Warriors into grand final

by Samuel Laffy
Western Park (166) def. Neerim District (9/158)
Western Park secured their spot in the one-day final on Saturday courtesy of a nail-biting seven-run win over Neerim District, with the Warriors clutch bowling at the death proving the difference.
The Stags were fielding perhaps their strongest line-up for the summer and would no doubt have been confident of causing an upset over Western Park, and some challenging bowling from Kody Wilson (0/15 from 6) and Matt Kelliher (1/18 off 7) saw Sam Cheeseman and Fletcher Kennedy struggling to breach the infield.
The arrival of Alex Gavin at the crease transformed the contest however, with the veteran taking advantage of the gusty crosswinds to free his arms and loft the ball to and over the boundary.
A cover-driven six that soared over the fence was the pick of his multiple boundaries, although just as he seemed destined to take the game away from Neerim District, Troy Clarke (2/23) trapped him in front.
The middle and lower order were unable to accelerate as they might have liked but the Warriors' total of 166 would still take some chasing.
Jamie Gleeson (a freewheeling 41-ball 36) attacked early, whilst Travis McCann (a determined 48) anchored the chase, and the Stags were on top early.
However, Ed Dieu arrived at the bowling crease and began to spin a confounding web around Neerim's batters, with the young leg-spinner utilising extravagant drift and vicious turn throughout his spell.
His haul of 4/26 saw the required run rate rise, and once veteran Sam Laffy (2/23) turned the screws in the later overs of the innings the Stags found themselves unable to reach the boundary with enough regularity – finishing 9/158.

Catani (7/157) def. Warragul (6/156)
Catani, meanwhile, continued their superb season, with the Cats claiming a three-wicket win over a gusty Warragul outfit.
Defending 6/156, the Gulls attack impressed early, with Kieran Morton (2/36) and Kyle Baker (1/19 off 6) able to reduce scoring to a crawl in the initial overs of Catani's pursuit.
However, Jai Lewis (50 from 61) soon settled and began to counterattack once the change bowlers were called upon.
Amandeep Singh (3/33 from 7) induced some minor concern amongst Cats supporters when he removed Leigh Jose and Jackson Pawsey without scoring, but veteran Bradley McDonald (44* from 44) and Matthew Finger (15*) held their nerve as the run chase went down to the wire.
Approaching the 40th – and final – over of Catani's innings, the Cats required four for victory.
Brian Christensen delivered a dot ball off the first delivery to raise hopes, but the Catani duo was able to work singles from the following four balls to clinch victory with one ball to spare.
Earlier in the day, Singh (31) and Tristan Fraser (32*) starred for Warragul, but at games end their contributions weren't enough to edge out the unbeaten Cats.

Jindivick (4/114) def. Ellinbank (111)
At Kydd-Park Reserve, Jindivick claimed a leisurely six-wicket win over Ellinbank, with a parsimonious bowling display key to the Jumping Jacks' victory.
Will Stevenage (3/12 from 6), Shane Hoskins (3/13 off 7.4), and Ranga Bandara (2/17) maintained a disciplined approach with ball-in-hand, and they ensured that despite a number of Ellinbank bats making starts, none were able to notch an innings of substance.
Brad Berry's 22 was the highest score as the Eagles were dismissed for 111 in the 33rd over.
In reply, Sean Viotto (25 from 36) and Robert Wind (29 off 41) shared a 40-run second wicket stand that handed Jindivick the early advantage in their pursuit, and Bandara (20*) was able to apply the finishing touches.
Timothee Mashado (1/25 off 8) did what he could to stymie scoring, but Ellinbank never realistically had enough runs on the board, with the Jumping Jacks reaching 4/114 in the 24th over.

Longwarry (9/158) def. by Garfield-Tynong (7/222)
In the final division three encounter, Garfield-Tynong took home a win over Longwarry, with the Titans' success built on the back of a belligerent knock from Archer Burgmann.
Making the most of his first appearance in Garfield-Tynong's second XI – having played the bulk of the summer in division two – Burgmann's 75-ball 81 was a class above, and his aggressive intent helped the Titans post 7/222 from their 40 overs.
However, the Crows had the likes of William Hameeteman and Randall Mitchell opening up – a duo capable of causing endless headaches for bowling attacks – but Ryan Smith (2/24) was able to remove the pair early, ensuring Longwarry were on the back foot.
Zac Wright (37), and Ali Sarosh (25) did what they could to counterattack, but Glen Johnston (3/22) was able to claim regular scalps to slow the scoring rate and lift Garfield-Tynong to a 64-run victory.

Iona (101) def. by Trafalgar (2/103)
No scores available at the time of writing.