bryce and Trent came and went without capitalising on starts. President John 'Dial a Pom' Halliday was patting himself on the back after Maxi (57) and Shorty (40) spanked the Kookaburra to all parts of Victory Park. But in the end it was to no avail, with Wests running out 43 run winners. Sitting out of the top four on percentage at the Xmas break, the Longy boys look primed for a return to finals action.
Quiney
Opposed to traditional rival Mackie on the hallowed turf of Centenary Park, the 'twos' got off to a shaky start with the bat after losing the toss. With Mark and Harry falling early, it was left to young gun Campbell to consolidate, making a well-crafted 28. Andrew (37) and the skipper PD (27) then took up arms, pushing the score towards three figures. When the experienced duo departed, it was left to gun guns Brent (15) and Mason (14) to make important cameos in a total of 9/151. In return, Mackie never got going, with Clarky (1/5), boom youngster Daniel Ewart (3/15) and Brent (3/7) dismantling the visitors with little resistance for 69. Sitting third, a prosperous finals campaign looms for PD's men.
Thirds
After winning the toss and sending in Carnegie South, a couple of young guns stole the show of their more credentialed teammates. With a style akin to a breakdancing giraffe with ball in hand, Ethan bowled with the strut his old man Pete had at Transformers back in the day, moonwalking to the dazzling figures of 5/16 off 7.1 brilliant overs. Fresh off a devastating spell of 6/1 in the juniors the night before, Zander ripped through the top order with 2/24. Chasing just 84, the boys made light work of the assignment, with Mick Debono (27) and skipper Davo (42) getting the side home with plenty of overs to spare. Only two points adrift of top spot, silverware should be on the agenda come March.
Fourths
With skipper Britty winning the toss against arch rivals East Sandy, young guns Stilly and Rohan got the boys off to a blistering start with the bat, before the latter was tragically run out in hot form. Stilly continued to hunt the Zebra's attack, dismissed in controversial fashion for a cavalier 43. In a partnership that would have warmed everyone's heart bar young Charlie Davidson, batting with his father Davo for the first time proved to be a prosperous one. With the old man regularly giving his offspring 'advice', the pair took opposition to task, putting on a glorious 103-run stand. With East Sandy chasing an imposing 173, they were never in the hunt, bowled out for just 134. Vinod enhanced his chances of winning the comp bowling average with a masterful 5/16 off just eight overs, while Davo jnr backed up his feats with the willow with 2/26. Sitting out of the four on percentage, look out for Britty's boys after the Xmas interval.
Fifths
Travelling to Sandringham College for a showdown with the Zebras, a team mixed with seasoned veterans and impressive young guns did their best to contain the hosts on a small and quick deck. Monty was the best of the bowlers with an economical 2/12, while Sean Gleeson (0/23) and Allan Ernst (0/35) were also impressive. Faced with chasing 161, the boys never got going, with only stalwarts Simon (16), Jonno (15) and Monty (24) forcing the scorers to sharpen their pencils. The pressure is set to be ramped on lower-grade specialist James Bruce after he run out gun wicketkeeper-Batsman Dougy Clowes. This unsavoury incident comes after his part in a controversial dismissal of his nemesis Greg "shot Tim" Brisbane and his jealous outburst at Chris 'Santa' Elkins. On a more positive note, the out-of-character performance hasn't dented the third-placed outfit's confidence, with the boys vowing to come back bigger (not fatter) and better after festive season.
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