By STEVE BROWN
BOTTOM teams Knox Gardens and Mt Gate fought it out at Windermere Reserve, with the winner gaining some temporary reprieve from relegation.
Last week, the Knox Gardens Falcons set the Gators 217, and everything was going to plan with some early wickets, as the home side was struggling at 3/40.
Marshall Bunting joined Dewayne Bowden at the crease, and the pair added 153 for the fourth wicket before Bunting was run out for 72 and Mt Gate had the ascendancy.
When the game appeared all but over, off-spinner Dain Vernon (3/34) switched ends and had Bowden caught sweeping for 95.
A slight panic went through the Mt Gate camp until Josh Lindner struck a boundary, giving the Gators the points by three wickets.
After rain on Friday night, Ferntree Gully had little chance of chasing Belgrave’s 388.
After the top-order failed, it was left to Shane Richardson and Peter Mannaert to push the score to 211.
Michael Litterbach returned best figures with 3/38 for the Magpies which hold on to third position on the ladder with three games to play.
Upwey Tecoma’s 251 proved a big test for home side Monbulk (106) in slow conditions and the Hawks succumbed to the medium pace of Steve Moore who claimed 4/21.
The win not only gives the Tigers some breathing space from the bottom of the table, but actually places them one win outside the four.
Eildon Park struck a minefield early in their innings against The Basin which compiled 236.
The Panthers run-chase began in disastrous fashion as they slumped to 6/41 before Adrian Baltruschatis came to the rescue with a fighting 59.
Tailenders Nathan Caton-Robertson and Adrian Brown added 58 for the last wicket to give the side some respectability before they were dismissed for 194.
Knoxfield 8/298 continues to lead the finals race, easily accounting for Johnson Park who were dismissed for 114.
The win reclaimed the Mark Paffett Shield, a local derby between the two clubs in honour of a champion.
Mitchell Perry bagged 5/21 for the winners.
Norm Reeves Shield
Belgrave 7/388 (Levell 119) d Ferntree Gully 211 (Richardson 39, Mannaert 32no, Litterbach 3/38, Manion 3/69). The Basin 236 (Best 100 Caton-Robertson 5/62) d Eildon Park 194 (Baltruschatis 59, Cosstick 33, Brown 30no, McKenzie 4/46). Knoxfield 8/298 (Boxell 107) d Johnson Park 114 (D. Devenish 32, Perry 5/21). Mt Gate 7/220 (Bowden 95, Bunting 72, Vernon 3/34) d Knox Gardens 217 (Wheeler 5/49). Upwey-Tecoma 251 d Monbulk 106 (Moore 4/21). Ladder – Knoxfield 42, The Basin 32, Belgrave 30, Ferntree Gully 28, Eildon Park 22, Johnson Park 22, Upwey-Tecoma 22, Monbulk 20, Mt Gate 18, Knox Gardens 12.
DeCoite Shield
Lysterfield 9/279 (Brolic 120no) d St John’s Tecoma 196 (Palandri 68, Evans 30, Paull 4/70, Ingliss 3/18). Upper Ferntree Gully 210 (McDermott 5/47) d South Belgrave 145 (Salter 5/22, Colee 3/25). Footballers 4/282 (Rawlings 136) d Knox Boronia Churches 69 (Bogar 5/9) and 148 (Smith 55, Bogar 3/28). Auravale 6/205 (Quinlan 75, Miles 58) d Rowville 132 (Quinlan 5/17, Blackman 43, Morsello 33) and 0/56.
Division 3
Eildon Park 213 (Davey 68, Siwek 42no) d The Basin 200 (Koster 46). Knoxfield 4/228 (Sundaresh 105) and 4/60 d Johnson Park 105 and 171 (Barrington 45, O’Neill 42, Mitchell 3/24, Casement 3/39). Monbulk 9/249 d Upwey-Tecoma 170 (Lizza 36, Strachan 35, Capon 32). Ferntree Gully 139 (Diclaudio 45, Mastroianni 32, Carnie 3/36) d Belgrave 124. Knox Gardens 9/341 d Mountain Gate 225 (Croxford 56, Samarasinghe 34, Gough 61, Marget 6/61).
Division 4
Lysterfield 7/251 and 1/10 d St Johns Tecoma 141 and 115 (Carland 3/34, Van Mourik 3/20). Rowville 205 (Webb 4/54, Van Eck 42, Ralston 32) and 0/40 d Auravale 132 (Dubbeld 32, Hill 5/43, Fitzgerald 3/51) and 109 (Fitzgerald 6/41). Upper Gully 4/254 (Goodger 87) d South Belgrave 47 and 7/114 (Hunt 43no, Birnie 4/47). Knox City 4/296 d Footballers 286.
