South East Cricket Association – Longmuir Shield Round SF – Sat 4 Mar 2023 (12:30 PM), Sun 5 Mar 2023 (12:30 PM)
East Sandringham 1 def Bentleigh Uniting 1
The game began with East Sandringham 1 taking on Bentleigh Uniting 1 in the semi-final of the Longmuir Shield. East Sandringham’s innings started off strong, with J Munnings scoring a fifty, alongside *C Diggle and B Pryor. These top order batters provided a major contribution to their team’s total. M Harris contributed with a quick 40 off 39 balls before being bowled out by A Sheriff.
The partnership between C Diggle and J Munnings, worth 168 runs, further solidified East Sandringham’s position in the game. C Diggle was later dismissed leg before by B De Alwis after a well-played innings of 69 off 102 balls. J Munnings was eventually caught by C Short off B De Alwis’ bowling, but not before scoring a commendable 74 off 198 balls. B Pryor remained not out on 57 from just 70 balls, with HJ Ryan also unbeaten on 1.
At the end of the first innings, East Sandringham 1 had put up a competitive total of 280 runs, losing only 6 wickets in the process. A Sheriff and B De Alwis were the top bowlers from the Bentleigh Uniting team, claiming three and two wickets respectively, in their attempt to suppress their opposition’s strong batting lineup.
As Bentleigh Uniting began their innings in pursuit of a 280-run target, they faced a strong bowling attack from East Sandringham. Despite C James and C Cathcart opening the innings with some resistance, scoring 15 and 37 respectively, the top order batters could not make a significant impact on the scoreboard. The team needed a fighter, and *L Russell stepped up, scoring an impressive 67, while maintaining partnerships worth 129 runs. M Silva also chipped in with 28 runs to help steady the innings.
Unfortunately, these efforts were not enough, as Bentleigh Uniting fell short by 50 runs, with their innings ending at 230. HJ Ryan, B Gunawardena, and J Munnings from East Sandringham’s bowling attack made sure to restrict their opponent’s chances of victory, as they claimed two, three, and three wickets respectively. The standout partnership between *L Russell and M Silva, worth 39 runs, provided hope for Bentleigh Uniting, but the strong bowling performance from their opposition proved too challenging.
Ultimately, East Sandringham 1’s stronger performance across both batting and bowling sealed their victory in this exciting semi-final encounter. As the dust settled, both teams could reflect on their individual contributions and learn from the game to better prepare for
future challenges. For East Sandringham, the top-order batters’ ability to rapidly score runs influenced their victory, while the bowling unit’s consistent performance kept the pressure on Bentleigh Uniting throughout the game.
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