THE home stretch for the Gisborne District Cricket Association is nearing, with lower grades starting their finals this week.
In McIntyre Cup Firsts action, Romsey took first innings points against Broadford at Harley Hammond Reserve.
Aaron Paterson got the perfect start to the afternoon by trapping Jake Zerella on the third ball of the day, and it only got better for Romsey as they collected four quick wickets to leave Broadford 4/54.
James Ingham and Riley Nolan fought hard to try to get Broadford over the line with 52 and 48 respectively, but it was not enough as they were bowled out 53 runs short of Romsey’s 227.
Jamie Taylor starred for Romsey with 4/27 off 11 overs.
Romsey batted on to finish the day, finishing on 3/115, with Benjamin Way scoring 42 and Taylor Stevenson scoring 37.
The result has secured finals for Romsey, and they look set to finish third ahead of their final home-and-away game against Macedon next week.
Meantime, Broadford will finish their season with a trip to Woodend over the next fortnight.
In the Seconds competition, Romsey also scored success, scoring a 212-run win over Broadford.
Daniel Paterson took 3/32 off 16 overs, while Michael Mirabella fought hard for Broadford with 62 runs as they were bowled out for 137.
The Johnstone Shield Firsts’ battle for the minor premiership continued, with Wallan enjoying another terrific day with the bat at Greenhill Reserve.
Spencer Whittingham fell desperately short of a century with 94 runs, while Bryan Vance scored 61, and Archie Moore 60 as Wallan scored 7/340 in response to Diggers Rest’s 241.
Eastern Hill remains close behind the Magpies in second on the ladder, scoring first innings points against East Sunbury at Kings Park Reserve.
Benjamin Bryant’s six wickets and Daniel O’Sullivan’s haul of four helped the Eagles take victory, bowling East Sunbury out for 109 in response to 204.
East Sunbury then batted again, with Fraser Lewis inspired by taking 3/18 off four overs, but ultimately, the Thunder finished 4/38.
Kilmore completed their bye and face a must-win game against Eastern Hill at home to decide their fate over the next two weeks, while Wallan will travel to East Sunbury to decide their minor premiership hopes.
Brenton Hanson had a career-best day as he scored a run-a-ball 164 to help guide Wallan to their Seconds success by five wickets over Diggers Rest.
Hanson worked in tandem with Zac Bell, who scored 68, as the duo put together a 192-run partnership to anchor the innings to score 5/309 in response to Diggers’ 305.
Eastern Hill were unable to defend 262, with East Sunbury winning by three wickets.
Peter Speechley and Eric Loweke took two wickets apiece.
Lancefield will take on Riddell in the Jensen Shield Firsts grand final after taking a six-wicket win over Rupertswood in their semi-final clash.
Chasing 146 runs, it was Lachlan Mitchell’s 41 and Alan Sinclair’s 40 that allowed the Tigers to chase down the target with 33 balls to spare after sitting at 4/73 in their chase.
Lancefield also had success in the Club Grade North competition, scoring a 93-run win over Woodend to secure a grand final date with Gisborne next week.
Seymour District Cricket Association (SDCA)
In the Seymour District Cricket Association, Seymour moved to the top of the ladder in the penultimate round of the competition with a 41-run win over Tallarook.
Lachlan Drummond was the star of the show, scoring 55 runs with the bat, before backing up with 3/26 with the ball. Daniel Bergowicz also contributed with 4/27, while for Tallarook, Lachlan Watts performed well with the bat with 44 runs, while Kalon Winnell took 3/22 with the ball.
Seymour now only needs a victory to secure top spot, while Tallarook will be hoping for Yea to spoil the party, while beating bottom-team Puckapunyal.
Pyalong’s outside chances of top spot ended at the hands of Yea, who bowled them out for 64 before chasing their target with six wickets—and 34 overs—to spare.
Five ducks characterised Pyalong’s innings, while Dermott Clancy (17) and Jamie Pryor (19) tried to do their bit.
Anthony Pratt took two wickets as they tried to defend their target but fell short.
