1st Grade
1st grade wrapped up an important win against Claremont-Nedlands to secure a home final, winning by 10 runs at Burrendah.
The game promised much with captain Aaron Hardie returning and D’Arcy Short also available for the Dragons, with state representatives Joel Paris, Matt Kelly, and Nick Hobson lining up for the visitors.
Hardie won the toss and elected to bat, which looked a good decision, with Iszak Milentis and Kallen Bond putting on a 54 run opening stand.
Unfortunately, both fell within the space of 4 balls, with Milentis caught skying a heave on 18 and Bond caught smashing to cover for 34.
From there, Hardie and Short combined well, with the pair putting on a fine 119 run partnership for the third wicket.
After getting the Dragons into a strong position of 2 for 174 in the 37th over, both batters were again back in the sheds in quick succession, with Short caught at cover from spin for 55 and with Hardie beaten and bowled on 62.
The Dragon’s momentum stalled as the innings drew to a close, with Shayne Wornes and Luke Holt managing scores in the teens and the debuting Sean Boers making 11 from 14 deliveries.
The innings ended with 5 balls to spare, with 230 the score to defend.
The Tigers batted well in reply and looked to be in a very promising position at 2 for 196 in the 44th over, with Vidit Vashisht making both the breakthroughs.
A Waheguru Dhillion wicket gave the Dragons some life, and an excellent death bowling performance from there saw the visitors finish in arrears, with 220 scored from their 50 overs.
Short (3/55 from 9 overs) and Dhillon (2/30 from 10 overs) applied the squeeze late, with Vashisht (2/32 from 10 overs) strong through the middle.
The win ensured 1st grade secured 3rd position on the ladder, and will begin their finals campaign on Saturday against Perth at Burrendah.
2nd Grade
2nd grade continued their strong finish to the season, routing Claremont-Nedlands by 92 runs at Cresswell Park.
Ellis Cassidy won the toss and elected to bat, and promptly put on an amazing 174 run opening stand with Stewart Hepburn, with the skipper falling caught and bowled for 74 in the 37th over.
Hepburn was joined by Blair Walsh and carried on to post a magnificent century in the 43rd over, a brilliant final act for a career-best season.
The Dragons threatened to tail off after the outstanding start, with Walsh, Oliver Arkinstall, and Lachie Lake all coming and going in search of quick runs, but Liam Hindle provided some late momentum with a whirlwind knock of 19 from 9 deliveries, including two sixes.
Hepburn’s vigil ended for an excellent 122 in the last over, underpinning a Dragons effort of 8 for 250 from their 50 overs.
In reply, the hosts never threatened their target, finishing all out for 158 inside 38.2 overs.
James Andrews (3/13 from 6 overs) and Cassidy (1/37 from 8 overs) started well with the new ball, as Jordan Hodgetts (3/29 from 8.2 overs) continued a strong start to life in 2nd grade, with Hepburn (1/18 from 5 overs) also picking up a wicket for good measure, alongside Declan Crowder (1/19 from 5 overs).
2nd grade finished at 11th on the ladder thanks to a strong late season effort, winning 3 of their final 4 games.
3rd Grade
3rd grade picked up a thumping win, beating Claremont-Nedlands by 9 wickets.
The Dragons bowled first and restricted the Tigers to 9 for 142 from their 45 overs, with strong bowling efforts from Bevan Hargrave (2/8 from 8 overs), Chris Lagana (2/17 from 9 overs), Dev Singh (2/29 from 7 overs), skipper Cameron Becker (2/35 from 9 overs), and AJ Singh (1/13 from 4 overs).
The Dragons lost Ikky Bhalla early in the chase, but Stuart Smith then all but won the game off his own bat inside 21.4 overs, bludgeoning the visitors attack to finish with an excellent 104 not out from 97 deliveries, with Ben Witschge (20*) playing the support role.
Despite having some huge wins throughout the season, 3rd grade fell just short of a finals berth, finishing in 7th position.
4th Grade
4th grade also registered a massive win, defeating Claremont-Nedlands by 133 runs.
The Dragons batted first and managed a very strong score of 7 for 231 from their 45 overs, an all-round effort underpinned by Harry Grigson (58), Matthew Gleeson (45), and Brayden Lee (41).
It was a case of no Aaron McCall, no problem with the ball, as the Dragons bowled the Tigers out for just 98 inside 32.5 overs, with Muhammad Salman (3/28 from 6 overs) the chief destroyer, Grigson (2/4 from 0.5 overs) somehow picking up multiple wickets, and Ian D’Souza (1/5 from 4 overs), Brad Hurst (1/10 from 6 overs), James Scott (1/15 from 6 overs), Keegan de Koker (1/17 from 4 overs), and Brayden Lee (1/18 from 6 overs) all chipping in.
4th grade ended up with 5th spot, and will begin their finals campaign on Saturday against Bayswater-Morley at Hillcrest Park.
Under 17’s
Under 17’s ended their regular season strongly, smashing Claremont-Nedlands by 99 runs at Burrendah.
The Dragons batted first and managed a very healthy score of 2 for 156 from their 20 overs, with openers Ethan Smith (89) and Kyall Roach (56) the stars.
An excellent bowling performance saw the Tigers limited to just 8 for 57 from their 20 overs, with Brayden Lee (2/8 from 4 overs), Kai D’Souza (2/10 from 4 overs), Smith (1/6 from 2 overs), and Yethmin Kannangarra (1/15 from 4 overs) all in the wickets.
Under 17’s finished the season in 5th spot, and are set to begin their finals campaign against Wanneroo at Kingsway Sports Ground this Sunday.
Under 15’s
Under 15’s also picked up a win, beating Claremont-Nedlands by 53 runs at Melvista Oval.
The Dragons batted first and posted a strong score of 5 for 139 from their 20 overs, with opener Rajat Deshmukh the star with 56 from 46 deliveries, and the score boosted by a Josh Nathan cameo of 18 from 12 deliveries.
A strong effort with the ball saw the hosts restricted to 9 for 86 from their 20 overs, with with Nathan (2/4 from 1 over) and Lewis Giles (2/11 from 2 overs) the stars, with Dineth Mendis (1/3 from 1 over), Isaak Wittkuhn (1/7 from 3 overs), Veedi Pelpola (1/11 from 3 overs), and Blake Stephen (1/16 from 1 over) all chipping in.
Under 15’s finished their season in 5th spot, with Centurions in Joondalup their first finals challenge.
Under 13’s
Under 13’s are through to the grand final after beating Subiaco-Floreat by 31 runs at Alderbury Reserve.
The Dragons batted first and put a hefty score of 6 for 219 on the board from their 40 overs, with Luca Boden (85 from 65 deliveries) the star, well supported by Michael White (38 from 102 deliveries) and Joel Vlasic (25 from 15 deliveries).
Subiaco-Floreat started well with the bat to create some nerves, but finished with just 188 from their 40 overs, with Boden (5/25 from 8 overs) again the star, supported by Josh Peachey (3/40 from 8 overs) and Caleb Florrison (1/22 from 4 overs).
Under 13’s are now set to face Claremont-Nedlands in the grand final at Breckler Park on Sunday.