By STEVE BROWN
BELGRAVE secured a finals berth in Reeves Shield after defeating neighbours Monbulk by four wickets on a day that will be remembered for Johnathon Levell’s brilliant 149 not out, lifting his season’s aggregate to a record-breaking 704 runs at 88.
The 35-year-old, dubbed ‘Penfolds’, blasted a six to win the game and eclipse the record of 701 runs in a home and away season set by Ferntree Gully’s Dick Ballam in 1973.
Levell has now earned the right to join the elite company of some of the association’s greatest batsmen such as Fraser, Chapman, Fairfull, Heath, Symons and Utting.
With a one-day final round to play next Saturday, the Magpies join Knoxfield and The Basin as certain finals participants with Ferntree Gully clinging on to fourth position.
Fifth-placed Eildon Park is the only team outside the four which can make the finals, if they defeat Johnson Park, providing Ferntree Gully is toppled by Monbulk.
In another twist, Knox Gardens, Mt Gate, Johnson Park and Upwey Tecoma can be relegated to Decoite Shield depending on results.
Belgrave’s Levell batted all day as they chased 270 set by the Monbulk Hawks, whose bowlers struggled to take wickets, thus bowing out of contention.
Dinusha Fernando gave Levell great support with a fine 54.
Eildon Park had the best of the batting conditions and successfully defended 297 against flag favourites Knoxfield who fell 18 runs short.
Luke Scanlan went down fighting with 104, while Ben Gerloff showed he is a player of the future, contributing 62.
The loss won’t do the Knights any harm heading in to the sharp end of the season.
Ferntree Gully rebounded easily accounting for bottom side Upwey-Tecoma by seven wickets.
Blast from the past Mario Catalano returned to the first X1 top scoring with 76 and combined with in-form keeper batsman Jayden Bradbury unbeaten on 64.
The Blues face a tough test next week against Monbulk.
Knox Gardens 6/286 had too many runs in the bank for Johnson Park which lost the Devenish brothers, Stallworthy and Gaunt, with just 15 runs on the board as Adam Wild (3/61) inflicted the early damage.
The Sharks bottom order recovered partially moving the score to a respectable 223.
They now face Eildon Park in the final round.
Mt Gate lost a vital game against The Basin by just 22 runs after failing to bat their full allotment of 80 overs.
Scott Vozzo (4/32) and Jaryd Debernadi (3/43) cleaned up the Gators in the 76th over, giving the Bears their sixth win on the trot.
Reeves Shield Ladder (Round 11)
Knoxfield 50, The Basin 44, Belgrave 36, Ferntree Gully 34, Eildon Park 28, Monbulk 26, Knox Gardens 24, Mt Gate 24, Johnson Park 22, Upwey Tecoma 22.
Norm Reeves Shield
Knox Gardens 6/286 (Butcher 109no, McInerney 76) d Johnson Park 223 (Gstrein 38, Bourke 37, DeSilva 37, Wild 3/61). Eildon Park 7/297 (C. Morris 137, B. Morris 38, Z. Wilson 3/57) d Knoxfield 280 (Gerloff 62, L. Scanlan 104, Scholfield 45, Sinclair 4/61). Ferntree Gully 3/192 (M. Catalano 76, Bradbury 64no) d Upwey-Tecoma 181 (D. Howe 81 B. Galvin 6/34). Belgrave 4/274 (Levell 149no, Fernando 54) d Monbulk 270 (S. Cosstick 99, Emmett 34, M. Litterbach 4/72). The Basin 207 (Rundle 41, J. Lee 31, Bunting 4/30, Wheeler 3/53) d Mountain Gate 185 (Bowden 38, Bunting 35, Vozzo 4/32, Debernadi 3/43)
