THE excitement is palpable as the Diamond Valley Cricket Association approaches finals time, with a number of permutations still to go before a resolution is reached.
A Stuart Wright masterclass means Mernda needs one more win to book a Money Shield finals berth, taking a 55-run win over Bundoora Park.
Wright ran rings around the Park batting order, taking a hat-trick to secure a memorable win for his team, taking 6/8, while Lachlan Taylor’s 2/40 and Michael Edwards’ 2/50 also helped greatly.
In Mash Shield, Laurimar has been knocked out of finals contention after losing to Rivergum by 31 runs at Kelynack Recreation Reserve.
Chasing 139, Rian Boddy did everything he could to help his team in scoring 51 runs off 143 deliveries, but wickets constantly fell around him as the Power were bowled out for 108.
Laurimar’s elimination was thanks to Panton Hill, who scored a 40-run win over South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
Terry Liddicutt was the only constant for the Lions throughout the second day’s play, scoring 41, but it was not enough, with the Lions bowled out for 101 chasing 141.
Meantime, Whittlesea’s first XI scored a terrific win over Eltham by two wickets at AF Walker Reserve.
There were some nervous moments for the Eagles, but Jedda Hubball’s 43 helped give them a platform, before Isuru Jayasekara’s 29, Lathindu Kandage’s 28 and Tharindu Harith Withana’s 27 helped get them home in response to Eltham’s 199, finishing on 257.
In B grade, a dramatic collapse saw Mernda lose to Riverside by just four runs at Waterview Recreation Reserve.
The Demons looked comfortable at 3/106 thanks to Abhi Patel’s 60, but the Demons would soon lose seven wickets for just 48 runs to fall short of Riverside’s 158, bowled out for 154.
A dramatic D grade game saw Laurimar lose by just 11 runs to Rosebank at Laurimar Town Park.
Chasing 330, the Power gave it everything, with David Sinclair scoring another century with 114 off 132 balls.
Harry McKeown added 42 and Cooper Lewin 29, but Laurimar fell desperately short of a remarkable chasedown of 330, all out for 319 with three balls left in the day.
Mernda’s E grade team made light work of Banyule, winning by nine wickets.
The Demons batted on after chasing the target, with Rob Virtue scoring 61, while Andrew Edwards’ 46, Darren Mercuri’s 38 and Rob Corrigan’s 37 helping matters, with the Demons finishing play on 6/219.
South Morang, also in E grade, took a comfortable win over Thomastown United, winning by six wickets.
Joshua Passas scored 71, while Sarvesh Soni added 56 as the Lions needed just 50 overs to chase down United’s total.
Laurimar took a dramatic two-wicket win over Dennis in F1 grade.
Guided by young gun Harrison Rodda’s 89 and Dan Demiris’ 52, the Power was able to chase down the target of 274 with just two wickets to spare, getting it done in 67 overs.
In F2 grade, Mernda fell just five wickets short of an outright victory over Banyule.
Jack Sheahan played a whirlwind innings, scoring 113 off just 58 deliveries, which included 13 fours and five sixes, while Saurin Sandeep Sharma provided solid support with 72 as the Demons made 4/243 off 44 overs.
Sending Banyule back in, Sheahan went on with the job, taking 2/25, but Banyule did enough to avoid an outright defeat, scoring 5/136 in its second dig.
South Morang was no match for Montmorency, losing by 143 runs.
Brody Kay top scored for the Lions with 45 runs, while Mitchell Davidson scored 39, but the Magpies’ total of 334 was too much for the Lions, who were bowled out for 191.
A disastrous day for Mernda in G1 West saw it bowled out for 35, and losing by seven wickets to Lalor Stars.
Seth Broughton top scored for the Demons with 12, while also taking 2/7 in a lone-hand performance.
Laurimar could not contain North Eltham, losing by five wickets.
Reece Emmins top scored with 46, while Tyson Aldenhoven added 25 as Laurimar scored 8/170 off its 35 overs, but North Eltham was too strong, needing just 24 overs to score 5/172.
Four bowlers took one wicket apiece for the Power.
In G2, South Morang lost by 29 runs to Research Eltham Collegians.
Research Eltham batted first and made 5/173, with five Lions taking wickets.
Despite Hayden Muscat’s fighting 73, the Lions couldn’t make inroads on the total and were bowled out for 144.
Similarly, Laurimar was no match for Bundoora Park.
Park made 6/227 off its 35 overs, with Nick Henderson doing his bit to take 2/37 off four overs.
Laurimar’s batting struggled, with Simon Thompson scoring 19 and Beau Gilchrist 18 as the Power were bowled out for 109.
In G3, Whittlesea lost to Thomastown by five wickets.
Thomas Watt’s 50 gave the Eagles a chance as they posted 7/125, but despite Jack Jerabek’s 3/20 and Nuwan Madhusanka Vidana Kankanamge’s 2/17, Thomastown was too good, posting 5/128 in response.
Mernda scored a 90-run win over South Morang.
Nitin Kakkar’s 66 and Tanay Limbachiya’s 61 helped the Demons set the tone from the outset, posting 9/210, while Kriday Devedi, Nick Perry and Jaskirat Singh took three wickets apiece for the Lions.
The Demons took two early wickets to leave the Lions 2/3 and from there, maintained their dominance to restrict the Lions to 120.
Troy Slater and Perry scored 26 apiece to top score for the Lions, while Ayaan Kakkar took 3/23 for the Demons.
In the North Metro Cricket Association finals, South Morang Blue has been knocked out by North Eltham by 10 wickets.
Emma Leatham’s 44 helped the Lions get off to a good start, but it wasn’t maintained as the Lions were worn down by the Wanderers, finishing on 7/121.
In response, North Eltham was dominant, scoring 125 without loss to book its spot in the grand final.
Division two saw Pascoe Vale take on Laurimar Black, but no score was provided at the time of production, with the possibility of the game being rained off by Melbourne’s weather on Sunday.
Laurimar Teal’s campaign is over in division four after falling to Baseballers by 20 runs.
The Cobras batted first and made 5/111, with three Power players each taking a wicket.
Jessica Richardson top scored with 16, while Kelli Cook added 13, but it wasn’t enough as the Power scored 6/91 in response, and are knocked out.