THE weekend has wrapped up again, and so has another round of the Victoria Men’s Premier Cricket League after nine more games of exciting action. Across a number of grounds around Metropolitan Melbourne, the competition’s 18 teams hit the field in ripping conditions, with this being reflected with some big scores being produced. With the Sheffield Shield returning along with some international cricket, squads are looking slightly different compared to recent weeks. However, the action still remained entertaining across the nine matches, with a number going right down to the wire.

Geelong (7/227) def. Northcote (214)

In a high-scoring affair, Geelong has been able to pull off quite the upset by taking down Northcote by 13 runs at Geelong Cricket Ground on Saturday. Despite having a poorer season to date, the home side was too strong with bat in hand as they were able to hold off a big charge from Northcote in the second innings.

The visitors won the toss but chose to send their opponents out to bat first, confident in their ability to dismiss the Geelong batting order in no time at all. This did not come to fruition, with the batsmen looking truly comfortable with bat in hand as their score acceleratedat a rapid pace. Things looked dire when opener Hayden Butterworth was given out on just two runs from a ripping Michael Topp delivery. However, the duo of Liam Blacksford (68 runs) and Thomas Jackson (62 runs) really got their side going as their partnership surpassed 100 runs in no time at all. The rest of the batting order did not perform outstandingly well, but did enough to get the side’s total well above 200, which has proven to be defendable throughout the season.

Northcote would have still entered the second innings confident in their ability to get the job done and chase down the required total, given the batting power they have demonstrated in the past. Opening batsman Tearan Gleeson was dismissed for a duck, while his partner-in-crime followed shortly after, with Mark Phelan heading back to the sheds with just 17 runs to his name. When gun batsman Jack Lalor was given out for just 19 runs, Northcote’s chances looked dim. However, their middle and tail order managed to keep their run rate going as they passed 200 runs and looked a strong chance of chasing down the total of 227. Unfortunately, time defeated them as the 50-over mark came up and there was just 214 runs next to their name, with Geelong moving into the top eight with the upset win.

Around the Grounds …

Heading across the ovals now, the Greenvale Kangaroos made a move up the ladder by taking down the Camberwell Magpies to the tune of 69 runs at Greenvale Reserve on Saturday. In a high-scoring affair, the Kangaroo batted first and set a whopping total of 274 runs, the highest of any team this round. This proved too much for the Magpies, who could simply not match the output when at the crease and were bowled out for just over 200 runs.

In a dominant win, Casey-South Melbourne were terrific in their performance against Ringwood at Russell Lucas Oval on Saturday afternoon. The visitors headed out to the crease to bat first, and were strong during the first innings, having their way with the Ringwood bowlers. This effort was matched in the second innings too, as the victors tore through the Ringwood batting order with ease.

A hat-trick from one of the competition’s premier bowlers led Richmond to a strong win over Frankston Peninsula at AH Butler Oval on Saturday. With Frankston Peninsula at the crease first, the Richmond bowlers ripped through their batting lineup, thanks to Dominic Matarazzo claiming three consecutive wickets to keep the opposition score at an achievable margin, which was chased down in no time.

St Kilda’s undefeated streak has continued, with the ladder-leaders taking down Melbourne University to the tune of three wickets at CitiPower Centre on Saturday. It was a terrific bowling display from the victors, restricting Melbourne University to just 174 runs, a score that was easily chased down by the most impressive team of the 2021/22 season to date.

Moving east for the next match, Dandenong found themselves bested by a classier Melbourne side when the two teams went head-to-head at Shepley Oval on Saturday afternoon. The home side batted first and was able to put up a respectable score of 194 from their 50 overs, but Melbourne proved too good with bat in hand, chasing down this total in just 44 overs to keep their spot in the top three.

Carlton has also managed to keep their spot around the top of the ladder, taking down Prahran in convincing fashion at Toorak Park on Saturday. The visitors headed out to the crease first, as they surpassed 200 runs thanks to an extremely well-rounded batting performance from their lineup. Prahran simply lacked the attacking power to chase this down as they fell 20 runs short of chasing down the required score.

The penultimate match of the round saw some terrific bowling from both sides as Footscray scraped past Kingston Hawthorn to claim a one-wicket win at Walter Galt Reserve on Saturday. When Kingston Hawthorn only managed to score 149 runs from their 10 batsmen, it was shaping up to be an easy win for their opponents, but the home side made it difficult for their opponents, pushing the match right down to the wire, but were unable to claim the final scalp to get the win.

The final match of Round 12 saw Essendon claim their fifth win of the season by taking down Fitzroy Doncaster at Windy Hill on Saturday afternoon. The home side could only conjure up 172 runs from its time at the crease, but its bowling made sure this was a winning total, restricting Fitzroy Doncaster to just over 150 runs.