BROADFORD came up just short of a memorable victory against reigning premier Eastern Hill in a rematch of last year’s Seymour District Cricket Association grand final in Seymour on Saturday.
The Eagles, playing on their adopted home ground of Bennett Oval while finishing touches are put on the flood-affected Kings Park, won the toss and chose to bat, but were soon without opener Dallas Bergowicz, who was caught behind off the bowling of Broadford skipper Taylor Shell.
Shell struck again soon after to remove fellow Eastern Hill opener Brayden Speechley after Riley Nolan claimed the scalp of Ben Bryant, leaving the Eagles 3/29.
After Oliver Bryant, 3, also failed to last long at the crease after being bowled by Nolan, the tide began to turn, with skipper Seamus Feery, 20, and Brayden Avola, 14, providing middle-order stability.
Eastern Hill again looked in trouble when Matthew Collard, 5, Daniel O’Sullivan, 3, and Tim Rudd-Schmidt, 2, fell in quick succession, but tailenders Fraser Lewis, 12, and Jake Sutherland, 10 not out, pushed the home side’s total to triple figures at 114, giving the bowling attack something to defend.
Braden Hickey, 3/10, and Jeremy Bradshaw, 3/22, were Broadford’s best bowlers, with Shell and Nolan claiming two wickets apiece.
Broadford looked well on its way in the early run chase as openers Connor Stute and Hickey put on a 24-run stand.
But Stute’s dismissal for 13, caught and bowled by Ben Bryant, and Hickey’s 14 after a leg-before-wicket decision going the way of Eastern Hill’s Sutherland, sparked a mini collapse.
Broadford soon lost Mitch Collier, 4, and Sean Baker, duck, to be 4/34.
Nolan’s hard-fought 20 and 32 from Rod Jackson seemed to have turned the match back in favour of Broadford, but the pair fell in quick succession to Bryant and Rudd-Schmidt respectively, leaving the visitors still 27 runs short of victory with only three wickets in hand.
While Shell, 10, and Bradshaw, 8, did their best to secure the win with a 15-run partnership, their dismissals within a few balls of each other all but ended the innings as Michael Mirabella, duck, was the last wicket to fall with Broadford on 108, seven runs short of victory.
Rudd-Schmidt’s 3/22 was the best bowling performance for Eastern Hill, while Ben Bryant finished with 3/25 and Sutherland and Avola claimed two wickets each.
With Tallarook claiming a relatively straightforward 44-run victory against Yea Tigers, spearheaded by opener Ben Tarran’s 64 runs and 3/34 from Xavier Arandt, the ladder remained unchanged, with Eastern Hill in first place, Tallarook second, Broadford third, Seymour fourth and Yea Tigers last.
Tallarook and Broadford will meet at Tallarook Recreation Reserve this weekend, while Seymour will play Eastern Hill in a cross-town match-up at Chittick Park. Yea Tigers have a bye.