The real season begins

By Steve Brown
NEXT week’s Knox Tavern Cup Semi Finals will see table leaders Rowville tackle danger team Upwey Tecoma at Rowville while second placed Ferntree Gully will host Lysterfield in what will be an even finals series as the season comes to a close.
The Decoite Shield finals involve Eildon Park at home to Ferntree Gully Footballers and Monbulk versus South Belgrave at Monbulk, with both home teams favoured to play off in the big one.
In the final rain affected home and away game of the Knox Tavern Cup, defending champions Rowville held off a much-improved Basin team in a one-day match.
Import, Gavin Williams from the Leeward Islands won the game for the home side with 68 and two crucial wickets and was supported by former wicket keeper, now medium pace bowler Scott Duane with 4/16.
Upper Gully retained the Bill Wilson Trophy when his son, ex Victorian fast bowler, Paul hit the winning runs with three minutes to spare and nine wickets down.
The previous week Ferntree Gully was 4/78 with 57 overs remaining however Justin Smith crashed through the line up to dismiss the Gully for only 104.
Smith who was wicket-less last week finished with 5/32 while skipper Graham Salan’s 49 was the only highlight for the batting team.
The Upper Gully Kings were struggling in reply at 5/44 and slumped to 9/90.
Justin Smith joined Wilson for the final wicket and survived a perilously close lbw appeal from Anstey who toiled hard for his four wickets.
Frontline bowler Mark Butters collected two wickets to be the competition’s leading wicket taker for the season with 40.
Recruit of the year Ben Morris led Knoxfield to victory over a disappointing Belgrave by three wickets.
Morris followed up his return of 4/37 with a century and now becomes one of the favourites for the Feaver Medal.
Last season’s finalist, Belgrave have struggled after Christmas.
Lysterfield set Johnson Park 177 to win however after some aggressive batting early the Sharks closed shop at 7/113.
Matt Dempsey was unbeaten on 85 in Lysterfield’s innings however it was young fast bowler Steve Bowen who bagged 6/41 finishing a good week for him after being invited to the Victorian Under 19 training next season.
Mountain Gate reached 9/200 in their match against bottom side Knox Gardens who fought out a draw being 7/175 at stumps.
Young Jarrod Butcher was the man of the match with 43 and 3/46 for the Falcons who have found the going tough in Division one and will be relegated next season, while the Gators were in the four for most of the season but fell at the final hurdle.
Upwey Tecoma (7/265) got in some batting practice against St. Johns/Tecoma with Paul Evans scoring a half century while for the Saints Marc Hardy had respectful figures of 5/98 from 40 overs.
The Saints did not bat and the game was abandoned at 5pm with no chance of a result.
Highlights in Decoite Shield included unbeaten centuries to Eildon Park’s Cody Morris and Shane Cosstick against finalists South Belgrave.
Upper Gully defeated an out of form Footballers aided by Billy Zizza’s five-wicket haul.
Monbulk claimed the last wicket and victory against The Basin after the 6pm deadline, placing the result in dispute pending an appeal.
Joe Dantini claimed 5/27 for Johnson Park against Upwey who finished bottom of the table after coming within three runs of last season’s Decoite Shield premiership.