By Richard Millott
Lysterfield’s dream start in Norm Reeves Cup continued as it accounted for The Basin.
It took just three balls of play on Day 2 for the Beavers to conclude the Bears’ innings at 179.
Lysterfield commenced its chase on the front foot, however, The Basin bowlers ensured the match was always able to swing back.
Lachlan Dobson (34*) helped steer the lower order towards the points, claiming victory 8/180 with 10 overs in hand.
Belgrave jumped to the top of the ladder after defeating Upper Ferntree Gully.
The Pies – influenced by an unbeaten 243-run partnership between Luke Spence and Aaron Brunner – put on another 50 runs in 10 overs before declaring.
The Kings were well served by Corey Williams (86), Ben Moran (36) and Daniel Giblin (30), but wickets continued to flow for Belgrave seeing Upper Ferntree Gully reach 261.
Knox Gardens remain undefeated after surviving a gallant run chase by Ferntree Gully Footballers.
Chasing 284 for the win, the Griffens did everything right early as Lachlan Storey went on a boundary bonanza, striking 13 fours and two sixes as part of his 86 from 88 balls.
Both openers were gone with the score at 2/121, however, Radhik Gooneratne (41) and Matt McKeown (37) carried the chase forward to 4/205.
From there, Adam Wild (4/57) took charge for the Falcons and Griffens fell short of the target, all out for 259.
In Decoite Shield, Knox Gardens made it two from two against South Belgrave.
Set 296 to win, South was well served by efforts across the day from Ben Cramer (54), Jordan McDermott (52) and Darren Ray (41).
However, Josh Gregory tormented the visiting batsmen, claiming 6/20 to dismiss South Belgrave for 222.
Ferntree Gully remained on top of the ladder after a massive win against Olinda.
The Blues came out of the blocks early, adding 34 runs in the 22 balls they faced before declaring the innings at 6/247.
The Bloods then commenced the chase but Josh Henry (4/21) and Jason Kilby (4/13) tore through the lineup to dismiss Olinda for 89.
With the hype around women’s cricket at the moment, Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association (FTGDCA) has created the FTGDCA Owls League, a competition that caters for women playing cricket for the first time.
Last Monday night saw four teams, two from The Basin and two from Upwey-Tecoma, compete in a modified cricket format.
President of The Basin Cricket Club Mark Edwards said combining women’s cricket with football clubs will help increase interest in cricket.
“I can see this competition growing all the time as more women see the way it’s played, that the game only takes 1.5 hours – it’s quick, inclusive, fun and successful,” he said.
To find out more about the competition, contact Emily Moss on 0402 854 280.
