Wests edge out Trojans
Clutch bowling from McCarthy lifts Wests to a narrow victory
CRICKET: They’ve stamped themselves as the two premier sides throughout the Toowoomba A-grade season so far.
So it was only fitting that the two-day encounter between Metropolitan-Easts and Western Districts came down to the final overs.
Defending champions Wests were able to extract some revenge for defeat in the Harding-Madsen Shield finals, scoring a first innings victory by 12 runs.
They came into the second day at 9/199, with Rylan Martin and Sam Neale stepping to the crease with the retirement of Mark Burt (24 runs) and Ryan Ward (4).
A crucial burst saw the pair add five boundaries and another 29 runs to close out the innings at 228.
Dan Brown picked up the final scalp, giving him teambest figures of 4/35 from 14 overs.
Mets player Ross Milton said that was a crucial period of the match, with Martin and Neale adding vital runs to the tally.
“We were chasing one wicket at the start of the day,” Milton said.
“That was probably the difference in not being able to wrap things up where they were.”
In response, the Trojans found the initial going tough without veteran influence Troy Gurski available.
The Mets’ top order limped through the first period of the run chase, finding themselves struggling at 4/49 through the opening 21 overs, with Neale, Shaun McCarthy and Matt Hallas sharing the spoils.
Despite the Warriors finding themselves on top, they were unable to find an answer for Campbell Rathie, who steadily continued to pile on runs.
Minor partnerships with Peter van der Kooij (16) and Ben Kahler (18) saw them progress to 6/146, before Jeremy Haaksma clean-bowled Jacob Fry for zero to again keep Mets under pressure at 7/147.
That brought Kahleem Reardon to the crease, allowing Rathie to push on past his century, as the Mets got to within 19 runs of victory.
Their run was cut short however, with Queensland Country bowler McCarthy stepping up when it counted, bowling Reardon (17), Rathie (114) and Matt Elford (0) to dismiss the Trojans for 216.
His three wickets in the space of six deliveries gave him figures of 4/58, and helped Western Districts secure top spot on the ladder as the competition prepares for a break over the Christmas and New Year period.
Milton said that despite the side suffering its first loss of the season, they could take plenty out of the match as they prepared for a month off.
“We lost a few wickets in clumps there, and were 5/86 at one stage,” he said.
“It was always going to be tough from there to try and chase that total.
“Campbell played out of his skin, and really gave us a chance to get close.
“He was able to pile on a few partnerships and put us in a position to win the game, but we just ran out of wickets.
“Shaun McCarthy really showed his class with those last few wickets. He bowled 20 overs in warm conditions which is a fair effort.”
Milton said that Wests showed why they were still the team the beat in the competition, but said they would be able to take plenty of confidence towards the important part of the season.
“It was a bit of a shame, but it was a good game nonetheless,” he said.
“It’s what you want to see after 150 overs of cricket, a game coming right down to the wire. We both had opportunities to close the game out, and we know that if we played to our full capacity we can certainly beat them.
“Wests showed that they are still the team to beat, but it was good to test the waters against the benchmark team of the competition.
“It would be a good matchup later in the season, but there’s a lot of work to do between then.”
Western Districts lead by 10 points from MetropolitanEasts with five rounds to play, with the competition set to resume on January 11.