Dadallage destroys Central Park as B grade storms into Grand Final

B GRADE Euroa hosted Central Park St Brendan’s in the semi-final at the Friendlies, with the visitors winning the toss and electing to bat first. Darby Wilson made the early breakthrough, with the opener caught behind by the safe hands of Josh Robertson. Central Park St Brendan’s looked steady until Shammy Dadallage dismissed the other opener for 44, which sparked a collapse. Dadallage then tore through the innings, claiming the next seven wickets to finish with outstanding figures of 8/36. Cohen Paul picked up the final wicket, with Ryan Hill taking the catch, as Central Park St Brendan’s were bowled out for 138. Euroa then safely negotiated a tricky six-over period late in the day to close at 0/28. Resuming on Sunday, Euroa still needed 111 runs for victory. Will Jackson was the first wicket to fall after making 34, skying a catch with the score at 1/45. The decisive moment came when Nic Hill and Lachie Hill combined for a match-winning 74-run partnership. Lachie was dismissed for 35 with the score at 2/119, leaving Euroa within touching distance of victory. Co-captain Nic Hill finished unbeaten on 60 before retiring not out to allow some of the younger players an opportunity at the crease as Euroa surged into the grand final in dominant fashion. He said after the game of his decent knock that it felt good 'to get a few' and that Shammy had made all the difference on day one. "I reckon yesterday when Shammy came in for his first change and ripped through the top order and bottom order, it was pretty awesome," Hill said. "We had a couple of good starts in the field as well, so we didn't really have too much to chase; so it was good." Euroa’s finals campaign is still alive, with a blockbuster grand final clash against Northerners at Deakin Reserve next up. The first ball will be at 11.30am on Saturday and Sunday, with the grand final to be played over 100 overs per day instead of the usual 80. SCORECARD: CP/STB 138 (S Dadallage 8/36, D Wilson 1/22) defeated by Euroa 2/177 (N Hill 60 ret. not out, L Hill 35) D GRADE Euroa’s D Grade side travelled to Lemnos Recreation Reserve on Saturday for the first semi-final against Pine Lodge. Captain Connor McCombe lost the toss and Euroa were sent in to bat. Euroa’s innings was built around strong contributions from Haedyn Saville and Tim Swift. Saville struck several boundaries before being trapped lbw for 34, while Swift took centre stage with a composed 63 from 95 balls, including two sixes and four fours, before being run out. Rayan Moore, Jake Tunks, and Luke Gilliland also chipped in with boundaries as Euroa finished on 8/161. With the ball, Cooper Goodall kept Euroa in the contest with career-best figures of 4/28, while McCombe claimed the other wicket. However, Pine Lodge chased down the target to win by five wickets and end Euroa’s season. The D Grade side thanked everyone who contributed throughout the season, including fill-in players, scorers, drivers, and those who helped with afternoon teas at home matches. Euroa’s achievement this season has not gone unnoticed. After starting the 2024-25 season in D Grade before being relegated to E Grade and narrowly missing finals, the side returned to D Grade in 2025-26 and came within one game of a grand final berth. SCORECARD: Euroa 8/161 (T Swift 63, H Saville 34) lost to Pine Lodge 5/162 (C Goodall 4/28, C McCombe 1/31)