WANDELLA has moved into the Northern District Cricket Association A Grade top two thanks to a 44-run win against Cohuna United on Saturday.
Led by an all-round batting and bowling performance, as well as home ground advantage after the match was moved from the Cohuna Recreation Reserve to Riverside Park to accommodate a football training camp, the Bombers are 1.34 points ahead of third-placed side, Barham/Koondrook with four rounds remaining.
Electing to bat first, each of the Bombers’ top order batsmen recorded starts to help the hosts score 6/215 off its 45 overs.
Six of the seven batting partnerships surpassed 30 runs, with Austin Robinson (two wickets) the only multiple wicket-taker for United.
Despite 83 runs from Daniel Cooke, United struggled to replicate the Bombers’ ability to post handy partnerships, finishing its 45 overs at 9/171.
Mick Bott and Liam Radcliffe were the pick of Wandella’s bowlers, with the pair claiming two scalps each.
Despite the loss, United can still make the finals, but the side must defeat local rivals, Nondies this weekend after the Cohuna-based team lost to premiership favourites, Leitchville/Gunbower by 77 runs.
Nondies had no answer to Brad Windridge, whose career-best figures of 7/16 halted the visitors when they were in a position of recording an upset result.
Earlier in the day, Casey McNaught (65) – who produced a 95-run opening-wicket stand with Oliver O’Shea – and Jackson McEwen (40) helped Leitchville/Gunbower score 7/194 off its 45 overs, with Lachie Harbinson taking four wickets for the visitors.
Josh Novoselek (40) and Jack Donat (24) gave Nondies a strong start, producing a 60-run opening wicket stand, with the visitors cruising to a win at 1/81 before the Leitchville/Gunbower captain brought himself on as the seventh bowling change.
Windridge’s dismissal of Donat sparked a collapse that saw Nondies lose its final nine wickets for 36 runs and relinquish any chance of hosting the first semi-final on March 4.
Margins close
THE race for the Northern District Cricket Association’s B Grade second semi-final hosting rights is tightening, with 0.25 points separating competition leaders Nondies and Wandella.
The Cohuna-based side’s win against Cohuna United moved the team back to the top of the ladder, with the Bombers holding on for a four-run win against Barham/Koondrook.
In the final of the derbies between Cohuna’s two sides, its was youngsters Patrick Doyle (35) and Nick Farr-Jones (44 not out) who secured Nondies’ 25-run win.
The hosts were 5/117 when Doyle joined Farr-Jones at the crease, with the pair putting together a 65-run sixth-wicket stand to help guide Nondies to 8/201 off its 40 overs.
Bruce Milthorpe turned back the clock for United, taking three wickets.
United was well-placed in its reply, with Grant Cowan (73) and Andrew Brown putting together an 84-run opening-wicket partnership.
However, the loss of Cowan with the score a 2/92 stunted the run chase, with the visitors finishing their 45 overs at 8/176.
Liam Pascoe led the way with the ball for Nondies, claiming two scalps.
Across at Kerang, a 118-run sixth-wicket stand between Shannon Burton (58) and Russell Bott (49) helped the Bombers set up a win against Barham/Koondrook.
Jade Stewart (three wickets) had the hosts reeling at 5/27, before Bott and Burton heled guide Wandella to 8/145 off its 40 overs.
Barham/Koondrook faced a similar situation in reply, falling to 5/39 before Steven Farrant (70) and Mitchell O’Neill (34) put together an 87-run sixth-wicket stand to have the visitors closing in on a win.
The loss of Farrant four runs short of the win stopped the border side’s progress, with Tom Gibson, Toby Gray and Liam Jardine – who all took two wickets each – to restricting Barham/Koondrook to 9/141 in reply.
The results leave the border side and United fourth and fifth on the ladder, with 0.26 points separating the teams going into the final month of the home and away season.
In the final match of the round, Leitchville/Gunbower all but secured the rights to host the first semi-final thanks to a win against Kerang Fairley Town.
Electing to bat first, Brandt Gladman (53), Ryan Prendergast (44) and Blake Gelletly (36) helped the hosts reach 8/174 off its 40 overs.
Ayush Chopra and Daniel Higgs both took three wickets each for the Kerang-based side, who recovered after Prendergast and Gelletly put together an 82-run opening-wicket partnership.
Despite the best efforts of Ryan Barnes (49), Kerang Fairley Town struggled against the bowling of Alex Keath, who took five wickets to help dismiss the visitors for 94 in the 33rd over.
