Tallarook trounces Pyalong in penultimate round of Seymour District Cricket Association

Captain Jamie Pryor got Pyalong off to a decent start, hitting 23 runs alongside fellow opener Daniel Sowden, who made 12 runs himself.

Dale Short removed both batters, and the visitors were 2/37.

While Matthew Pratt made 23 runs and Sean Walsh made 29, the rest of the batting line-up struggled.

Five batters were dismissed for ducks as Tallarook bowled out Pyalong for 112 runs in 36.5 overs.

In reply, Andrew Dundon and Joshua Rudge were unstoppable with bat in hand.

Dundon made 71 runs and Rudge 33, as both openers carried their bats in chasing down the total in 26 overs.

Tallarook captain Lachlan Watts said the performance was a good way of building confidence as finals approached.

“We really let Pyalong off the hook early with some poor fielding despite some good spells of bowling, particularly from Xav Arandt,” Watts said.

“After drinks, we picked up six wickets for less than 30 runs, so it was great to be able to turn a poor start around.

“Kal Winnell and Blake Munari-O’Dywer pulled the scoring back well and allowed us to keep them to a very gettable total.

“Andy Dundon was absolutely sensational with the bat, with Rudgey playing second fiddle for once.

“They both batted very maturely and to their strengths. Chasing down a score of over a hundred without losing a wicket is a fantastic turnaround from last week.

“We’ll be looking to put our best foot forward against Yea before heading into finals.”

At Leckie Park, Alexandra defeated Avenel by 52 runs, and at Kings Park Reserve, Eastern Hill continued its unbeaten season with a thumping 119-run win over Yea.

With just one round to go, the finals berths have already been determined, with Tallarook and Seymour destined to play off for a spot in the decider alongside Eastern Hill.

Seymour and Tallarook will be looking to build confidence in their last regular season game before going into their do-or-die clash.