Sport
8 January, 2024
Country Week success for under 15s
The Maryborough District Cricket Association (MDCA) have had a wonderful first period of the Country Week competition, topping pool B in the under 15 competition for the McKenzie Cup. That came despite their first match with Gisborne White being...
The Maryborough District Cricket Association (MDCA) have had a wonderful first period of the Country Week competition, topping pool B in the under 15 competition for the McKenzie Cup.
That came despite their first match with Gisborne White being washed out completely on Tuesday, before having a bye on Wednesday.
However, the MDCA made their chances count in their final two games on Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday, the MDCA travelled to Tatyoon Recreation Reserve to take on Grampians, and delivered an eight-wicket win.
Bowling first, Oliver Cassidy got the team off to a superb start by claiming the first wicket of the day, bowling Euan Lennie.
But it was Tate Williams who really got involved to get the MDCA on top, notching 3/5 in a spectacular spell which yielded the wickets of Tom Collins, Rishi Kalluri and Jacob Dunn, leaving Grampians on 4/32.
Needing to rescue their situation, William Hope was proving to be a thorn for the MDCA, but regardless, the bowling unit was bowling well enough to keep the score ticking along at a minimum.
Kaleb Jardine was able to get on the act, claiming the wicket of Ayva Mitchell for two, and Angus Morrison was also able to claim the wicket of Charlie Dunn as Grampians finished their 45 overs on 6/97.
Williams finished with spectacular figures of 3/8 off five overs, while Jardine took 1/7, Morrison 1/10 and Cassidy 1/12.
Needing to operate at just over two runs an over, the MDCA were aggressive enough in their endeavours,with Tom Grant and Thang Nguyen opening.
Grant was able to add 17 runs before he was caught out with the score on 1/38.
Nguyen and Lachlan Roche were able to put on a big partnership, however, and it was key to the MDCA taking the win.
Nguyen finished unbeaten on 64 in a superb innings which featured four fours and two sixes, while Roche added 33 before he was caught out late in the innings.
It mattered little, however, as the MDCA were able to take great confidence into Friday’s final at Newstead.
That game would prove to be a thriller, as the MDCA won in the final over.
Again, the MDCA would have to chase. Castlemaine batted first, but it was Williams who made the first breakthrough by claiming the wicket of Samantha Brasher for eight.
The MDCA had to work for their next wicket, however.
Sixty six runs were put on the board before Cassidy provided a big breakthrough, luring Max Matheson into playing a shot straight to Morrison for 34.
That was the start of a collapse which saw the MDCA take eight wickets for just 45 runs.
Axel Purcell was next to strike, catching Eve Righetti off his own bowling for four, and just two balls later, he claimed the wicket of Fletcher McAinch, who hit a ball straight to Grant.
Kolby Haley was instrumental in finishing off the middle order, which included the key wicket of Harper Kneebone, who had top scored with 39 before he was run out.
Haley then took the wicket of Jack Archer for six.
Grant bobbed up to take the wicket of Tom Hamilton for six, while Haley delivered the wicket of Levi Bruce for six.
The final wicket saw Brett Coon run out Fianna Gardner as Castlemaine finished on 9/133.
Purcell finished on 2/11, while Haley took 2/22. Grant (1/13), Williams (1/22) and Cassidy (1/25) were also solid contributors.
Nguyen and Grant again did a spectacular job in opening the batting, with both scoring at a solid clip.
Nguyen was first to go, however, trapped in front for LBW on 21.
Grant was continuing to let the score tick over, adding 13 runs in his partnership with Roche, but Roche was unable to score, and he was caught out soon after.
Grant was able to make 46 runs before he was caught, leaving the MDCA positioned at 3/78.
Coon was next to go, leaving the MDCA somewhat precariously positioned with 49 runs still to get, trapped in front for LBW for a duck.
But with Cassidy and Haley steadying the ship, the MDCA were able to close.
Cassidy added 20 runs, while Haley added 27.
Cassidy was out with 24 runs still to get, however, while Haley was aggressive and was able to score his runs at a quick pace, adding two fours and a six.
Castlemaine were still giving themselves a chance, and two quick wickets to Jaxon Carmody for one and Haley meant they were still in the game.
But Morrison and Williams were able to steady the ship, and delivered the win with two balls to spare as they topped pool B.
Meantime, it was a struggle for the MDCA’s under 13s, as they finished their Martin Shield campaign winless.
Their biggest struggle came on Thursday against Gisborne Green. Gisborne Green were able to put on 83 runs for the first wicket, and while Fateh Bains provided a good passage for the MDCA with two quick wickets, it was ultimately the work of Benjamin Tranter, who scored an unbeaten 104 off just 52 balls, which helped Gisborne Green eventually finish their 40 overs scoring 9/306.
Bains took 2/17, while Judd Ross added 2/34.
In response, the MDCA just couldn’t get into the game, despite the best efforts of Cody Jamieson, who scored seven, Ross, who scored six, and Josh Nalder, who would eventually top score with 11.
The MDCA were no match for a strong Gisborne Green bowling mix, who bowled them out for 36 off 23.4 overs.
On Friday, the MDCA played their final game, and had a better outing, but it was not enough to prevent Ballarat White from taking the win.
Batting first, Ballarat White had an interesting start, losing their first two wickets with the score on 42, as Jack Smith and Nalder struck, but eventually, through the work of Jorge Romeril, who scored 29, Jonty Ward, who finished retired not out on 40, and Charlie Ridley, who added an unbeaten 28, Ballarat White were able to finish their innings on 8/198 off 40 overs.
Mason Trickey had a strong outing, finishing with figures of 3/26 off six overs, while Nalder took 2/28. Smith was the other wicket-taker, finishing with 1/21.
With the bat, the MDCA had a much better outing, particularly with Ross and Nalder providing some stability through the middle overs.
While 199 was always going to be a hard target to chase, Ross and Nalder gave it their best shot, with Ross scoring 17 and Nalder adding 13.
But when both were dismissed, Ballarat White were able to get well and truly on top, and eventually ended up bowling the MDCA out for 64 off 31.1 overs.