15/3/25 – B Grade Semi Final – Centrals v Moe

17th March 2025

Moe travelled to minor premiers Centrals for the semi final. It would be the 4th meeting of the season with two games washed out without a result and Moe winning the most recent match by 13 runs in a tight contest.

Moe won the toss and batted. In the home & away season completed matches, Centrals had won 8 and lost 3 when batting second – twice when chasing 200+ & in the last match against Moe, needing 175. Moe were 3 wins & 2 losses from resulted games batting first.

Moe Innings

Moe lost Mark Whitney to a run out and Braden Finn (3) in consecutive deliveries to sit 2/3 in a dream start for the hosts. Ash Savige (3) was next to go caught behind, in what was unclear if he sportingly walked or was going to be given out anyway as he had started to head towards the pavilion before the finger was raised. The visitors now 3/15. Jesse Pheeney (18) posted his 8th score in 11 B Grade knocks between 10 & 20, scoring 18 of a 22 run 4th wicket partnership, 4/37.

Michael Johnstone & Jarryd Atkinson added 44 to give Moe a foothold in the game. Johnstone hit 7 fours on his way to 40 off 101 balls before getting caught off of Ould.

Johnstone fell in the 34th over to start Moe losing their last 6 wickets for 34 runs in the last 11 overs. Jarryd Atkinson (21) & Kye Micallef (11) also made double figures. Aaron Johnstone (2), Ritvik , Haydn Edwards (5*) & Robert Blunt (5) made up the tail for Moe. All out in the final over for 115.

For the Centrals Lions, Lachlan Pollard took 3/16 (4.3) to wrap up the innings after the wickets were shared around through the early part of the innings. Perera 1/11, Donovan 1/14, Rajapakse 1/16, Ould 1/20 & Donovan 1/25 all took one each with two run outs.

Centrals Innings

Centrals got off to a strong start, taking 17 off the opening 5 overs the Johnstone & Blunt struggled to find their rhythm a little. In a sporting moment for the first dismissal, Slimmon (10) walked the moment he knew he’d hit a caught behind off Blunt.

Dean Rode & Robert Blunt have semi final history (2019/20 & 2020/21 A Grade semi’s Blunt dismissed Rode for 3 and a golden), and with confidence on the back of a B Grade league batting aggregate winning campaign, he pounced on a gift of a no-ball full toss dished up first. Rode cut another 4 off Blunt’s next over too, before a peach of a delivery two balls later rattled his furniture for 12, Centrals 2/32 after 8. Johnstone broke the resistance of opener Berry (8 off 35) for lbw in the 11th, 3/35.

Ould and Shaven Rajapakse took the hosts to 3/55 requiring 61 to win before the game took another twist. Ould (9) spooned a full toss from Atkinson to Ritvik at cover, then Shankland lbw two balls later to give Atkinson back the lead in the Moe bowling aggregate race. Atkinson moved further ahead with Rajapakse (14 off 50) caught behind on the second take by Kye Micallef. Centrals losing 3/7, now 6/62.

Jonathan Downs made 27* & 35 in the last two meetings against Moe and had 270 runs for the season batting usually between 7 & 9, so he & Centrals still maintained the ability to break the game back open in their favour. A four & six from Downs swung the momentum back to the hosts once more.

Downs & Pollard added 21 to take Centrals within 33 of victory before Downs (17 off 18) became Atkinson’s 4th victim, caught by Daniel Farmer. 7/83. Farmer had worked hard at the other end and got his breakthrough in his 7th over, with Pollard (7) caught behind. 8/87. Moe back on top, 29 runs required by Centrals.

Farmer’s 8th over caused the probably the most chaotic wicket of the day with a safe edge down to third man allowing 2 runs completed with keeper Micallef chasing the ball, Himesh Rajapakse running for a third, to what initially was going to be the danger end, with sub fielder Brodyn Blandford receiving at the keepers stumps with Rajapakse safe, turning and throwing down the non-strikers wicket with a direct hit to see Perera (7) short of his ground and Moe one wicket away from a grand final berth.

Hiran Rajapakse took 2 runs off Atkinson’s 8th over, 9/92, before Farmer claimed his second wicket (Himesh ), a sharp diving catch at cover by Aaron Johnstone to wrap up the match and see Moe into next week’s grand final. Atkinson finished with 4/28, Farmer 2/11, Blunt 2/29 & Johnstone 1/11.

Another great battle of the prides with Centrals, a continually budding rivalry since 2017/18 with our Lion counterparts. Luckily we got the win but yet another see-saw affair with them.

Congratulations to Centrals on their season, as they finished minor premiers and gained automatic promotion straight back up to the Premier B division. Individually they had some big seasons too with Rode (bat) & Ould (bowl) taking out league aggregate honours (according to playcricket – league presentation on Wednesday).