Marist Aqua faced the Eastlake Galahs on a windy Friday afternoon at Deakin, with plenty of excitement as the Aqua boys showcased their growing confidence and skill. Opening batsmen Edmund Dziedzic and captain Chayan Mehta set a positive tone, putting up respectable runs despite a few no-balls from Eastlake before retiring not out. Tom Ferrari kept the momentum going, sneaking runs off a no-ball and finding the boundary before partnering briefly with Lawrence Friesen, who continued to build the total after Tom was caught in the field. Fred Friesen joined his brother, and together the pair added an impressive 43 runs, each striking boundaries before Lawrence retired not out. Julian Baseby then paired with Fred, the duo piling on several more boundaries, with Julian top-scoring for Aqua with an excellent 32 runs. Daniel Trinca and later Rami Moore continued to add to the tally, with Daniel eventually being bowled out. In the final moments of the 20th over, Ryan Nammuni Dewage contributed a few valuable runs to close out a strong Aqua innings.

With a quick turnaround, Marist Aqua took to the field, immediately displaying sharp intent. Vincent Imbriano opened with fire, delivering a standout moment when he bowled an Eastlake batter and split the stump clean across the pitch, a match highlight! Ryan followed with laser-accurate bowling, claiming two wickets in quick succession during the second over. A sharp catch from Daniel added further pressure, and wicketkeeper Tom thrilled spectators with a rapid reaction run-out soon after. As Eastlake struggled to settle, Ryan struck again, bowling a batter out for a golden duck to loud celebration from his teammates. Rami Moore and wicky Edmund combined cleverly to snare another wicket, before Fred added to the tally with a clean bowled dismissal of his own. With only ten overs bowled and Eastlake’s final pair under pressure, a miscommunication between the Eastlake batters opened the door for Julian to complete the final run-out, securing a mighty and well-earned win for Aqua. These boys are impressive.