1ST GRADE
1st grade picked up first innings points over Joondalup with 6 wickets in hand at Iluka Sports Complex, and are well set up to push for an outright win.
The hosts won the toss and chose to bat, slowly but surely getting to 51 without the loss of a wicket.
A brilliant bowling effort then triggered an unbelievable collapse of 10 for 23 as the Centurions folded for 74.
Matt Hanna continued some fine bowling form to tear a hole through the middle order with 5 for 28 from 14 overs, with Zach Ferris (3/10 from 10 overs) making short work of the tail and the ever-consistent Waheguru Dhillon (2/18 from 10 overs) playing his part.
In reply, Iszak Milentis departed in the first over without scoring, with Kallen Bond following after a tone-setting 26 from 32 balls to leave the Dragons at 2 for 36.
Shayne Wornes (57* from 106 balls) and Blair Walsh (21 from 55 balls) saw the chase home before the dynamic Brock Larance set up a declaration with 55 from 31 balls, including four sixes, with the innings closed after his dismissal at 4 for 160 after 38 overs.
The proactive declaration ensured the Dragons got 8 overs to bowl before stumps, but Hanna, Ferris, Larance, and Dhillon couldn’t manage a late breakthrough.
2ND GRADE
Joondalup posted 8 for 262 from their 90 overs on day one of the 2nd grade fixture at Burrendah Park.
The visitors won the toss and chose to bat, with a brilliant catch from Declan Crowder at backward point an early highlight as they eased to 2 for 92.
Three quick wickets for the Dragons reduced the score to 5 for 114, but a sixth wicket partnership of 111 runs ensured the Centurions would put a strong score on the board.
Cameron Becker (3/55 from 25 overs) and Stewart Hepburn (3/70 from 21 overs) toiled hard, with Amrit Singh (1/21 from 5 overs) and Vidit Vashisht (1/61 from 21 overs) also picking up wickets.
3RD GRADE
3rd grade managed 182 against Joondalup, with the Centurions sitting at 0 for 6 at stumps.
Liam Hindle underpinned the batting effort with 72 from 170 deliveries, with the next highest scorer Harry Grigson (22 from 37 deliveries) run out after a mix-up between the pair.
The Dragons got 3 overs in with the ball before stumps, with Zac Blazevich, James Andrews, and Chris Lagana all bowling maidens.
4TH GRADE
4th grade bowled Joondalup out for 183, and are sitting at 0 for 13 at stumps.
Josh Kuser (4/38 from 18 overs) was excellent up front as the Dragons reduced their visitors to 6 for 37, but some lower order partnerships ensured some runs were on the board, with Davinder Singh (2/26 from 9.5 overs) and Arnav Pimple (2/26 from 14 overs) the other successful bowlers.
Openers Luke Gorman and Blake Third had the tricky task of surviving 7 overs before the close of play, but got through unscathed.
UNDER 17’S
Under 17’s managed a good score of 8 for 211 on day one of their clash with Joondalup at Iluka Sports Complex.
The top order did the bulk of the work, with Rajat Deshmukh (67 from 113 balls) well supported by Blake Stephen (45 from 77 balls) and Jagan Singh (30 from 47 balls).
UNDER 15’S
Under 15’s made 111 on day one of their game against Joondalup at Burrendah Park.
The situation may have been much worse if not for Mitch Kukura, who made 47 from 88 balls.
The Dragons had 3 overs with the ball before stumps, but couldn’t find a breakthrough.
UNDER 14’S
Under 14’s won over South Perth by 25 runs at Burrendah Park.
The hosts batted first and made 186 from 49.5 overs, with Luca Boden (42 from 54 balls), Cooper Mitchell (31 from 41 balls), and Puru Aren (27 from 41 balls) the best of the batters.
The visitors started strongly in reply, reaching 65 without loss, but the Dragons pulled it back magnificently to bowl them out for 161 after 47.4 overs, with Boden (3/44 from 9 overs) and Mehraj Matharoo (2/22 from 7 overs) picking up multiple wickets.
UNDER 13’S
Under 13’s beat South Perth by 3 wickets at Burrendah Park.
The visitors batted first and made 6 for 117 from their 40 overs, with Callum Dermody (1/2 from 4 overs), Toby Erickson (1/12 from 3 overs), Michael White (1/15 from 6 overs), and Jy Jeffrey (1/21 from 6 overs) all in the wickets.
An even spread of contributors saw the Dragons cruise past their target and make 7 for 148 from their 40 overs, with Bhuvan Arunkumar top-scoring with 25 from 30 deliveries.