TABLES have turned in the Sale-Maffra Cricket Association.
Round 7 of the first-grade competition concluded on Saturday, the results of which brought a new hierarchy and a much-needed shake-up to the ladder.
As for the games themselves, mild temperatures and extra dampness in the pitch gave bowlers the advantage on the day, as did a cool breeze which, at times, threatened to turn into a gust.
Three games were won on first-innings, and the fourth outright.
Stratford v Sale
COULD Sale be the dark horse that claims the 2022/23 premiership?
That’s a question many are posing after the Swans beat reigning champions and title favourites Stratford by 84 runs.
Having begun their chase last week, the Redbacks resumed at 0/6 with Ben Dinning and Lachlan Channing at the crease.
Dinning was lost in the seventh over of the day for five, his departure bringing Jack Tatterson to the middle.
Together with Channing, Tatterson steadily added runs to Stratford’s total, and by the 20-over mark the score was sitting at 1/50.
From there, things headed southward, with Tatterson caught for 24 and Jack Rietschel trapped in front of his stumps for seven – both in the space of three overs.
Seven overs after Rietschel’s wicket, it was Channing’s turn to head back to the pavilion, out for 33.
Channing was replaced by Chris Aurisch, who has been dependable with the bat for Stratford most of this season; yet he too struggled at the hands of Sale’s bowlers, leaving for just one run.
The loss of Ben Channing for a duck four overs later left the Redbacks in a position they haven’t found themselves all season – in trouble on 6/88.
Lewis Bolton and Harry Tatterson survived to afternoon tea, and afterwards, resurrected the innings with a 62-run partnership.
That spark of joy was dampened in the 57th over, when Bolton went out just one run shy of a fifty, and all but diminished in the 60th with Tatterson’s wicket.
Sam Anstee provided some defiance, but the losses of Ethan Albrecht and Zane Waixel for single digits meant he couldn’t make enough runs before the innings came to a premature close.
Coenie Nel took four wickets for Sale, Ben Jones three, Garreth Wolmarans two and Hayden Glover one.
Curiously, six of the Stratford’s batsmen to fall were clean bowled.
The loss relegates the Redbacks to second on the first-grade ladder.
Rosedale-Kilmany v Maffra
FOURTH spot on the ladder has been secured by Rosedale-Kilmany following their win at the Cameron Sporting Complex.
With the Warriors having batted the full 80 overs last Saturday, it was Maffra’s turn to post runs over the weekend. Their innings began strongly, making nine runs in the first over off Dylan Rowley’s bowling.
Proceedings were slower thereafter, with openers Heath Shingles and Ben Sly making just 44 runs between them by the 21st over.
Just as Sly was looking comfortable, he scooped the ball to Rohan Diamond at midwicket and departed for 20.
Next to go was Miller Eastham, who lasted four overs and made just two runs.
Four overs after that, Shingles was gone on 33, Maffra’s score sitting at 3/68.
This brought captain Lee Hopkins to the crease, who paired with Nathan Hibbins in a 74-run stand.
Their partnership lasted 20 overs, ending when Hibbins was caught for 44.
His replacement was Josh Davis, who lasted three overs and could only manage a single before he was also caught.
Ben Harrington arrived next, lasting 10 overs until being caught and bowled by Brandon McDonald for 12; his successor, Nick Wozniak was run out within an over of his arrival.
Hopkins had been the constant through it all, making a half-century as he watched his counterparts fall one-by-one.
His contribution came to an end in the 68th over with, fittingly, 68 runs to his name.
With Andrew McKenzie being the ninth wicket to fall, it was left to David Griffiths and Jim Beaumont to find the 85 runs Maffra needed to avoid losing the match; they managed 21 before the latter was bowled in the 73rd over.
McDonald and Nathan Hangan were the heroes for Rosedale-Kilmany, finishing the innings with three wickets each.
Maffra’s loss sees them bumped to sixth-place among the first-grade clubs, in part due to the result at Colin Wrigglesworth Oval.
Longford v Collegians
AN emphatic win was recorded by Collegians at Stephenson Park.
Resuming at 3/283, the team made 11 runs and lost the wicket of Henry Anderson, before Zac Hurley declared the innings after just two overs of play.
Longford now had the unenviable task of making 229 runs against one of the strongest bowling attacks – if not the strongest – just to force College to bat again.
Their chase did not begin well, with Sam Dean lost in the second over for nought.
Five overs went by, and Jake Wynd was bowled for 10.
Another five overs passed, and Jordan Price found himself stumped for 11.
Relief came in the form of Ash Vogt, who put on a 31-run fightback with opener Sam Lucas-Laws, only for the former to be bowled in the 21st over for 18.
In the overs that followed, captain Lachlan Floyd fell cheaply, as did Jayden Taylor, before Lucas-Laws was lost too for 23 – the Lizards’ highest score of the match – at 7/68.
The remainder of Longford’s wickets were lost in the proceeding nine overs, with just 11 runs added, handing Collegians their biggest winning margin of the season – an innings and 150 runs.
Jake Durnell claimed the most scalps this week with second-innings figures of 3/25; Noah Hurley, Nathan Whitford and Charlie Morrison took two wickets each.
Thanks to this victory and Stratford’s defeat, Collegians are now on top of the first-grade ladder, equal with the Redbacks on points but ahead of them on percentage.
Bundalaguah v Boisdale-Briagolong
THIS clash once again proved the competition’s outlier, as batsmen on both teams defied the conditions to amass 270 runs between them.
Play began with Boisdale-Briagolong continuing their innings; they lasted five overs before losing their seventh and eighth wickets in succession at the hand of Lachlan Wrigglesworth.
He struck again to bring the Saints’ innings to a close, 28 runs short of Bundalaguah’s first-innings total.
With 70-odd overs still left in the allotted day’s play, the Bulls began their second innings, and did so with aplomb, scoring two runs off the very first ball and another two off the ball that followed.
The loss of opener Kyle O’Reilly in the sixth over brought Steve Spoljaric to the middle, who combined with Jason Langshaw to add 68 runs until the latter was bowled by Nick Pang for 45.
Hayden Wrigglesworth arrived next, contributing 12 off 43 runs in the third-wicket partnership; he was caught in the 39th over.
Another 20 runs were scored in the following five overs, before captain Langshaw made the declaration at 3/147, giving Boisdale-Briagolong a target of 176 for victory.
The fourth and final innings started with Nick Pang caught behind for a golden duck; a further blow was dealt when Connor Hughes was bowled for nine.
Liam Hurst and captain Dylan Bolton offered resistance over the next 10 overs.
Bolton then partnered with Toby Leeds, the pair adding 61 runs and batting until the close of play, by which time they were still 55 runs in arrears.
Bundy’s first-innings win sees them leapfrog to fifth spot on the ladder, off the back of Maffra’s loss to Rosedale-Kilmany.
The Saints, meanwhile, remain etched in last place.
