Moore leads disciplined chase
attracting the bulk of attention from opposition clubs in terms of ‘teams to beat’, Neerim District have quietly notched win after win, and the Stags were again successful on the weekend, this time to the tune of six-wickets over Ellinbank.
Having sent the Eagles into bat, Neerim District were able to restrict their opponents to 7-149 from their allotted overs, despite Alex Gaudion’s aggressive half-century and some late runs from Michael Pandolfo.
In reply, the Stags run-chase began poorly as Darcy (4) and Fusinato (0) were both removed early – with Pandolfo (2-16 from eight) and Gaudion applying early pressure with the ball.
However, once Bailey George and Warren Darcy settled at the crease there was little that Ellinbank could do to stem the flow of runs, and the duo’s 103-run fourth wicket stand helped the scoring rate to rattle along at a steady enough clip to lead Neerim District over the line in the 36th over.
George remained unbeaten on 65, with Darcy making 37.
Warriors on top
Western Park (135) def. Hallora (88): Western Park remain atop the division two table at the halfway mark of the 2017-18 season, with their 47-run win over Hallora solidifying their position as one of the ‘teams to beat’ this summer.
The win came on the back of a strangling bowling performance, with none of the bowlers offering anything loose that the Kangaroos batsmen could capitalise on.
Wil Cole (1-11 from five) and Jason Batson (3-16 off eight) set the tone with the new-ball, and the likes of Fletcher Kennedy (3-16 from six) and Lasitha Amarasooriya (the staggering figures of 1-2 from six overs) maintained the rage with some parsimonious off-spin.
Only Chris Diston (10) and Clint Hickford (13) were able to make it double figures as the rest of the batsmen crumbled against the accuracy and pressure.
A whopping 38 extras added respectability to the Halloran score, but in pursuit of 135 they were bundled out for 88 in the 36th over.
Earlier in the day, patient knocks of 20 to Jack Barnes, 30 to Paul McCluskey, and 31 to Sam McMillan helped the Warriors to their eventual winning total.