Warriors march on in big win
Western Park 3/95 def Warragul 94
A third dominant bowling performance in three matches has seen Western Park dismantle cross-town rivals Warragul on the weekend, ultimately booking a spot in the COVID Cup final in the process.
Losing the toss and having to field, Matt Garner (2-16) took the prized wicket of exWarriors champion Matt Wakefield early and it never got any easier for the Gulls.
Jack Barnes (3-16) continued to bully the competition with his relentless pace taking another haul, whilst Sam McMillan (2-2) cleaned up the tail to leave Warragul all out for 94. For the Gulls, Tim Norton (40) was as reliable as always, but it simply wasn’t enough to produce a competitive score. In reply, the home side was never troubled as Jack Barnes (35) secured man-of-the-match honours with a fine knock, whilst a rapid 41 not out to Adam Feltham sealed the deal with seven wickets to spare, just before the rain bucketed down.
Hallora 4/142(cc) def by Longwarry 1/145 A restrictive bowling performance and rapid run chase has seen Longwarry annihilate Hallora away from home.
Hallora won the toss and chose to bat and seemed vindicated as the innings progressed as experienced and talented campaigner James Vela took charge with a strong knock of 61. He was ably supported by Ben Gibson (27*) as the pair oozed class, however they failed to accelerate and perhaps left some meat on the bone as Hallora made 4-142.
For the Crows, a strong all-around bowling performance was the name of the game, which was the polar opposite of their batting, as two men sought to clear the runs themselves before any rain hit. Ben Perry (70*) showed why he is one of the most talented batsmen in the Gippsland region, as he and Yashan Samarasinghe (66*) added 144 in less than 18 overs after the early wicket of Daniel Pullen, wiping away the deficit in a flash and sending an ominous warning to the rest of the competition.
Drouin 6/115 (cc) drew Neerim District
2/81
Rain almost certainly cost Neerim victory on the weekend, as the elements proved the only match for a near-perfect performance from the Stags.
Bowling first, the northern-most WDCA side was miserly with the ball, as only Nick Harper (33) was able to play with any sort of fluency for the Hawks, as they struggled to score against an experienced, A Grade bowling attack.
Matt Kelliher (3-20) proved difficult to score against, as did Kody Wilson (2-27) as the pair were the catalyst for Drouin’s small total of 6115.
In reply, Neerim knew they had to work quickly to gain a crucial result and unfortunately, only 16 overs were possible. Despite a quickfire 30 from Ash Lockett, Neerim were left stranded on 2-81, still 34 in arrears as the rain played spoiler.