WALLAN appears poised to post a much-needed victory in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s McIntyre Cup competition, posting an imposing total on the first day of its two-day match against East Sunbury on Saturday.
The Magpies are currently at the foot of the McIntyre Cup ladder but share the same 1-8 win-loss record as East Sunbury, which sits one spot higher.
Wallan took a big step towards its second victory of the season when it was sent in to bat by the visiting Thunder, riding a century by opener Kieran Atkin to a total of 254.
Atkin lost fellow opener Matthew Clayton, 7, in the early going but partnered with Spencer Whittingham, 34, Todd Keenan, 9, and skipper Bryan Vance, 25, as he continued to build his innings.
Between them, Wallan’s top five batsmen put 189 runs on the board, helping the team withstand a middle-order slump during which Tyler Dixon and Harvey Lehner were each removed for ducks by Thunder bowler Nathan Dent, and Chris Vecchie added only eight runs of his own.
Handy runs from Campbell Fowler, 13, and Russell Whittingham, 24, in the tail kept Wallan’s scorebook looking healthy and setting the visitors a big run chase.
Wallan had time to bowl three overs before the close of play and made a perfect start, with Vecchie trapping East Sunbury Alec Boorsma leg before wicket for one run, leaving the Thunder 1/1 at stumps and requiring 254 more runs for victory when play resumes on Saturday.
Romsey’s McIntyre Cup clash against second-placed Sunbury United is more delicately poised, with the Redbacks setting themselves to defend a more modest total of 180.
Openers Taylor Stevenson, 28, and Matthew Milne, 27, each made handy starts after Romsey was sent in by the Hornets, but it was Corey Day’s 40 runs in the middle of the order that allowed the home side to reach 180 before being bowled out in the 69th over.
Romsey made the perfect start to its defence, with Adam Frost rattling the stumps of Sunbury United opener Liam Sherlock for a duck, but fellow opener Damien Edwards and first drop Steven Fogarty guided the visitors to 1/11 at stumps, requiring 170 runs for victory at the resumption of play.
Johnstone Shield
Kilmore’s bowlers will need to be on their game this weekend as the side attempts to defend a relatively meagre total of 138 set against Macedon on Saturday.
Blues skipper Josh Buttler, 32, and Ned Mckeown, 38, were the only Kilmore batsmen able to advance past the teens, with opener Kevin Craddock falling for 18 and keeper Jacob Walton dismissed for 17.
Tom Kean was Macedon’s danger man, taking 4/26 in seven overs.
The Cats were 0/10 in reply after 11 overs before the close of play, needing 129 more for a win.
Women
Lancefield Black claimed bragging rights – for now – after defeating Lancefield Yellow in the final round of the women’s competition, and the two will play off again this weekend in a semi-final.
Kilmore’s inaugural women’s season drew to a close as the Blues went down to Macedon by 50 runs.
Chasing 136 for victory, Kilmore openers Taylah Logie, 19, and Megan Farrell, 34, made a good start, but the rest of the team combined foonly 15 total runs as the Blues were bowled out for 85.
Kilmore finished fifth on the ladder, missing the finals by one spot.
Lancefield Yellow batted first after losing the toss and overcame the early loss of openers Miranda Sampson and Cori McPhail for five runs apiece when Carolyn Cusack made 70 before retiring and captain Bethany Reece notched 54.
Lancefield Yellow batted out its 30 overs to finish 6/172, an imposing target, but Lancefield Black showed why it finished atop the ladder with an impressive 2/180 from its own 30 overs, sealing an eight-run win.
Black’s Brooke Jeffery matched Cusack’s heroics with her own unbeaten innings of 72, while Nat Jeffery’s innings of 52 included eight boundaries.
Lancefield Black skipper Emily Consiglio and keeper Charli Laity paired for the winning runs, finishing unbeaten on 11 and 6 respectively.
