Wild Dogs downed in thriller
On a perfect day for cricket, Warragul and District hosted Leongatha at Hallora in Gippsland Cricket League on Sunday with the sides playing out a thrilling match that went all the way to the final over.
Leongatha proved victorious after subsiding the pressure and getting the required runs with three balls to spare.
Under the new leadership of head coach Norm Berry, Warragul captain Sam Batson elected to bat first and saw his side adopt a ‘watch and wait’ approach as the Hallora turf proved to produce varying degrees of bounce and stickiness.
Due to this caution, the scoring rate was stalled as the Wild Dogs aimed to consolidate in the middle and bat out their allotted overs to try and keep the Leongatha bowlers, some of whom were visitors from the United Kingdom and not use to the Australian heat, out in the sun for as long as possible.
Some late hitting from Nick Fairbank, who made 27, propelled the Wild Dogs to a decent score, taking into account the condition of the pitch, of 118.
For Leongatha, the wickets were shared with Ryan Birkett, David Crawley, Shane Dole and Daniel Mock each taking two.
In response, Leongatha adopted the same batting philosophy, keeping supporters on edge until the final stages.
Warragul stalwart Fraser Duncan produced two moments of brilliance in the field, with a run out and a diving one-handed catch at mid-wicket.
Young spinner Jonah Serong conceded just nine runs off his 10 overs in a fantastic display of flight and drift, while James Williams and Sam Batson both finished with two wickets.
Key Leongatha player Eli Richards batted throughout the day and was eventually the difference, remaining unbeaten with a clinical 47 as Leongatha closed at 6/120 to be victor by four wickets.
The grand final re-match between SaleMaffra and Traralgon did not disappoint, with the game highlighted by a spine-tingling contest that featured a remarkable hat-trick by Traralgon’s Max Merton.
In the finish, Sale’s 145 proved to be just enough to get them over the line, as Traralgon were bowled out with just five runs separating the sides.
Bairnsdale had the bye.
Under 18
Warragul and District comfortably accounted for Bairnsdale at Drouin’s Bellbird Park.
Batting first, the Wild Dogs were able to build around a watchful Aidan Phillips, who top scored with 40 from 107 balls as the home side reached 9/182 from their allotted 50 overs.
Kim Drew (29 from 31 balls) and Angus Emery (36 from 48 balls) were more aggressive in their approach, and helped the Wild Dogs to a competitive total.
Despite Beau Hack and Brad Daniel both making starts, they failed to see support from their teammates as the Wild Dogs took wickets at regular intervals to see Bairnsdale bowled out for 131.
Spinner Emery capped a good performance, taking 3/33 from his 10 overs, while Joel Batson was also damaging with 3/8. Will Robertson chipped in with two wickets.
In other matches, Central Gippsland posted 7/197 to hold off Traralgon (174) in a high scoring affair, while Sale-Maffra’s 8/233 was far too good for Leongatha (147).
Under 16
Warragul and District entered its innings against Sale-Maffra with high hopes, but crashed to a 60-run defeat in a low scoring affair at Bundalaguah.
Only Jai Serong and Bailey Osseweyer could manage double figures as the Wild Dogs crashed to 38 all out in the 21st over.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling effort saw the Wild Dogs dismiss Sale-Maffra for 98.
Opening bowlers Jai Serong (3/20) and Liam Quarrell (2/11) were effective. They were backed up by Harrison Moore, who chipped in with 2/9.
Cameron Wrigglesworth ultimately proved the difference, breaking through for a half century where most other batters struggled to score.
In other matches, Bairnsdale posted 9/198 before running through Traralgon (44), while Central Gippsland’s 9/159 proved too tough to chase for Leongatha (102).