Top display by Diamanti

Rockingham-Mandurah held their nerve in the penultimate round of WACA fixtures against Perth at the weekend.

In the Mariners first grade bottom-placed Perth scored a 35-run victory at Fletcher Park.

The Demons were dismissed for 156 as captain-coach Brendon Diamanti completed his all-round show with 5/18 from 19 overs. The former New Zealand international should poll well in the player-voted Baird Medal with a century, two 50s and Saturday’s performance behind him.

Aidan Andrews jumped to the top of the firsts’ wicket-taking list after another workman-like effort was rewarded with 3/44 from 22 overs.

The Mariners enjoyed some second innings frivolity with 2/93, Jayden Derosa making 41* and Tony Coulson 38*.

Third grade’s finals chances still have a faint heartbeat with a stirring win against the Demons. It took all of their resources to overhaul the home side’s 170 as Adeel Ejaz (30*), Lachlan Pratt (28) and Aaron Burrage (25) scratched out what was needed in a fine show of doggedness.

Saturday night’s Baird Medal shapes up to be lowscoring count where numerous players from all four grades will cobble together all they can get from the 3-2-1 system for the club’s highest individual honour.

Craig Simmons is the only player to win two Bairds in the past two seasons and, on the back of two tons, three 50s and a couple of swags of wickets, he is a slight favourite.

The seconds got put to the sword as Perth amassed 9/406 in reply to Rockingham-Mandurah’s 225. Elliott Lyons should all but wrap up three Baird Medal votes with 6/101 from his leg-spinners complementing last week’s century.

Nathan Hutchison and Matthew Edwards quickly wrapped up the win for the under-17s with a 99-run sixth-wicket partnership to get the team to 6/180.

Hutchison blasted 79 from 81 balls and Edwards went at better than a run a ball for 40 not out to set up an outright charge. Perth held the Mariners off in the second innings at 7/126.

The under-15s played with poise to escape with a four-run thriller, bowling out Perth for 218 at Lark Hill.

The Demons looked good at 2/157, but Danial Sudden turned the game Rockingham-Mandurah’s way with 6/47, which was the opening bowler’s second five wicket haul this season.