TDCA warmsup for finals

Cricket Tdca

THE Traralgon DistrictCricket Association regular season came to aclose on Saturday.

Ahighly anticipated finals series is set to grip Traralgon this coming weekend.

The top four was already set going into the final round, but it was still crucial for the teams set to play finals to get agood hit-out and try to build some momentum into the next weekend.

TOONGABBIE struggled to getupfor the fight againstafrustratingly good Rovers team.

Rovers were frustratingly good because they saved their best gameofthe season forthe final round when finals were out of reach.

It’s ashame, as the young Rovers team is chock fulloftalentbut have letthemselves downbyletting games slip which cost them afinals berth in the end.

Batting first at Roger Ries Oval after being sent in, Rovers didn’t lose awicket until 63 was on the board thanks to openingbatsmen Tyler Pearce(41) and Simon Duff (32).

LiamLittle continued setting the strong platform for alarge score with awell-made 35, which then set up Ewan Williams to make agood 42 from 58 balls, taking the score up to 200.

The visitors finished up 7/219.

OllyMason whacked aquick17from 12 balls. The home team had no answers for the plucky Rovers outfit who didn’tallow any bowlers to get more than two wickets. Rams veteran Tom Shippen was the best, claiming 2/19 from his eight overs.

The Rams never got out of second gear in the run chase, and could only manage acouple partnerships of over 20.

Rovers continued to take wickets at regular intervals as seven bowlers were used and they all took awicket, including wicket keeper Tyler Pearce.

Toongabbie ended up all out in the 32nd over for just 112, 107 runs short.

Rovers will be pleased with such an emphatic win for their final game of the season, but will be left with abitter taste in their mouth knowing this may have been aseason that got away.

Toongabbie will now need to regroupasthey prepare to take on astrongGlengarry team in the semi-final. If they don’t, they’re in trouble of abig loss this coming weekend.

GORMANDALE headed to Fred King Oval in a David vs Goliath battle.

Gormandale went into the match sitting on the bottom of the ladder, while theMagpies were unable to be knocked off the top.

The Tigers batted first and built a50-runopening partnership,but quickly wentfrom0/50 to 4/69 and werelooking down the barrel of another lowly score. Some missed opportunities helped the Tigers, in particularMattHibbswho wentontomake 37 after being dropped four times, while recently re-signed Yohan Soyza batted beautifully to fall just short of a 50, remaining 48 not out at the close of the innings as Gormandale finished 7/155.

The Tigers threw amixed bag at Glengarry in the early overs of the Magpies’innings, but managedto have the home team 2/22 with Brandon Mayberry and Al Jenkin back in the sheds.

Dropping Nat Freitag on 20 took the wind out of the Tigers sails, and from then on Glengarry were able to dictate terms.

Cam Graham returned from injury with awellmade 46 not out, but Freitag gained some much needed time in the middle and smashed 71 not out to guide his team home in under 30 overs.

Glengarry will be confident going into the semifinal against Toongabbie, as some of their big names are hitting some good form at the moment.

Gormandalewill be relieved the season is over as it has been one to forget, but stillsome greenshoots are there for the futureand the Tigers areworking hard alreadyonnext season

IMPERIALS travelled to Yarram in the hope to go abit better than last time they made the trip there when they got rolled for ascore of 80.

The home team won the toss and batted first but were in trouble early at 2/17 due to some good fast bowling from Englishman Tom Starkey.

Ant Scott wasn’t having any trouble though as he plundered 57 from 68 balls to top score for the day.

Amini-collapse happened through the middle order but some rear-guard action from Jack Moore and Griffin Underwood took the Pelicans total up to 167.

Starkey was superb for Imperials, claiming 4/26 from just 6.1 overs as he gave his team abig chance to secure awin in their final game of the season.

Agood start had Imps in the box seat with Ryan Morley andDom Thompson putting on 54 before Morley was dismissed.

The rot then set in as Imperials lost their next ninewickets for 58 runs, as an unlikely win was ripped awayfrom them thankstothe bowling efforts of BraydenAskew who claimed 5/16, while Jack Collins took three wickets himself.

Imperials ended up all out for 122, 45 runs short of what could have been agood win, but as the visitors found out, when Yarramget on aroll -they are hard to stop.

Still, Imperials showed plenty of fight all season and have lots of upside going into 2023/24.

If Starkeycomes back they willhave genuine match-winners with himself and Ryan Morley, while the young players around the club like Dom Thompson,Hunter Dunstan and Ryan Bosch have showed signs of being future stars.

Yarram District nowheadinto asemi-final against Ex Students in what will be abrilliant game to watch and no doubtthe Pelicans will go into the game full of confidence.

The Sharks head into the finals fresh off abye.

 BGRADE

YARRAM District shattered Imperials’ chances of afinals berth, beating them by 51 runs at Catterick Crescent.

Batting first, the Pelicans made 7/180 thanks to aPeter Griffiths’ 53.

Imperials seemed to be in ahurry with the bat, and althoughJordanAndersontook it up to the Pelican bowlers with ahard hitting 68, the highly regarded Imperials were dismissed for 122 as JoshJennings wasthe only other batter to make double figures.

Trent Crawford was the best bowler for Yarram, taking 3/15, but Griffiths was the difference, taking three wickets himself in atop all-round effort.

GLENGARRY won athriller over Gormandale winning by two wickets at Stoddart Oval.

Gormandalebattedfirst, making140 as Gavin Swan top scored with 44.

PaulHenry who took 5/26with the ball then went about opening the batting and made 86 not out to win the game for his teamand cementa spotin the finals.

This should have all other finalists worried as Glengarry are storming towards the Grand Final.

TOONGABBIEmadeshort work of Rovers, making 5/217 with Adam Hood the standout smashing 72 from 66 balls.

Rovers didn’tget close as they were knocked over for139.

Matt Whitechurch claimed 3/33 for Toongabbie which now has the Rams playing in ahome final this coming weekend.

 CGRADE

TOONGABBIE 127 (S Veneman 63, BWall22, T Dwyer 4/35)lost to Glengarry 5/130 (S Saju 77*, JWall2/45; Yarram District 7/241 (A Smith 3/39) defeated Imperials 75 (D Morris 27); Ex Students 6/316 (D Millington 93, DPryde 58*, PHennessy 37, HMartin 2/34) defeated Rovers 129 (A Donoghue 53, AVan Zuyden 39, DMcGregor 4/28, LRichards 3/28).

Tdca Finals

SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

AGRADE

GlengarryvsToongabbie (at Fred King Oval)

Ex Students vs Yarram District (TerryHunter Oval)

BGRADE

Toongabbie vs Yarram District (Roger Ries Oval)

Ex Students vs Glengarry(StoddartOval)

CGRADE

Ex Students vs Rovers (Old Trafford) Yarram District vs Glengarry(Tarraville)