Clubbers regain top spot

Youth Club has regained top spot on Grampians Cricket Association’s A Grade ladder with an outright win over Aradale.

The result represented the Clubbers’ second outright win for the season, which has placed the team four points ahead of second-placed Swifts-great Western.

Aradale resumed at 4-41 and steadily lost wickets to be dismissed for 93, with the main wicket taker Cam Kimber claiming 4-44.

Asked to follow on, Aradale’s cause was far from helped with the team having just 10 players.

The side put in a better effort but still fell 28 runs short of making the Clubbers bat again.

In Aradale’s second innings of 175, Mark Fulton with 82 and Tyler Cronin, 49, were the best of the batsmen, while Kimber was again the best of the bowlers with 4-36.

Swifts-great Western prevailed over St Andrews with a 56-run win, leaving it undefeated so far this season.

The Saints started the day at 3-23 and after subbing in batsmen Tom Mills and James Hosking, ZHUH ¿QDOO\ GLVPLVVHG IRU

Mills made 36 and opener Paul 0HQ]LHV ¿QLVKHG ZLWK

Best of the Combine’s bowlers were spinner Matt Fitzgerald with 5-32 and Jayden Mccartney, 3-29. Many association followers will be waiting for the match-up between Youth Club and Combine, but this won’t happen until round nine.

Constant showers south of the divide meant the pitch at Ararat’s Alexandra Oval could not be prepared, forcing a draw between Pomonal and Buangor-tatyoon.

Most would consider this as an escape for the combined team.

Cricket this weekend turns to the T20 Henry Gunstone Cup.

The cup is named in honour of legendary association cricketer Henry Gunstone who scored 128 centuries in his long and illustrious career. In those 128 tons are 12 double centuries and one triple century, when he shared a 503run opening stand with Herbie Bourke, 201. The unlucky club on the other end of this batting was Methodists.

In one Ballarat country week campaign, Gunstone scored a century in each of four preliminary games and after a write-up in the media drew a large crowd to watch KLP LQ WKH ¿QDO %XW ZRXOGQ¶W \RX know it? He made a duck. Cricket is such a great leveller.

Swifts-great Western holds the Henry Gunstone Cup and will be anxious to retain the trophy.