PROVINCIAL
PINES has won the 2025 MPCA Provincial Grand Final.
Pines played Red Hill in the two-day season decider at Eric Bell Reserve. Pines batted on Saturday, and put a formidable total on the scoreboard.
At the end of the day, Pines finished up at 8/243. Pat Jackson scored a half-century for the home side, while Nick Christides and Billy Humphrey also made strong contributions.
Brent Martin was a workhorse for Red Hill on Saturday. He bowled 40 overs, taking 3/113.
Red Hill were in huge trouble from the get-go on Sunday. Opener Luke Jackson was dismissed for a duck, and his batting partner Riley Shaw was bowled out for just two runs. Things got even worse when Charlie Hannemann came in at three and also fell for a duck.
Simon Dart dug in to score some runs, but he didn’t enjoy much support. Red Hill didn’t get close to their target, and ended up all out for 72 runs off 45 overs.
Pat Jackson rounded out a man-of-the-match performance with excellent bowling figures of 4/33. Billy Humphrey, Ricky Ramsdale, and Declan Jackson took two wickets each.
PENINSULA
MORNINGTON scored a huge upset last weekend to claim the premiership in the MPCA Peninsula division.
The Bulldogs hit the road to take on Rosebud at Olympic Park in the Grand Final. Rosebud has been the team to beat all season, losing just one game.
Rosebud struggled on day one on Saturday, losing opener James Egan for three and first drop batter Jarrod Hicks for three. Will Jewell and Liam Collett made decent starts, but former international spinner Bryce McGain sent them packing before they did too much damage.
Rosebud skipper Patrick Nagel dug in to score 38 from 130 deliveries. His side finished the day at 9/129, handing the Bulldogs a chance for a shock win.
McGain was awesome for Mornington on Saturday. He took 4/49 from 31 overs.
Mornington’s run chase got off to a horror start when opener Shane Hockey was dismissed for a golden duck. His batting partner Charlie Parker didn’t fare much better – he scored just eight runs.
Josh Small came in at number three and provided some stability. He only scored six runs, but dug in for 78 balls while Mitchell Goddard and Ryan Smith kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Goddard was bowled out for 66. Smith finished the day unbeaten on 43.
Mornington wrapped up a six-wicket win, and the premiership, with 15 overs left to spare.
DISTRICT
BALNARRING are premiers in the MPCA District division.
Balnarring, who finished the year second with a 9-3 record, played Boneo in the season decider. Boneo entered the finals series a fair way back from their fellow qualifiers.
After losing the toss on day one on Saturday, Balnarring was sent in to bat first. They proved up to the task, putting 285 runs on the scoreboard before stumps was called.
Xavier Warmbrunn and Darcy Warmbrunn top-scored for Balnarring with scores of 86 and 63 respectively.
Dilasri Lokubandara starred for Boneo on Sunday. He smashed 115 runs from 137 deliveries, but it wasn’t quite enough to wrap up a win for his side.
Boneo was bowled out for 191, well short of what they needed to win. Balnarring wrapped up the Grand Final win with 19 overs left to spare.
Luke Hewitt was pick of the bowlers for Balnarring. He took 4/68 from 19 overs.
SUB DISTRICT
RYE dominated Tyabb in the Sub-District Grand Final last weekend.
Tyabb hosted the two-day match at Bunguyan Reserve. The visitors batted first, and faced a few struggles at the crease. After 56 overs, Rye was dismissed for 139.
Tyabb’s run chase ended in disaster. A middle order collapse – Justin Bridgeman, Jayden Regan, and Aidan Pateman were each dismissed for zero – cost the Yabbies the game.
Tyabb was bowled out for just 62, handing Rye the premiership.
Jacob Long and Waligama Palleguruge each took four wickets for Rye.