LAST season’s Sunraysia Cricket Association First Division finalists – champions Irymple and runners-up Mildura East – top the charts again with one round to go before the Christmas break.
In energy-sapping conditions on Saturday, both claimed first-innings points in their two-day encounters and now get to go head to head in another two-dayer starting this weekend at Mildura Sporting Precinct.
East, chasing a target of 232 after Mildura West’s Tim Watson (36) and Taj Hill (23 not out) put on a frustrating 45 runs for the final wicket, reached their goal with six overs to spare thanks to a hard-fought century from English opener Josh Andrews, whose 103 came at almost a run a ball and included 16 boundaries.
Clearly affected by the heat, Andrews succumbed immediately after bringing up the milestone with a boundary, but Josh Berry (56) and Regan Connell (36 not out) got them comfortably past the mark on the way to a final tally of 4/256 off 62 overs.
“It was probably good signs for us,” stand-in East skipper Nick Dorman said of West’s tail wag.
“They were able to play their shots and I kept telling the guys we could take that into our batting as well.
“We didn’t really worry about the total. It was a little bit under four an over and we have been training for that, and we have plenty of batting in the shed as well.
“At the moment we are just a good all-round team.
“I think this game against West was our biggest of the season to date because they are about the same mark as us on the table, but now we come up against Irymple and we really need to step it up because they are the benchmark of the competition.
“They knocked us off in the grand final last year and we want a bit of revenge, and we also want to send a message to the rest of the competition.”
The reigning champs simply had too much firepower for struggling Settlers at Henshilwood Oval.
The Swallows set Setts the task of reeling in 232 and reduced them to 9/91, before the home side had some afternoon batting practice and finished the day on 4/104, with opener Bryson Lush helping himself to an undefeated 51 off 58 balls.
Earlier in the day Setts captain Luke Stanbrook made a tough 30 but was let down by a team which produced four ducks and two run outs.
Nichols Point moved back into the top four by claiming the honours over Coomealla Wentworth at the Pointers’ home patch.
Opener Nick Blacker’s 106 and an undefeated 67 from Shaun Mathews comfortably saw the hosts pass the Blues’ 173 and finish on 5/264.
Gol Gol, declaring on their first day 3/234, also had little trouble against another battling team, Merbein, at Alcheringa Oval.
The Magpies fell for 176 with Kurtis Fitzpatrick’s 44 being the only score of note, while Shacaya Thomas claimed three wickets to go with his previous weekend’s century, and Jayden Brooks also got in on the wicket-taking act with 3/17 off 10 tidy overs.
