WHILST the Ferntree Gully & District Cricket Association continues to produce successful Premier grade cricketers in Melbourne, on Saturday, the greatest achievement was awarded prior to the start of the second test in India, when former South Belgrave all rounder Glenn Maxwell was presented with a “baggy green” by Matthew Hayden, becoming the 433rd cricketer to play Test cricket for Australia.
An elated FTGDCA President Norm Reeves said it was one of the greatest days in the history of the competition.
“Our first Test player since we were formed in 1947, you just have to feel so proud of him,” he said.
“I’m just so happy for his family and for the South Belgrave Cricket Club.” Maxwell was caught behind for 13 with Australia declaring at 9/237 on day one of the Test.
Meanwhile in the final one day game of the Reeves Shield season, leaders Upwey Tecoma had little trouble disposing of The Basin’s meagre 148 passing The Bears, five wickets down courtesy of a half century to Dain Howe. Sadly, the loss for The Basin means relegation to Decoite Shield next season. Footballers must have thought the season was over last week as they were bundled by Eildon Park out for just 85 chasing 4/251 with the Morris brothers back amongst the runs.
Big improvers, Upper Gully at home to Johnson Park posted 172 and were looking down the barrel with the Sharks sitting pretty at 1/101 in the 22nd over. Enter swing bowler Marc Hardy (3/21) from the club rooms end and the Sharks crawled to 9/155 losing by 17 runs. A young Knox Gardens outfit finished the year on a high in sixth place, defeating Knoxfield by seven wickets. Luke Scanlan top scored for the Knights with 86. Ferntree Gully batsmen Mohammed Farrukh and Jayden Bradbury were on top early at Belgrave and dominated proceedings with Farrukh blasting his second century of the summer. However the same fortune did not follow 20 year old Bradbury who was dismissed for 92 in a total of 5/270. Former Rowville batsman Ryan Guest (76) combined with Doug Oaten and Leigh Newey to register a formidable 237 however the Gully got the chocolates in what has been the season that got away, narrowly missing a finals berth.
Ladder – Upwey Tecoma 60, Eildon Park 60, Upper Gully 60, Johnson Park 48, Ferntree Gully 42, Knox Gardens 36, Footballers 30, Belgrave 24, Knoxfield 18, The Basin 12.
Semi Finals (provisional) Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March. Reserve day Monday 11 March.
Upwey Tecoma v Johnson Park at Upwey.
Eildon Park v Upper Gully at Eildon Park
Scores
Reeves Shield
Eildon Park 4/251 (C. Morris 87, B. Morris 60, Hicks 38, McNally 36) d Footballers 85 (Pimm 4/24, Sinclair 3/15)
Upper Gully 172 (McDonald 44, Goodger 34*) d Johnson Park 9/155 (Hardy 3/21)
Ferntree Gully 5/270 (Farrukh 122, Bradbury 92) d Belgrave 7/237 (Guest 76, Oaten 49, Newey 47, Farrukh 3/33)
Upwey Tecoma 5/151 (Howe 53) d The Basin 8/148 (Bowyer 41, Bell 3/23)
Knox Gardens 3/149 (Butcher 39, McLean 35) d Knoxfield 7/146 (Scanlan 86, Mulder 3/27)
Decoite Shield
Rowville 8/178 (Hill 71, Brooks 3/27) d Lysterfield 6/176 (Brooks 67, Snyman 43)
South Belgrave 6/127 (Trinnick 50) d St Johns Tecoma 123 (Walters 38, Burley 4/27, H. McDermott 3/29)
Monbulk 4/206 (Walter 76, Watson 76, Cosstick 34) d Mt Gate 5/176 (Goddard 46, Bunting 52*)
Division 3
Knox Gardens 148 d Knoxfield 100
The Basin 6/186 (Heath 51, Wood 3/55) d Upwey Tecoma 7/181 (Ebeyer 54, Evans 41, M. Heskes 4/43)
Ferntree Gully 4/244 (Duke 95, Morrison 78) d Belgrave 187 (Lucas 111)
Johnson Park 157 v Upper Gully 157 (in dispute)
Eildon Park 2/110 (Dietzel 40, Kennedy 31) d Footballers 106 (Cutts 5/16)
Division 4
St Johns Tecoma 8/217 (Manning 31, Doyle 53, Harley 41, Cockerell 3/26) d South Belgrave 9/186 (Ray 32, Steunenberg 36, Barcham 3/35)
Lysterfield 7/172 (Kinniburgh 69*, Gough 4/18) d Mt Gate 6/170 (Goddard 37)
Knox Boronia Churches 9/230 (Broekof 4/40) d Monbulk 83
Division 5
The Basin 206 (Latham 60) d Knox Gardens 6/204 (Potts 75, Reid 49, James 3/28)
Ferntree Gully 4/256 (Salan 110*, Catalano 70, Cole 40*) d Upper Gully 9/157 (Pollock 48, Catalano 3/13)
Eildon Park 9/239 (Kelly 80, Garner 50*, Evans 38, Gill 36, Kodi 3/22) d Knoxfield 59 (Pruysers 39, Rotheram 4/28)
Division 6
Upwey Tecoma 5/200 (S. Tailby 108, J. Tailby 58) d Mt Gate 146 (Clark 76, Blakemore 35, J. Tailby 4/23)
Knox Boronia Churches 6/264 (D’Rosario 4/62) d Lysterfield 7/239 (D. Nicolopoulos 66 Price 42)
Eildon Park 9/187 (Zanial 54, Casey 42, Lee 3/44) d Ferntree Gully 9/145 (Lynch 36, Casey 3/23)
Division 7
Eildon Park 169 (Zanella 82, Tait 42*) v Knox Gardens 166 (David 56, Jeans 34, Zanella 4/20) (in dispute)
St Johns Tecoma 5/226 (Perry 59, Glazner 51*) d Upper Gully 77 (Perry 3/15, Patterson 3/24)
Lysterfield 7/265 (A. Nicolopoulos 96*, Rickard 58, Moore 33) d Johnson Park 7/142 (Monahan 50)
Monbulk 6/244 (Attwood 61, S. Utting 36*, Williams 41*, James 4/58) d Knoxfield 49 (Utting 5/11)
B1 (one day grade)
Johnson Park 4/154 (Vesey 53*) d Upwey Tecoma 6/103 (Carden 43)
South Belgrave 3/109 (Lester 36*) d Upper Gully 98 (Owen 4/20, Bromley 3/8)
SE Wanderers 8/155 (Stephens 47*) d St Johns Tecoma 7/152 (Palandri 50*, Perera 5/23)
Lysterfield 4/123 (Damrow 50*, Doughty 40) d Eildon Park 9/119 (Porter 37, Halls 4/15)
Mt Gate 4/224 (S. Burridge 50*, Hunt 48*, M. Burridge 47*) d Monbulk 7/204 (Hulm 51*, Anderson 50*)
B2 (one day grade)
St Johns Tecoma 8/160 (Bull 56*, Griffiths 50*, S. Whitty 3/34) d Lysterfield 6/153 (M. Whitty 52*)
South Belgrave 183 (Fletcher 31, Moss 46, Rowe 3/31, McNamara 3/43) d Belgrave 166 (Parker 33)
Ferntree Gully 4/154 (Rohde 50*, Stephenson 50*) def Knox Boronia Churches 151 (Greenslade 4/26)