DeCoite Shield
Auravale 226 (Inglis 4/45, Miles 52, Dodd 69, McDermott 40) d Lysterfield 143 (McDermott 5/42, MacDonald 3/33). Upper Gully 6/241 (Balmford 104, Dowling 64) d Footballers 208 (Storey 42, McElroy 36, Lakshita 75, Luck 3/31). South Belgrave 279 (A. Hart 54, J.McDermott 47, Barry 34, Sutherland 32) d St John’s Tecoma 9/187 (Evans 55, Sutherland 3/20). Rowville 2/159 dec. (Morsello 106no) and 4/140 (Morsello 58no, Spencer 52, Blackman 34) d Knox Boronia Churches 79 and 224
Division 3
Knoxfield 7/191 (Sundaresh 65, Pimm 3/58) d Eildon Park 190 (Gaskin 59, Scanlan 5/33). Belgrave 5/207 (Wood 97, Ayre 34no, H. Emmett 3/30) d Monbulk 198. Ferntree Gully 6/200 (Diclaudio 57, Callaghan 51) d Upwey-Tecoma 188 (R. Lizza 51no, Berenato 45, Catalano 4/43). The Basin 3/264 (Clarke 103, Rawnsley 88) d Mountain Gate 257 (Harris 57, B. Croxford 38, K. Croxford 38, Koster 4/75)
Division 4
Lysterfield 9/195 dec. (Eagleton 58, Binks 39, Webb 3/31) d Auravale 105 (O’Neill 3/16). South Belgrave 4/349 (Lawson 106no, Ray 95, Maling 60) d St John’s Tecoma 190 (Chandler 50) and 112 (Grenda 82no, Lawson 7/53)
Division 5
Lysterfield 4/253 (D’Rosario 52, Lapthorne 100no) d Knox/Boronia Churches 62 and 101 (VanMourik 4/24). Knoxfield 7/442 (Harris 217, Pruysers 111) d Upper Gully 10. Eildon Park 5/412 (J. Hicks 154, Siwek 96, Farrell 58no, Clark 45no) d Ferntree Gully 55 (Bowes 5/24) and 57 (Protest)
Division 6
Belgrave 2/190 (Wiseman 100no, Lee 100no, Dodds 35no) d Knoxfield 278 (M. Plumridge 101 McInerney 45, Wylde 33no, Collie 4/57). Monbulk 6/305 (Simmonds 101no, Dekkers 71) d The Basin 8/217 (Pollard 73, O’Sullivan 70). Eildon Park 134 (Kallista 34, Walshe 33, VanDyk 3/17) and 5/118 dec. (Casey 36) d Ferntree Gully 90 (Parker 44no, Tibballs 3/17) and 8/129 (Hallo 40no, Ibrahim 4/14) (Protest).
Division 7
Lysterfield 6/234 (Gwynne 45, Walker 50no, Nicolopoulos 76) d Monbulk 232 (Badgery 66, Tibbals 62, Edwards 3/36). Knox Gardens 6/361 (Grasser 100no, Thompson 96) d Eildon Park 9/354 (Vadivelu 100no, Downs 77, Pollard 54, Christiansen 3/38). Mountain Gate 7/191 (Robinson 45, Stewart 37no, Dalgleish 4/41) d Rowville 186 (Baulman 61, Young 4/53). Upper Ferntree Gully 315 (MacGraw 3/43) d Auravale 306 (Richards 101no, MacGraw 63). Johnson Park 5/314 d St John’s Tecoma 8/227 (E. Glazner 100no, S. Glazner 54, O’Neill 3/20)
B1
South Belgrave 6/161 (Murphy 45, Hutchinson 3/42) d St John’s Tecoma 157 (Topp 6/18, Miller 3/45). Eildon Park 4/93 d Rowville 91 (Keir 3/14). Waverley Wanderers 5/316 (Siriwardana 50no, Solomons 52no, Perera 50no, Jayatillika 51no) d Upper Gully 49 (Perera 4/17)
B2
Ferntree Gully 4/200 (Greenall 50no) d Belgrave 7/193 (McNamara 50no). Lysterfield 1/92 (Thompson 50no) d The Basin 87 (Niles 3/18)
