Cranbourne Cricket Club received an early Christmas gift this summer, claiming their first outright win in the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 2 competition. The victory came just days before Christmas and brought them a crucial 10 points in a tightly contested premiership race.

Starting the day with a 51-run lead against St Mary’s, Cranbourne’s game plan worked perfectly. With only six points separating the top four teams on the ladder, every win matters, and this result could be pivotal as the season progresses.

The day kicked off with Harrison Carlyon reaching his maiden century for Cranbourne, adding nine more runs to his overnight score. His teammates kept the momentum alive with aggressive batting. Cam Kelly, Harsaroup Singh, and Julius Sumerauer batted at strike rates above 100, enabling the team to declare with a commanding 174-run lead. This gave them ample time to bowl St Mary’s out for the second time.

Sumerauer struck early, removing both St Mary’s openers in his first spell. After that, Cranbourne’s spin trio—Carlyon, Singh, and Ketan Bakshi—took charge and wrapped up the innings in just 49 overs. St Mary’s could only manage 107 runs in their second innings, falling 67 runs short of Cranbourne’s first-innings total. This poor showing further dents St Mary’s chances in the competition, leaving them at risk of facing double relegation over two seasons.

Meanwhile, Parkmore continued to dominate at the top of the table by defending their total of 217 against Narre Warren, who were bowled out for 194. Parkmore’s bowling attack has been exceptional all season, not allowing any team to score more than 200 runs against them. Even without Narre Warren’s top scorer Amila Ratnaike in the lineup, the Magpies pushed Parkmore harder than any other side this summer.

Niranjen Kumar relied heavily on Ankit Sexena to lead the bowling effort, and Sexena delivered with figures of 3/39 from 25 overs, including eight maidens. He now has an impressive tally of 22 wickets this season at an average of just nine. Hewafonsekage Fonseka contributed both with the bat (83 runs last week) and the ball (2/44), while Avisha Wilwalaarachchi also chipped in with two wickets. The Magpies fought hard but were dismissed in the 71st over.

At Lyndale, Coomoora pulled off another thrilling win, edging out the Two Blues in dramatic fashion. Despite needing just 11 runs with three wickets in hand, Lyndale collapsed under pressure, losing their last three wickets for a single run. Leg-spinner Amarjot Singh turned hero for Coomoora, taking two wickets in consecutive deliveries during the penultimate over. Fast bowler Sam Wetering sealed the win by dismissing Zubz Faruk at the other end.

This nail-biting victory marks Coomoora’s third win of the season by a margin of 20 runs or fewer. Earlier in the match, Lyndale looked poised to pull off an upset thanks to vital contributions from Faraz Rahman (43) and Usman Ali (30). However, it was Hemish Don’s explosive knock that nearly stole the show. Don hammered five sixes and three fours in a blistering 21-ball innings, reaching his half-century in just 19 deliveries before being dismissed by Jackson Noske.

After Don’s dismissal, Lyndale needed 69 more runs with plenty of time left and five wickets in hand. However, their remaining batters couldn’t replicate Don’s aggression. Ben Montgomery and Rajika Fernando batted cautiously but failed to close out the game. Montgomery fell for a painstaking five runs off 47 balls as Coomoora’s bowlers took control.

Coomoora’s ability to snatch tight wins has been a hallmark of their success over the past year. This victory is particularly significant as it came in a two-day format, boosting their confidence after a heavy defeat to Narre Warren earlier in the season. Wetering, Singh, and Malan Madusanka each took three wickets to help secure the win.

Looking ahead, two massive matchups are set to shape the path to the finals when play resumes in Round 10. Parkmore will host HSD, while Coomoora travels to face Cranbourne in what promises to be another intense battle.