1ST GRADE
1st grade put in a disappointing performance as Perth secured first innings points at Burrendah Park, with the Demons getting across the line with 3 wickets to spare.
Kallen Bond won the toss but neither he or Iszak Milentis could get going, with 20 runs on the board as both openers were back in the sheds.
D’Arcy Short (14 from 21 balls) and Shayne Wornes (18 from 52 balls) looked in good touch before both falling caught on the off-side, with Blair Walsh and John Sanders quickly following to leave the score at 6 for 57.
Brock Larance (30 from 29 balls) found a partner to hold up his end in Guru Dhillon (12 from 48 balls), before he top edged a sweep to leave the score at 7 for 87.
The tail tried hard but couldn’t manufacture a miracle, with the final tally a below-par 111 from 41.5 overs.
The Dragons came out like a house on fire with the ball, with Zach Ferris, Matt Hanna, Ben Gibbon, and Short all grabbing wickets to reduce the visitors to 4 for 27.
A composed 59 run 5th wicket stand made the going tough before a Gibbon run-out from fine leg and another Short wicket made the game interesting, but the Demons held their nerve to cross their target after 34.3 overs.
Short grabbed two more wickets to finish as the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 56 from his 17 overs, with seamers Hanna (1/6 from 8 overs), Ferris (1/9 from 4 overs), and Gibbon (1/33 from 7 overs) all getting involved.
2ND GRADE
2nd grade started strongly on the first day of their clash with Perth at Fletcher Park, posting a score of 267.
Nic Geisler won the toss and elected to bat, which looked a good call as Ethan Smith (62 from 148 balls) and Oliver Arkinstall (55 from 103 balls) helped the Dragons into a position of strength at 2 for 150.
The dismissals of the set batters triggered a mini-collapse of 6 for 31 to leave the score at 8 for 181, but Cameron Becker (38 from 58 balls) and James Andrews (38 from 63 balls) showed plenty of character in a 79 run 9th wicket stand that ensured a very defendable target was set.
3RD GRADE
3rd grade had a day out against Perth, securing first innings points with 9 wickets to spare at Burrendah Park.
The Demons won the toss and chose to bat, putting on a 27 run opening stand before the Dragons seamers combined to take 10 for 69 in a brilliant bowling effort.
James Scott was outstanding, grabbing 5 for 24 from his 18 overs, with good support coming from Zac Blazevich (3/33 from 9.2 overs) and Arnav Pimple (2/17 from 10 overs).
Ben Witschge wasted no time in the chase, compiling 75 from 72 balls before being caught top edging a sweep with a win just seven runs away.
Ellis Cassidy secured the win after just 24.2 overs with a boundary before falling caught on the boundary soon after, with Brayden Lee (38* from 113 balls) and Ikky Bhalla (19* from 38 balls) seeing the day through.
4TH GRADE
4th grade are facing an uphill battle next week, falling to 5 for 21 after bowling Perth out for 150 at Fletcher Park.
Aaron McCall (4/17 from 12.4 overs) won the toss and bowled and worked well alongside Lachie Searle (3/10 from 9 overs) to put the Dragons into a position of strength with the hosts at 7 for 72, but some lower order partnerships ensured a tricky chase was on the cards.
Tricky is the way it proved to be, with a younger batting lineup struggling to see out the 15 overs before stumps.
UNDER 17’S
Under 17’s put in a good bowling effort against Perth on day one of their fixture at Burrendah Park, restricting the Demons to 9 for 166 from their 50 overs.
It was a strong team effort from the Dragons, with Kai D’Souza (3/23 from 7 overs) the only multiple wicket-taker as six bowlers picked up one wicket each.
UNDER 15’S
Under 15’s set up an intriguing second week against Perth at Fletcher Park, folding for 61 with the bat before reducing the Demons to 3 for 34.
The Dragons were in all sorts at 5 for 23 and had Luca Boden (24 from 60 balls) and Shreyas Gupta (15 from 51 balls) to thank for putting something of a score on the board.
The disappointing batting effort didn’t deter Mitch Hole (2/11 from 5 overs) and Anyeschkanna Mayurathan (1/4 from 3 overs), who made breakthroughs with the ball to ensure that hopes of a win are still alive.