WORKERS Gol Gol announced itself as arguably the premiership favourites in Sunraysia cricket with a dominant win over top side Mildura Settlers on Saturday.
The visitors were too good in every facet of the game, winning by 75 runs on a good track at Mildura Senior College, to create a logjam at the top of the ladder.
Settlers, Workers Gol Gol and Irymple are on 40 points, while Coomealla Wentworth, Mildura West and Nichols Point are locked on 30 in what is shaping as a fascinating season.
Workers skipper Adam Thomson said while Saturday’s win was crucial for his team in terms of keeping pace with the top group, it was the manner that they went about it that was most impressive.
After a relatively slow start, where Workers managed just 30 off the first 10 overs, they were able to build momentum with wickets in hand.
Shac Thomas (26 off 39 balls) got out just as he was stepping up in gear, but Wade Hancock (85 off 112 balls) and Thomson (30 off 39) put on another great partnership through the middle overs to set up a late assault.
Jesse McGinty smacked 15 off 14 balls at the death to lift the total to a competitive 6/184.
Young medium pacer Nelson Mensforth took 3/44 off seven overs for Settlers.
Despite the solid score, Thomson felt the game was squarely in the balance at the break.
“Obviously they are on top for a reason and their batting strength is massive,” he said.
The major threat was always going to come from the top two in Jason Morrison and Luke Stanbrook, who entered the game averaging three figures.
But Muhummad Haidry, who is having a great season, found Stanbrook’s edge for a duck, and Matt Cameron knocked over Morrison cheaply, to put Workers well on top.
Thomson said Haidry had “improved out of sight” and was taking vital wickets with the new ball.
“It is just so important to get those early wickets, and he has been doing it regularly,” he said.
Workers Gol Gol’s attack choked Settlers’ batting line-up early and the run rate quickly escalated out of reach.
Thomson injected left-arm spinner Nick Jensen into the attack early, noticing the wicket had some turn, and Settlers couldn’t hit him off the square.
“We had fielders around the bat and it was the best he has bowled all year,” Thomson said of Jensen.
“He’s been around for a long time, so he knows what he is doing and he sets really smart fields.”
Jensen finished with 2/9 off six overs to headline a great bowling performance by the team as they rolled Settlers for 111.
Braidyn Turner made 30 and Will Rogers contributed 37 in the middle overs for the home team.
Thomson said Workers Gol Gol would quickly switch its focus to next weekend’s Twenty20 double-header, with games against Mildura West and Merbein South.
“Obviously it is a big weekend with 20 points available, so that would be ideal heading into Christmas,” he said.
