Iona continues impressive form
Iona continued their impressive form in season 2015/16 with a win that helped them to equal first on the table after five rounds, taking home a tight 23-run win over Jindivick.
Having posted 8-137 after batting first - a total set up thanks to a number of cameos from the top and middle order - the likes of Michael Taylor (3-13) and Luke Ferguson (2-22) were too good for the Jumping Jacks batsmen.
Mark Robinson hit 32 opening up to anchor the innings, but he lacked the support required to claim the win with Jindivick out for 114 in the 39th over.
Stunning finish
Bunyip (9-129) tied with Drouin (129) In a stunning finish, Bunyip and Drouin played out the first tie of the summer, with Daniel Helmore able to dismissed Jack Jarred in the final over of the match to ensure the points where shared.
It finished off a spell of 2-34 from Helmore that also included the scalp of Jude Fernando early in the innings and ensured that Scott Squires’ spell of 3-9 didn’t go to waste.
Earlier in the day, Squires also contributed strongly with the bat with an innings of 26 that lifted Bunyip to 9129, despite a late collapse triggered by a hat-trick to Jakob Simpson (who claimed 4-30).
Panthers’ tight win
Yarragon (6-187) def. Western Park (181)
A thumping 65 from Jarryd Kilday and a hard-hitting 59 to John Allsop carried Yarragon to tight six-run win over Western Park, the pair’s knocks setting a target just too much for the Warriors to chase down.
Peter Croft (a patient 36) and Jon Neilson (a boundary-laden 46) did their best to reduce the run-rate, but against the likes of John Buckland (3-45) and Tim Berryman (a nerveless four-over spell of 2-14 at the end of the innings) they couldn’t quite score enough to claim victory, out for 181 in the final over.
Bankers atone
Ellinbank (4-127) def. Buln (124) Having fallen short against Western Park in their chase last weekend, Ellinbank atoned for that loss with a stirring chase carrying them to a last-over six-wicket win over Buln.
Having slumped to 4-66 with barely 15 overs remaining, Andrew Quirk (35*) and Jack Pandolfo (29*) combined for a 61-run unbeaten stand that mixed hard running with sensible shot selection.
Earlier in the day, Will Robertson (3-13) and Jaxon Notman (3-22) delivered excellent spells that restricted the Lyrebirds to 124, with Matt Gooden’s hard-hitting 24 the pick of the innings for Buln.