By Ronen Erulkar
The weather was perfect on the weekend as all of Lilydale’s teams took the field. An action packed few days kicked off with our First XI taking part in the T20 finals day on Thursday at Silcock Reserve.
Going in with high expectations, the Falcons faced a strong South Warrandyte team who beat the team in the semi final. Batting first Lilydale made 4/156, with Shifran Muthalif (68) and Mitch Ebeyer (41*) getting to a competitive total. Unfortunately the opposition chased down the score with only the loss of 1 wicket and a handful of overs to spare.
On Friday night, the U12-4s had a tough night against Healesville. After being sent in to bat, they could only manage 4/77 from 23 overs, with Aneesh Sriram top scoring (40* off 28 balls). In reply, Healesville made 5/188, with Sebastian Centofanti (2/10) and Jacon Attrill (2/34) the pick of the bowlers.
Our U18s team returned for their first game in 2023. They bowled first and will be chasing 253 for victory next week. The pick of the bowlers were Birra Whyman Coombes (3/44) and Braeden Anthony-Digby (2/30).
The U16-3s made a big total against Wantirna South on day one of the game. After winning the toss, the top 3 batters all scored runs to lead to 7/224. Luke Green (64), Darcey Barker (43) and Braeden Anthony-Digby (31) were the best performers on the day.
In the First XI, Lilydale won the toss and elected to bat against a strong Montrose team. A magnificent century to Shifran Muthalif (103) who was supported by Mitch Ebeyer (63*) and Brenton Pearce (32), led us to a big first innings total of 8/274. They will be looking to defend the total next week.
The Second XI also made a big score, posting 9/289 against Wonga Park. The top scorers were Brett Smart (57), Jarrod Triantafillou (55) and Bailey Humphrey (46). A win next week will help the teams’ chances at a finals berth.
The Third XI had a tough day against South Warrandyte. They were sent in to bat and managed 3/163, with Justin Roberts posting back-to-back half centuries (59), supported by Matt Browell (32) and Matt Goss (30). The opposition chased the total down with a handful of overs to spare. Tom Smith was the pick of the bowlers with 3/47.
The Fourth XI were beaten by Croydon North’s 2nd XI who posted 3/207 in the first innings. Needing 208 for victory, the Falcons could only manage 141. Matt Ivan was the standout with a classy 81 which included 11 x 4s and 3 x 6s.
Lilydale’s Fifth XI were chasing St Andrews’ total of 3/176 where Liam Hartigan took 2/28. Unfortunately they could only manage 100 runs in reply, with Ben Blackey (28) and captain Callum Doyle (21) the top scorers.
The Sixth XI returned to their home ground at the back oval since repairs were complete, and managed a good win against Warranwood. They bowled first and kept the opposition to 6/194, with Bryn Ballagh (2/26) the pick of the bowlers. In reply, the team chased down the total in the last over, with Raju Narayan (48) and Jeremy Cliff (42) the top scorers.
Following the day’s play on Saturday, the club held its annual trivia night at the clubrooms. While there were some doubts about how the winning table managed to get almost every question correct, it was a fantastic night and enjoyed by all who attended.
The weekend was capped off by the Stage 1 girls team travelling to North Ringwood on Sunday morning. Bowling first, they restricted the opposition to 1/98. In reply, Lilydale fell 10 runs short to score 7/88.
