IN a spectacular display of cricket at Alcheringa Oval, Gol Gol showcased the depth of their batting line-up, declaring at 9/636 to annihilate Mildura Settlers by 576 runs.
Easily the highest score by any team in the Sunraysia Cricket Association this season, three players made it to triple figures and two made it to a half-century.
In fact, the 79 boundaries hit by Gol Gol would have been enough to eclipse Settlers’ total of 60.
After Gol Gol accumulated 1/283 in the first weekend of play, instead of sending the opposition back in to bat, captain Adam Thomson elected to keep his team at the crease.
Having already secured top position in the standings, gaining more points simply wasn’t necessary.
“It was probably two things, try to rest the bowlers a bit but also try and give some blokes a hit,” Thomson said.
“Normally Shac (Thomas) and Wade (Hancock) do most of the batting, so it was good to give the blokes in the middle order a chance to bat.
“Hopefully that can help with confidence and form with just the one game left before finals.”
Thomson said it was the highest score he’d ever been a part of in his time with the Sunraysia Cricket Association, which spanned close to two decades.
“They were a bit shorthanded and only had nine players, which left a lot of gaps in the field and assisted us a bit … but definitely the biggest score I’ve been a part of,” he said.
SCA president Mick Thomson said the association couldn’t yet confirm whether the score was a record, but it would be something administrators would look into.
“Scoring 600 runs will certainly take some beating in the future … they’re a very good batting side,” he said.
“I’d say that since the introduction of two-day games and one-day matches, it would have to be close to being a record.”Meanwhile, Nichols Point had a narrow victory over Mildura East on the back of lower order batter Dean Fulco, who scored an unbeaten 96 runs off 132 deliveries.
Chasing 277, the home team was able to chase down the total in 79.2 overs, ending the day on 7/280 to win by three wickets.
With the win, Nichols Point solidified second position and will play either Irymple or Mildura East again in the first week of finals, depending on the final round’s results.
For the fifth-placed Coomealla Wentworth, a 20-run loss to Irymple put an end to finals aspirations.
Bevan and Colby Wade scored 78 and 73 runs respectively, which wasn’t enough for the home side to snatch victory.
Bryson Lush finished with three wickets for Irymple.
In the other game, the bottom-placed Merbein secured a 106-run win over Mildura West.
Shane Trinick was the best bowler on the day and finished with figures of 4/42 in his team’s third win of the season.
