LAVERTON has waltzed into the Victorian Turf Cricket Association north A1 grand final after cruising to victory over Moonee Valley at Laverton Park on Saturday.
The Magpies were heavy favourites heading into the match and that is exactly how it transpired with the minor premiers booking a berth in the big one where they will confront surprise packet East Keilor in a four-day decider.
The Valleys must have rued their decision to bat first, perishing for a measly 95 in 57 overs and having d no answer to Magpies’ opening bowler Shaun Delaney, who finished with 3-21 off 16 overs.
It was far from a one-man bowling band for the Magpies with Charlie Swallow (2-16) and Matthew O’Brien (2-19) capturing multiple scalps and Mark Keenan and James Baker chiming in with a wicket apiece.
The Magpies played it smart with the bat to avoid a dramatic collapse. They arrived at the target two down after 51 overs and powered to 5-123 before the captains and umpires declared the result inevitable.
Swallow, an import with 618 runs at 47.5, continued his breathtaking summer with 42. Baker made 20 and the other four batsmen used all reached double figures.
It was a real team effort from the Magpies and one that will be hard to stop if replicated in the grand final, beginning on Saturday.
■ Altona Roosters barged their way through to the west B1 grand final with a desperately one-sided 10-wicket win over Barkly Street Uniting in the semi-final at Altona Meadows Reserve.
The Roosters were switched on from the first ball, routing the Streeters for a mediocre 82 in 45 overs.
If the nerves of a cutthroat semi-final was not enough for the Streeters to contend with, they also had to face Roosters opening bowler Leigh Lewis at the peak of his powers.
He lifted the pressure gauge with a tight 1-23 off 20 overs, including 10 maidens.
The rest of the bowlers cashed in on his hard work with wickets at the other end, including three each to Chris Dine and Hamon Uppal.
It was not a matter of if, but when, the Roosters would reach the small target.
Lewis (39 not out) partnered with player-coach David Roach (41) to pass the score without loss of a wicket.
The Roosters will meet Seddon in the season decider and will be odds-on favourites to claim the flag.
Seddon caused a boilover in its semi-fin, edging out Kingsville Baptists by 35 runs at Angliss Reserve.
The Hawks could only manage 136 from 64 overs, but restricted the Baptists to 101 with a marvellous bowling display.
VTCA SEMI FINALS:
Senior division: Yarraville Club 7-251 (MP O’Keefe 101no A Cristofaro 43 A Cullen 25 J Baker 25 F Ahmed 5-95 G McCallum 2-50) d Hoppers Crossing 203 (P Magafas 55 G McCallum 51 TG Said 37no ES Bronca 3-44).
Beaumaris 8-238 (IS Hewett 86 R Hignett 49 G Wood 38no S Hood 38 AJ Butler 3-54 A Dickinson 2-75) d Spotswood 221 (A Sharma 66 A Dickinson 47 G Edhouse 30 M Leddin 25 IS Hewett 3-39 H Chamberlain 3-55 S Mellick 2-43).
Senior seconds: Hoppers Crossing 126 (AT Martin 60 D O’Connell 4-10 A Turner 3-34) d St. Bernards OC 79 (T Waring 5-19 D Carrington 2-15).
Yarraville Club 133 (G Tippett 43 N Burton 34no L Jones 4-24 J Roberts 3-33) lt Bentleigh 3-148 (R Ciccarella 58 A Todd 33).
North division: Keilor 8-207 (K Dixon 54 SA Hussain 42 L Ryan 29 G Lambeth 3-30 D Bulcock 3-61) d Westmeadows 206
(R Capron 64 M Butera 28 G Lambeth 25 R Cook 3-10 D Law 2-39 D Schuppan 2-54).
Doutta Stars 5-323 (A Mato 162no J Duddington 71no J Glenister 37 C Dunlop 2-44 L Kennedy 2-63) d Strathmore 167
(M Reynolds 45 C Wenlock 33 A Gurry 26 C Dunlop 25no B Shafayat 3-35 C Stafford 3-37 B Tankard 2-22 A Mato 2-27).
North seconds: Strathmore 202 (S Houlden 96 N Pantland 37) d Altona North 78 ( Z Carey 5-20 N Pantland 2-8 A Steel 2-19).
Keilor 3-122 (M Woolbridge 48 M Newman 39no) d Sunshine United 117 (K Singh 50no M Rao 4-34).
North A1: Laverton 4-123 (C Swallow 42) d Moonee Valley 95 (S Delaney 3-21 C Swallow 2-16 M O’Brien 2-19).
St Albans 143 (M Montebello 42 S Harman 35 A Arrowsmith 6-51 G Dhar 3-53) lt East Keilor 156 (B Robertson 43 J Bell 27 T Langley-Dunn 7-42 R Nikolic 2-44).
North A2: St Albans 130 (M Murat 36 D Brown 5-17 BA Miles 3-51 A Driver 2-43) lt Laverton 7-269 (A Driver 102no S Williams 84 M Pisani 3-50 D Mackenzie 2-49).
Taylors Lakes 7-176 (R Morgan 49 F Buttigieg 36 M Wilson 28) d Werribee Centrals 173 (L Shanley 3-46 M Wilson 2-21 S Haigh 2-35).
West B1: Altona Roosters 0-85 (D Roach 41no L Lewis 39no) d Barkly Street Uniting 82 (D Williams 33 H Uppal 3-16 C Dine 3-26 L Niemi 2-10).
Kingsville Baptists 101 lt Seddon 136 (G Truter 4-16 G Semerzidis 2-32) and 2-105 (RN Khwaja 2-14).
West B2: Seabrook 94 (J Singh 4-18 M Nolton 2-27 D Clarke 2-27) lt Altona Roosters 9-215 (N Weiman 46 J Sideris 26).
Barkly Street Uniting 90 (S Johnson 25) lt Seddon 139 (S Lucas 5-34 inc hat-trick G Kawar 2-23 S Johnson 2-32).
North C1: Old Essendon Grammarians 5-169 (SF Calthorpe 3-42) d Flemington 166 (G Thompson 58 R DeAlwis 39).
Hoppers Crossing 160 (G Mitchell 49 L Cannan 41 M Wright 32 J Coutts 3-16 M Henry 2-35 L Bassi 2-38 P Isabella 2-41) d Strathmore 113 (B Carey 32 G Mitchell 4-18 B Stuart 3-29 G Haw 2-12).
North C2: Yarraville Club 92 (D Boudrie 28 R Pratt 4-17 J Gibson 3-18) and 1-11 d Doutta Stars 39 (M Spence 5-26 J Gibbs 4-11) and 61 (M Spence 6-42 J Gibbs 3-13).
Altona North 111 (HQ Lai 4-36 S Hynds 3-10 R Bashir 2-55) lt Taylors Lakes 8-128 (L Lau 30).
North C3: St Francis de Sales 7-210 ( Calafiore 48no R Costello 44 W Fawcett 32 G Reed 27 N Fitzpatrick 4-77 S Purdie 2-51) d Glenroy 119 (B Schwarze 41 M Conboy 5-33 D Hynson 2-18).
Yarraville Club 172 (A McGuinness 63 M Paull 26) lt Hoppers Crossing 5-176 (A Gabb 2-57).
