The action for cricketers at Mt Evelyn is heating up, and so too did the weather as temperatures soared. The top grades were able to withstand the heat to post important wins, whilst the lower grades wilted, leaving them with come work to do over the closing weeks of the season.
The Community Bank – Mt Evelyn 1st XI entered day two of their clash against Chirnside Park in a commanding position having bowled the visitors out for 150, and safely reaching 0/41 by stumps. The Mounters first priority was to knock off the total and secure some much needed points in a tight race for 4th on the ladder. Then, if opportunity arose, a dash at outright points to further boost their hold on 4th position.
The day started to script as Adam Smith (51) and Jesse Fraser (43) resumed their opening partnership as they navigated their team to 96 without loss, and with little risk. Unfortunately, neither could kick on, but their job had been done, and unfortunately for the Panthers, it meant Mike Mawson and Troy Hancock had a licence to chase quick runs in pursuit of an outright victory. The pair were brutal in their attack on the bowling, scorching a partnership of 149 off 13 overs. Mawson has looked at home in the top grade blistering an unbeaten innings of brilliant stroke play, scoring 81 off 48 balls littered with eight fours and four sixes, whilst Hancock found some of his best free wheeling batting scoring 74 off 37, smashing four fours and an impressive seven sixes. After losing his wicket, Hancock called close on the innings with the score on 4/257, a lead of 107.
With plenty of time left in the day, Mt Evelyn then sought some vital outright points. Opening bowlers Caleb Hrabe (2/36) and Darcy Fraser (2/41), gave their team every opportunity with early wickets and when Jake Blackwell prized the 5th wicket from the innings, outright looked a real possibility with the score teetering at 5/72, with near on 30 overs still to play. Experienced pairing of Brant and Glenn Gromadovski would then ensure the Panthers would avoid the embarrassment of outright defeat as they dug their heals in and milked valuable time, and balls from the bowling. Eventually, stumps would be called with the score on 6/132.
Although the outright points alluded them, the Mt Evelyn unit would be well pleased with their effort across the two weeks with both batsmen and bowlers finding some valuable form. An important step forward with challenging games against Seville and South Warrandyte to close out the season.
The Professionals Outer East 2nd XI also recorded an important victory in the race to finals with a crucial victory against Norwood. Both teams engaged in a gritty arm wrestle last week with Mt Evelyn emerging with a handy, but not insurmountable, total of 231.
Mt Evelyn opening bowlers Bohdie Jones (2/19) and Kynan Yates (3/20) immediately had the Norseman on the back foot with an excellent partnership of bowling. The pair took a pair of wickets each across the opening twenty overs of the innings, a deficit that the home team would never really recover from. With Jones and Yates having a well earned break from the attack, the Norwood batsmen would stem the bleeding and regain some footing in the contest, but tight bowling would still keep the pressure on.
A glut of wickets to captain Shane Laird (1/7) and up and coming star Lachie Morrow (2/14) would put a dent in the chase just as it was time to up the ante on the chase, and it proved to be the death nell for the home team. Luke Shepherd (2/26) would put the full stop on the contest, closing out the innings at 140.
The importance of the victory is not lost on the Mounters as it would now take a significant effort from the chasing pack to dislodge them in the finals. With games against Seville and Bayswater Park to close out the season, not only is their destiny in their own hands, but both teams will offer a good contest in preparation for the next step.
The Rhead Group 3rd XI had their work cut out for them on day two, after a disappointing start against cellar dwellers Croydon Ranges. At stumps after the first split, scores were on parity, but the gulf came in wickets fallen with the Mounters losing eight wickets and the Ranges had all their wickets intact. The Ranges resumed their innings at 0/140, and the Mounters were able to prize both openers out early on, and if they could capitalise on the opening created, perhaps they could limit the chase to achievable. Unfortunately for the home side, another significant partnership would make things hard. The Mt Evelyn bowlers would toil hard to keep their team in the contest, with wickets shared, but the final score of 9/266, a lead of 128 would leave the Mounters with a tough ask with just two wickets in hand.
