Drouin brush off Hallora
Crows stave off defeat
Ellinbank 9/122 lost to Longwarry 8/125 For the second week in a row Longwarry has managed to stave off their defeat in a thrilling chase.
After losing the toss and seeing Ellinbank elect to bat, Longwarry would have been pleased with their start as Dom Pullen (3-24) claimed three early scalps to leave the Eagles reeling at 3-17.
Lachlan Pratt (45) and Michael Masterson (35) continued their excellent form of previous years, rather unsurprisingly combining for an 89-run stand- as Longwarry had few answers.
That was until Austin Van Strijp (2-12) took a couple of quick wickets and executed a fantastic run-out, while Peter Haxell (2-30) chipped in and left Ellinbank many runs under-par at 9-122 at their close of innings.
Longwarry’s reply in the early stages signalled game over as Randall Mitchell (29) and Van Strijp (26) seemingly took the pressure out of the chase with a 59-run opening stand.
However spin would prove their, and the middle order’s, undoing. Chris Pallot (3-17) and Jaxon Notman (2-15) ran amok to leave Longwarry 8-117 and six runs to get.
Enter Dom Pullen, the star with the ball for the Crows, who was able to use his division one experience under pressure, making a cool 27 not out to reach the target with one over to spare.
Iona fall short
Western Park 6/127 lost to Iona 126 The newly promoted Iona were seeking redemption against their opponents from last year’s division three grand final, however fell short in a relatively tight fixture at Logan Park.
Batting first, the Swamp Tigers commenced with a positive opening stand as Jed Saik (26) helped his side to a 33-run opening stand.
Once removed by the spin of Liam O’Connor (2-25) however, things quickly fell apart and a steady stream of wickets from Peter Croft (2-23) and Matt Garner (2-11) was only momentarily halted by a brisk 29 from Shannon Hayhow, reducing Iona to 126 all out.
On a batting friendly ground this would have seemed a rather elementary chase, however two early wickets from Hayhow put the game on edge at 2-12.
A reserved Dale Fawcett (42) helped the Warriors into a position of stability after a solid stand with Alex Gavin (19), and despite falling to 6-107 at one stage after wickets from Kieran Lenders, Seam McCormack and Brayden Hoskins, Michael Modaffari (20*) and Jason Batson held their nerve to secure a crucial four wicket victory.