PROVINCIAL
After winning last season’s Peninsula Division grand final, Mornington earned a promotion to Provincial for the 2025/26 season.
Their opening match for the season was against last year’s Provincial premiers, Pines, so could have been expected to be a battle for the newbies. Pines came within a ball of batting out their entire 40 overs, all out for 176. Mornington started poorly, losing both openers for two and four runs respectively.
The middle order put up a fight for the Bulldogs, with Tom Panich scoring 30 runs, Brendan Walsh 22, and Zac Garnet 39 not out. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough, with Mornington running out of batters 28 runs short.
Langwarrin finished last season on the top of the ladder before being knocked out in the semi-finals by Red Hill. It was a disappointing end to the season and they would have been keen to make amends.
Batting first against Dromana, opening batsman Jack Marget managed a “golden duck”, but fellow opener and captain, Matthew Prosser, notched up 57 off 63 balls. They managed to make it to the 40-over mark with one wicket in hand for a tidy 189 runs.
Dromana’s openers seemed unperturbed, with Beau Anthony smashing 65 off just 50 balls, and captain Sam Fowler notching up 55. The rest was easy, with Dromana reaching Langwarrin’s total with four wickets in hand and nearly four overs to spare.
Red Hill batted out their entire 40 overs, ending up 8/222. It was an impressive depth among their batters, with nearly everyone making a contribution.
In response, Baden Powell put in a solid effort, but fell well short. They managed just 181 after running out of batters in the 34th over.
Sorrento saw some solid performances among its batters, notching up 6/181 in their 40. The highlight was Jedd Falck who managed 46 runs off 53 balls. Heatherhill would have been in trouble if it wasn’t for a strong middle-order stand that got them across the line. They reached Sorrento’s total in the 34th over.
PENINSULA
Old Peninsula had a point to prove on Saturday in their first match in Peninsula Division after being relegated from Provincial at the end of last season.
They came up against Balnarring, at Balnarring, with the home team managing 160 before running out of batters in the 38th. Old Peninsula reached the total with ease, getting there in the 31st over with five wickets in hand. The best performance for Old Peninsula was Justin Grant with an impressive 62 runs off 60 balls.
Somerville batted out their full 40 overs for the loss of just five wickets in their clash against Long Island. Nick Mann was their best batter with 68 not out.
In reply, Long Island just didn’t have their measure, running out of batters in the 36th over, still 51 runs short of Somerville’s total. Two of Somerville’s bowlers, Jabob Evans and Craig Black, managed three wickets each.
Mt Eliza batted first in their game against Seaford. The batting performance of the game went to Ravindu Kodithuwakku who scored 80 runs of Mt Eliza’s total of 183.
Seaford struggled to get going before their middle order fired with a 34-run effort from Jordan Desmond and 39 from Shane Hadlum. It was too little too late though, with Seaford bowled out for 143; 40 runs short.
It was a walk in the park for last season’s runners-up Rosebud, taking on Moorooduc. Jarrod Hicks notched up 116 and Patrick Nagel 62 on their way to an impressive 227 runs.
Moorooduc held on for the full 40, but couldn’t get the runs required on the board, ending up at 9/118.
DISTRICT
Seaford Tigers had their first outing in District Division after being relegated last season. Up against newly promoted Rye, they scored 8/178 in 40 overs. In response, Rye surpassed Seaford Tigers in the 38th over with three wickets in hand.
Crib Point put in a solid performance to notch up 185 after running out of batters in the 39th over. Their middle order was strong with Brayden Gleeson scoring 58.
In response, Carrum Downs put in a methodical performance to creep past the Magpies with just two wickets in hand and 16 balls to go.
It was a tough day at the office for Main Ridge, only managing 100 runs before being bowled out in the 38th over. Flinders responded easily to that and surpassed their score in the 29th over with the loss of just five wickets.
Likewise, Carrum struggled to get runs on the board with just 107 for the day. Boneo reached the target using just half the available overs, and the loss of just three wickets.
SUB DISTRICT
Frankston YCW couldn’t manage a win over Skye in their round one game.
The Stonecats batted first and managed 138 before being bowled out in the 37th over. The target didn’t trouble Skye in the least, surpassing it in the 31st over, with captain Jake Prosser the pick of their batters with 57 not out.
It was a close one between Delacombe Park and Ballam Park. Delacombe Park batted first and got 122 on the scoreboard before running out of batters in the 36th over. In response, Ballam Park got off to a slow start before middle order Will Borthwick added 56 in 63 balls to get them back on track and eventually get them the win.
Baxter managed a first round win in Sub District after being relegated last season. After Pearcedale ran out of overs for 142, Baxter reached the target with ease in the 26th over with the loss of just a single wicket. Todd Quinn was Baxter’s standout batter with 84 not out.
And Mt Martha had a win over Tootgarook. Mt Martha got 149 on the scoreboard before bowling out Tootgarook for 113.
WOMEN’S DIV ONE
Last year’s runners-up, Somerville, had something to prove on Sunday in the return of MPCA women’s cricket.
Crib Point batted first, with Tracy Thompson swashbuckling at the crease before being given her marching orders LBW for seven. Sarah Norris also managed seven and Victoria Hogan-Keogh 15 not out, with the Magpies running out of overs with 67 runs.
In reply, Somerville were not challenged. They hit the total with the loss of just three wickets, and after 13 overs.
Newly promoted Mt Martha smashed Mt Eliza in their round one clash. Joining Division One after winning the Division Two Grand Final last season, they managed an impressive 3/148 in their 20 overs, and then put Mt Eliza to the sword. They didn’t bowl the visitors out, but Mt Eliza limped through their 20 overs putting just 56 runs on the board.
Tooradin had an easy day against Tyabb. Tyabb managed 7/71 in their 20 overs. Tooradin reached the target in just nine overs and with the loss of just one wicket. Julie Donahoe managed 20 not out and Stephanie Gonsalvez 35 not out.
Wickets were few and far between in the match between Balnarring and Rye. Balnarring only lost a single wicket for the day on their way to 153 in their 20 overs. In response, Rye only lost two wickets for the day but fell short, notching up just 129 runs.
