LAST season’s Seymour District Cricket Association, SDCA, grand finalists Eastern Hill and Broadford are once again early leaders of the A Grade competition after impressive wins at the weekend.
Broadford travelled to Chittick Park to take on Seymour, emerging with an impressive 81-run win.
Broadford won the toss and elected to bat, but was wrong-footed early by the loss of opener Connor Stute for a duck, bowled by Seymour’s Brodey Pointon.
Number three batsman Mitch Collier set about building the innings with remaining opener Gareth Sharp, controlling the strike in a 33-run partnership.
Collier continued on with Cooper Mason after Sharp fell for six runs, before eventually being caught behind two runs short of a half century off the bowling of Braidon Horkings.
Mason continued to solidify Broadford’s innings before being caught off the bowling of Steve Bruce for 27, but tailenders Riley Nolan, 17 runs, Michael Mirabella, 20, and skipper Taylor Shell, 12 not out, did enough to guide the visitors to an imposing 9/189 from their 45 overs.
Daniel McLarty was Seymour’s best bowler, removing most of the Broadford middle order to finish with 4/38 from nine overs, including two maidens.
McLarty also opened the batting and looked on his way with 13 runs from 28 balls before falling to the bowling of Shell.
Shell followed up with the wickets of Seymour first drop Brodey Pointon and opener Jason Brown to have the home side under the pump at 3/44.
Seymour’s middle order struggled to achieve any momentum, with Brayden Finn and Taylor Thornton falling for ducks and four of their other teammates recording only single-digit totals.
Tailenders Chris Kemp, unbeaten on 33, and Damian Murphy, 15, held out for as long as they could, but their side was bowled out for 108 in 36 overs, with Shell’s 3/18 the best of Broadford’s bowling figures.
Eastern Hill also looked little troubled as it dispatched Yea Tigers, bowling the home side out for only 57 at Yea Recreation Reserve.
Openers Biron Hardinge, 18, and Noah Hildebrand, 11, put together a promising first stand, but number seven batsman James Lincoln was the only Yea player to reach double figures thereafter, bowled by Jake Sutherland for 10.
Sutherland was a standout for the Eagles with 4/8 from 7.2 overs, before his teammates chased down the Tigers’ total for the loss of four wickets in 21 overs.
Leo Halford Molinaro was Yea’s best bowler, finishing with 3/13 in four overs.
In the final round before the Christmas and New Year’s break, Tallarook will host Seymour and Broadford will welcome Yea Tigers, while Eastern Hill has a bye.