The task was made much harder with the loss of an early wicket and it was all she wrote. Alex Whiting would have a crack at lifting the score, but it all too little. The Mounters would be bowled out for 168, consigning them to a season crippling defeat. The team now find themselves barely clinging onto hope of featuring in finals action. Two victories would have them in the calculations for finals action, but it would be far from guaranteed.
H Grade, where the Hop Hen Brewing 4th XI reside, has been a tight run race all season, and the Mounters have found themselves in the thick of the battle most of the season. Their Round 13 opponents, Vermont, have been towards the top end, and when these two teams last met, they proved too strong for the Mounters.
Right from the outset, this contest looked to be another tough ask under the blistering sun. Vermont won the toss and immediately took the opportunity to put the visitors under pressure, and it was pressure that the Mt Evelyn bats had to endure. From the opening over, the Eagles bowlers had the upper hand as the visitors were quickly in trouble at 5/54 after just 11 overs. The ever-reliable Dwayne Finch (30) and Flynn Orchard would show some stout resistance in a gritty partnership that would limit the damage and add some respectability to the scoreboard, and the tail followed suit to at least see the team through their allocated overs and a score of 9/129.
Unfortunately, the score was never going to be quite enough, and the Eagles batters followed their bowling counterparts to complete showing. Marty Potter (2/17) would claim a couple of wickets to give the visitors a glimmer of hope when the score slipped to 3/59, but that would prove to be the last success for the Mounters in the game as Vermont slipped to victory in quick time for the loss of just three wickets.
The clash of the round had to be the much anticipated top of the table clash in G Grade, between the Mt Evelyn 5th XI and Kilsyth. Although Mt Evelyn sat on top of the ladder, Kilsyth has been their only conquerer this season.
Captain Jason Dunstone won the toss and elected to post a score on the run friendly ‘Postage Stamp’. The start couldn’t have been more disastrous as the Mounters quickly fell to 4/22 as Kilsyth made a statement up front. This team hasn’t say atop the heap for no reason, and Mark Kuhne and Ben Dunstone would halt the wickets falling, and kick start the scoring. Both would score unbeaten half centuries in a masterful century partnership. Young gun Ezra Joyce would hold his end for the remainder of the innings, allowing Jonah Langenbacher the opportunity to beef up the score with an enterprising innings of 35 off 18 balls to stretch the total to 7/193 when the innings closed.
Although a competitive total, on the ‘Postage Stamp’, chases can disappear quickly, and Kilsyth’s top order had the Redbacks well ahead of the chase. At 1/103, and not even halfway through the innings, all looked lost for the Mounters. Four wickets in as many overs, including two in an over to Alastair Churchill had the home side dreaming of an unlikely victory, but Mark Sfiligoj and Ravin Mehra would have none of it as they would swiftly take the Redbacks to the target.
The Flowtec 6th XI hosted Healesville in pursuit of their third victory of the season, but they too were beaten by the weather and their more accomplished opponents. The Bloods elected to bat first, and the Mounters bowlers, although bowling tightly, couldn’t muster any pressure through falling wickets and score quickly ballooned out to an imposing 3/229. Chris Graham, after doing an amazing job with the gloves, was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/12 to close out the innings.
Andrew Frid would once again be the pick of the Mt Evelyn batters batting through oppressive heat, and an arduous 25 overs, to anchor the innings. In a cruel twist of fate, he would fall just two short of a well deserved half century. Gary Scott (31) would help him give the team the best possible start, as the pair would put on 59 for the opening partnership. Chris Graham would inject some scoring presence briefly, and the remaining batters would battle on manfully, but the chase would rarely threaten the Bloods total as they were bowled out within sight of stumps for 164. The highlight for the Mounters would be Ali Lazarus’ first senior runs and out scoring her Dad, Barry.
