Modewarre grabs win over Saints
MODEWARRE beat not only GuildSaints but also the weather, grabbing a vital victory after every other GCA3 game was called off due to persistent rain.
The Warriors were winners on a run-rate calculation after restricting Guild-Saints to 9-65 off a revised 25 overs in reply to the Warriors’ strong first-innings total of 6-216 off 40.
Opening bowler Aaron Hovey admitted the result was somewhat anticlimactic given the day’s stop-start nature.
“When we came off, it didn’t really feel like a win to be honest. Coming on and off all the time, it just didn’t feel like a win,” Hovey said.
“Once we had won some of us didn’t even know we had, it was just a bit hard.”
But the GCA yesterday said it would determine tonight whether the result would stand, given it was the only match to get a result. Games at Thomson and St Albans were called off before a ball was bowled.
Hovey said he had doubts as to whether their own game was going to be allowed to go ahead with the other GCA3 fixtures not going ahead.
“We didn’t really think we were even going to get on,” he said.
“With the three other games in our division getting called off, we didn’t think we were going to play to be honest.”
Following clarification from the GCA, the game started under heavy skies, with openers Jake Ibbs (38) and Jack Hosking (83) making sure the 10 overs lost to rain wouldn’t cost the Warriors too much.
Hosking was at his dangerous best, combining with Ibbs and then Steve Dillon (40) in an 84-run stand to propel the Modewarre innings.
“He’s one of our best bats,” Hovey said of Hosking.
“The top two got us off to a good start and that’s what we needed yesterday.”
More rain during the innings break left Guild requiring a revised 135 off 25 overs.
Modewarre’s bowlers then made sure the heavens wouldn’t interfere their path to victory thanks to searing opening spells from Hovey (3-15), Nathan Saunders (1-2 off five overs) and Hosking (2-17) to leave the Saints reeling at a scarcely believable 7-19.
A record low score looked a forgone conclusion until some stubborn resistance following another rain delay from Trent Thompson (24 not out) and David Anderson (19) saved Guild’s blushes.