TWO incredible individual performances have helped Woorinen prepare for this Saturday’s Kookaburra Cup grand final against Nyah District in the best possible way, with a nine-wicket thrashing of Ultima TUF.
A nine-wicket haul from Gurmander Singh and a hard-hitting 107 not out from skipper Dean Morpeth helped the Tigers sit nine points clear in second on the SHDCA A Grade ladder.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the wheels quickly fell off the Roodogs’ wagon as Singh cut a swath through the top order, with Josh Waldron (14) and Kade Benfield (13) the only batters to reach double figures as the visitors were dismissed for 43.
The pain didn’t stop there, however, when Morpeth rubbed salt into their wounds pummelling the Roodogs’ attack to all corners of the Woorinen Recreation Reserve outfield on his way to 107.
The veteran eventually retired after smashing 13 boundaries and six sixes.
Woorinen finished the day 2/159, with Darren Rushton scoring an unbeaten 41 as stumps were called after just 22 overs.
“I felt like I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well this year, but it all came together on Saturday I suppose,” Morpeth said.
“Having a couple of hits with my son Harrison in the nets is helping as well as getting back to keeping, I don’t like to talk too much about my batting, but I felt like I kept really well and that flowed on to my batting.
“I really only went at a run a ball for the first 30 runs and then once we passed them, I decided to push on with it.
“You don’t always get away with batting like that, when you start being positive the risk of going out is always there, but it was nice that it came off on Saturday.”
Ultima TUF went into the match just three points behind Woorinen on the ladder.
But while the Roodogs have undoubtedly taken significant steps forward this season, it was also a win of consequence for the Tigers, who are not only hunting victory in this Saturday’s one-day competition decider, but also the season proper.
“It was an important win, the ladder is so tight this year and it’s going to be an amazing finish for the association to see who plays finals,” Morpeth said.
“The battle for a spot in the finals will be amazing and every game for us is going to be like that, which is exciting to be involved in.
“We don’t hide from the fact that we put a high preference on the red-ball title, that’s the dream and we want to be there and giving ourselves a chance to win the premiership in March, and if this weekend is a stepping stone towards that, then that’s great.
“We want to play well against the best teams and perform on the big stage, but we’ll be there to win it and it’s always good to test yourself against the best, especially for our kids.”
