Staggering Bulls collapse makes for tense chase
Division five:
Bunyip (6-53) defeated Jindivick (52): A staggering top-order collapse by Bunyip threatened to turn a supremely comfortable run-chase into a tense affair against Jindivick.
The Bulls eventually emerged victorious following a rollercoaster afternoon.
With Matt Dare having wreaked havoc on the Jumping Jacks batsmen – snaring scarcely believable figures of 5-2 as Jindivick were dismissed for 52 – Bunyip was reduced to 6-28 after Adrian Unwin snared 4-14.
With a loss in the unlosable looming, Peter Duffus stepped in with a brisk 22* to rescue the situation, much to the relief of his Bulls teammates.
Warragul Gulls (2-214) defeated Neerim District (6-201):
A rampaging Warragul top order launched a staggering assault on Neerim District, turning what seemed to be a challenging chase into a genuine rout.
Facing a target of 202, Amandeep Singh and Vaneet Singh compiled aggressive half-centuries to kick-start the pursuit, as Jimmy Atwal (29), Paul Singh (22*) and Harpal Singh (21*) continued the boundary-driven assault. In the end, Warragul took just 33 overs to reach 2214, the eight-wicket victory stunning the Neerim line-up.
The Gulls efforts saw the exploits of Remo Graziotin (55*), McCann (39*), Dibsdale (36) and Whyte (35) count for naught, with their total of 6-201 seemingly well short of what was required.
Catani (6-219) defeated Western Park (7105):
Catani proved far too strong for an understrength Western Park, taking home a 114-run victory that moves them within striking distance of the top two on the table.
The likes of Matt Coleman (56*), Trent Adams (49) and Bailey Sporish (22) were able to quickly settle at the crease and take advantage of the odd loose delivery to lift Catani to 6-219 at the close of their innings.
Leigh Sheehan was the pick of the bowlers for Western Park with 2-16.
In reply, only Adam Johnson was able to counter-attack against the Catani bowlers, with the Warriors veteran carrying his bat for a stoic unbeaten 54. Only one other batsman made it to double figures, with Western Park finishing at 7-105.
Yarragon (3-69) defeated Drouin (68):
The Allsop boys enjoyed a day to remember for Yarragon, with Ben (3-12) and Henry (4-16) combining to destroy the Drouin batting lineup.
The youthful duo – with both players still in under 14s – thoroughly outclassed their more experienced opponents, with the Hawks dismissed for just 68.
In reply, Yarragon launched a patient pursuit against some discipline bowling. Adin Short (17 off seven) and Steve Bleazby (1-10 from seven) did their best to restrict scoring. But with so few runs on the board, a Panthers win was inevitable – with Scott Cumming (23) and Steve Green (18*) leading the way as Yarragon reached the target four-wickets down.