A CENTURY partnership between father and son Tom and Campbell Vadlja at Brian Weightman Oval helped deliver Mildura East it’s maiden win of the 2020-21 Sunraysia Cricket Association season.
Back from Adelaide, Campbell Vadlja top scored with 88 off 86 balls while his seven-time Innes Medal winning father hit 38 off 66 in East’s 8/190.
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Campbell came in with the score on four following captain-coach Josh Berry’s dismissal, with the pair staying out there together for 104 runs before Tom fell to Coomealla Wentworth captain Justin Freeman.
“It was good fun batting with him, picking each other’s brains and having fun out there doing what we love — it was good, I enjoyed it a lot,” Campbell said.
“We had to consolidate a bit and make surer we got ourselves in because it was a tricky pitch to bat on, once we build that partnership it set that platform for the rest of the innings.
“Once we got to 190 that was always going to be tough to chase down on that wicket, especially as it got hotter during the day.”
The younger Vadlja said he was impressed by his father, who now has 155 runs for the season across four innings.
“He’s not ageing at all really, he’s still a very good player,” Campbell said.
“He knows what he’s doing, and he still acts like he’s about 22 years old — he’s pretty crazy
“He’s still got it I reckon.”
Twenty-two year old Campbell’s score was one run shy of his First Division best score from round three of the 2015-16 season.
He fell just short of his hundred bowled by Zac Hancock — one of three for the Coomealla Wentworth youngster for the day.
“It was a bit disappointing in the end but I was just trying to get things moving forward,” Campbell said.
“Unfortunately I just missed a yorker and got bowled but that’s cricket, you can’t hit every ball you have to make some mistakes.”
“It was still good to get the win for the boys.”
Jayden Hunt and Vick Singh took two wickets each in Coomealla Wentworth’s run chase, with the Blues finishing on 8/158 – 32 runs short.
Coomealla Wentworth opener Mitch Kemp top scores for his side with 60, while Colby Wade (32 not out) and Liam Freeman (27) made good starts in the lower order but their side ran out of overs.
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