By STEVE BROWN
FTGDCA ROUND 1
The season opener saw some mixed results as Knox Gardens hardly broke into a sweat after they routed the Monbulk Hawks for just 62 runs at Arglye Reserve in the FTGDCA’s Reeves Shield.
Experienced bowlers Adam Wild (3/20) andTravis Mulder (3/5) did the damage with the ball and the match ended early with theFalcons losing only three wickets in their innings.
Ferntree Gully could not avenge last season’s heartbreaking semi-final loss to the eventual premiers Eildon Park, going down to the Panthers by 31 runs. For the winners, the association’s premier batsman Cody Morris started the season in top form with an unbeaten 79. Former Basin player Luke Bowyer returned to Ferntree Gully, however his contribution of 41 was not enough to knock the premiers off their perch.
Upwey Tecoma’s Hewitt clan combined well to outscore the Johnson Park Sharks at Fair Park Reserve to the tune of 23 runs. Mitch Hewitt (40) received great support from elder statesman Mick (40) setting the Sharks 154 for victory. Only English recruit Martin Weightman, hot off the plane with 37 gave the Sharks a slim chance.The Basin Bears, promoted from Decoite Shield enjoyed a tight tussle with a win over Knoxfield as Danny Rundle and Jake Best provided the backbone of the Basin innings. Knoxfield’s veteran Jayson Scanlan performed well with 3/18 and 46 runs, but it was Jarryd Debernardi for the Bears who stood out with 4/26.
Upper Gully’s Jay Colee continues to have the wood over Belgrave, guiding the Kings home by three wickets. Colee (3/16) combined with uncapped leg spinner Robbie Birnie (5/47) and then piled on a half century to secure the win and a confidence booster for the Kings.
Meanwhile, congratulations to former Rowville batsman Phil Gillespie on his promotion to the National Domestic One Day panel of umpires as he will make his debut at the Bankstown Oval in Sydney. Gillespie retired from the game after snapping his achilles while representing the association in country week and commenced umpiring in Premier Cricket in 2009/’10. No doubt selectors have identified him as a potential international umpire after officiating in only 88 Premier matches.
SCORES
REEVES SHIELD
Eildon Park 6/189 (C. Morris 79* N. Hicks 44) d Ferntree Gully 9/158 (Bowyer 41Turner 38* Cosstick 3/35)
The Basin 7/148 (Rundle 36 Best 31 J.Scanlan 3/18) d Knoxfield 9/138 (L. Scanlan 32 J. Scanlan 46 Debernardi 4/26)
Upwey Tecoma 8/153 (M. Hewitt 40 Mick Hewitt 40) d Johnson Park 130(Weightman 37)
Knox Gardens 3/65 d Monbulk 62 (Wild 3/20 Mulder 3/5)
Upper Gully 7/147 (Colee 57 Salter 39*) d Belgrave 145 (Levell 41 Hill 39 Birnie 5/47 Colee 3/16)
DECOITE SHIELD
Mt Gate 7/192 (Bunting 94* Lucas 4/44) d St Johns Tecoma 153 (Parlby 74 Dowden 5/34 Wheeler 3/6)
South Belgrave 1/58 (McKendry 34) d Lysterfield 54 (Noone 5/25)
Auravale 7/201 def Knox City 90 (nsa)
Rowville vs Footballers (no scores)
DIVISION 3
Knox Gardens 8/216 (Marget 31 Metherell 41) def Monbulk 76
Ferntree Gully 8/122 (Kennedy 3/14) d Eildon Park 119 (Hughes 4/19 Callaghan 3/18)
Knoxfield 2/133 (Sundaresh 47 Kodi 71) d The Basin 128 (Freeling 41 C. Edwards 42 Casement 3/25 Kodi 3/13)
Upwey Tecoma 2/89 d Johnson Park 86 (Wood 3/25)
Upper Gully 9/164 (Irvine-Dejong 45 Newman 36 Cranie 3/39 Wood 3/33) d Belgrave 9/96 (Newman 3/12)
DIVISION 4
Mt Gate 4/91 (Heath 39*) d St JohnsTecoma 88 (Atacador 3/15)
South Belgrave 8/146 (D. Hart 35 Cockerell 42*) d Lysterfield 144 (Binks 31 Lawson 3/18 Otten 3/39)
Knox Boronia Churches 4/96 (Morris 52) d Auravale 91 (Chaplin 3/23)
DIVISION 5
Knox Gardens 138 (Grasser 53 Jongen 49 Brongeest 3/14 McPherson 3/24) tiedwith Eildon Park 6/138 (Doak 38 Siwek 32)
Knox City 108 (Perry 32* Salan 3/25) d Ferntree Gully 103 Knoxfield 6/165 (Harris 40* Pitman 3/28) d The Basin 133 (McGuiness 43 Hurst 3/
22)
Upper Gully 7/168 (Bailey 73 Beverley 4/33) d South Belgrave 85 (Bartrop 5/18)
DIVISION 6
Ferntree Gully 5/132 (Drake 48* Szabo 35) def Knox Boronia Churches 9/122(Thexton 58)
Upwey Tecoma 9/148 (Vance 55* Cross 44 Boucher 4/36 Heads 3/24) d Mt Gate 9/142 (Boucher 62)
Eildon Park 7/227 (Kallista 101*) d Belgrave 8/224 (Connolly 102* Kallista 4/18)
Lysterfield 7/181 (Saultry 4/22) d Johnson Park 3/178 (Carter 95*)
DIVISION 7
Monbulk 4/221 (Dekkers 103*) d St Johns Tecoma 7/206 (Connolly 56* Manelsk53 Perkins 39)
Ferntree Gully 3/161 (Jacobson 53* Gray 48* Wilkinson 30) d Knox Gardens 3/141(Stuckey 75* Gregor 35)
Knoxfield 6/142 (Maibaum 44) tied with The Basin 142 (Betka 30)
Upper Gully 5/157 (Lamarca 84 R. Bailey 31 Stiles 3/34) d Johnson Park 7/144(Rose 41 Goodwin 36)
Auravale 2/167 d Eildon Park 142 (Gupta 64 Pollard 43)
