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Heartbreak for Hamilton at home

HAMILTON suffered a heartbreaking loss to Portland Colts in round five of the Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade competition at Monivae Turf on Saturday, as the visitors chased down the target set by Hamilton via a 53-run undefeated last wicket partnership.

The game was moved from Dahl Turf which isn’t quite ready to host matches, and Hamilton skipper Cameron Templeton was quick to bat first after the toss of the coin fell his way.

Xavier Stevens and Nic Cullinane have formed a good partnership at the top of the order in the last few games, and they gave the side solid start of 33 before Stevens (11) was bowled by Luke Evans.

Brenton Callaby joined Cullinane, and they took the tally to 92 when the home side collapsed, as Colts grabbed four wickets for only six runs - Cullinane (32), Callaby (41), Daniel Richardson (zero) and Isaac Shaw (zero).

Hamish Cook (33) and Brett Ezard (12) staged a minor recovery, but Cook was bowled by Daniel Kinghorn, while Ezard was trapped LBW by the same bowler and Hamilton was soon 8-146.

Anthony Read took the attack to the bowlers, striking 41-not-out, as he and Jake Lang (eight-not-out) refused to hand over their wickets and the home side finished on 8-193 from its allotted 45 overs.

The Hamilton bowlers responded with the ball in hand, as they took the first four Portland Colts wickets for only 39 runs after Cameron Templeton, Hamish Cook and Brett Ezard all grabbed important dismissals.

Luke Evans (31) has been in great form in the first month of the season and he looked likely to again post runs before Ezard trapped him in front of his stumps with 71 on the board.

With half the team back in the pavilion, Colts was going to need the lower order to rescue the side and Matthew Belden and Matthew Payne added 37 for the sixth wicket to carry the score past 100.

Belden (18) went with the score on 108 and was soon followed by Ashley Elijah (four) and Oscar Barbary (16) who gave some support to Payne, and when Damien Bell was run out by Templeton for a duck, Hamilton was on the verge of its first win of the season at 9-141.

When last batsman Chad Hollis came to the middle, Payne was on 30 from 60 balls and the pair had six overs from which to strike the required runs.

Payne was the aggressor, as he took the long handle to the Hamilton attack as he produced an innings that took the momentum from Hamilton.

He struck 41 runs from only 21 balls, as Hollis turned the strike over to his partner, and the pair took the side to victory from the first ball of the final over to post an undefeated 53-run partnership and a final score of 9-194.

Casterton District d Macarthur

MACARTHUR Recreation Reserve was the venue, as Casterton District looked to continue its undefeated start to the season.

Charlie Summers won the toss for the home side and sent the visitors in to bat and the runs flowed for the Maroons, as Ben Holmes proceeded to strike the highest A grade score of the season to date with 129 from only 105 balls.

He and Oliver Foster (10) gave the visitors a solid foundation of 58 for the first wicket, poving to be the only success the Macarthur team would enjoy for the first 31 overs.

Holmes was soon stumped by Jeremy Sheehan from the bowling of Bingham Jarrett, before sending Michael Jarrad back with the very next ball for a golden duck, while Rick Killey (52) and Logan Gibbs (golden duck) fell in quick succession.

Carey Megaw (37 from 29 balls) was the mainstay of the lower order, as the Maroons finished with 9-293 with Jarrett claiming 4-54 to be the best of the home side’s attack.

After the tea break the Demons sent Michael Brilley and Jack Wortley to the wicket to begin the run chase and they gave the side a great start, reaching 92 before Wortley (25) was caught from the bowling of Fletcher Bright who then went on to grab the vital wicket of Brilley for 79 with the score on 123.

The Demons then proceeded to lose 6-31, as the Casterton District bowlers took control of the game, with the final score finishing on 8-210, as Summers remained unbeaten on 41.

It was another bonus point win for the Maroons who remain seven points clear atop the ladder.

College d St Andrew’s

ST Andrew’s and College met at Clem Young Oval with each team having won two games in the opening month of the season.

The home side won the toss and quickly elected to bat first on their own wicket, as Brendan Huf and Michael Fitzpatrick took strike looking to get yet another strong start.

It wasn’t to be as Fitzpatrick, a last start centurion, fell for only four after Lachie Watt found the edge of his bat to hand Angus Brown another dismissal, while Huf fell for 16 to leave the Drews at 2-47.

Taine Morris (49) and James Guthrig (34) shared a 52-run third-wicket partnership before Morris offered Ross Milne a return catch, as he was looking for a half century.

From there though the batsmen were looking to increase the run-rate and wickets fell at regular intervals to see the Drews post 9-171 from the allotted overs.

College’s reply saw Charles Murrie (eight) come and go quickly, but it was Jock Barrie (53) who posted his second successive half century that guided the Eagles to its third win of the season, as Heath Schmidt (25) and Hamish Bailey (28) gave their young teammate support, as the visitors knocked up 7-172.

Damien Logan with 4-37 did all he could to win the game for the home side, but the Eagles saw him off and looked to score from the other bowlers.

Tyrendarra d South Portland

TYRENDARRA has continued its excellent form to open the season, rattling off a dominant seven-wicket victory against South Portland at Cavalier Park.

South won the toss and chose to bat first, and while opener Scott Martin (22) was able to get them off to a decent start, soon the wickets began to tumble.

Lachie Kirk and James Williams both got in the wickets early, with Kirk claiming two with the ball while Williams was also able to affect a run out which sent Martin back to the sheds.

All of a sudden South was on the ropes at 4-27 and staring down the barrel of a quick rout.

While Tighe Warburton and Robert Siemon were able to occupy the crease temporarily, soon enough it was time for Ben Menzel to completely take over with the ball.

In a brilliant display of seam bowling, Menzel picked up five wickets in just 2.4 overs and conceding just four runs, as the Darras claimed the last six wickets for just six runs, to have South all out for 49.

Darren Killmister also picked up a scalp in the process, while conceding just nine runs from his five overs with two maidens.

South was able to salvage some pride from a rough day at the office, claiming three scalps to make the Darras earn their victory, with Karsen Edwards, Warburton and Chris Barry all getting their name in the wicket column.

Once again, it was Menzel who stepped up to see the Darras to victory, making 24 not out to see his side home.

Gorae-Portland d Grampians

GO-PORTS is another side which has had an excellent start to its season, and they continued that fine form with a home victory against Grampians at Alexandra Park.

Go-Ports won the toss with captain, Nick Wills, electing to send their opposition in to bat.

The game was evenly poised early on, as Grampians skipper, Will Collins, did the bulk of the early run-scoring for his side.

Go-Ports were able to get wickets at the other end, with Thomas Roberts claiming two early scalps, while Zac Duncan had one, with the score standing at 3-64.

However, a 96-run partnership between Collins (who passed the three-figure mark soon enough) and Benjamin Wallis (23) put Grampians in the driver’s seat.

Wills stepped up to break the partnership, and from there Go-Ports were able to resume their excellent performance with the ball to limit Grampians’ scoring ability with consistent wickets.

Stephen O’Brien picked up two scalps of his own, including the valuable one of Collins, while Wills (three) and Roberts (two) were the other multiple wicket-takers, as Grampians finished at 8-175.

Finn Saurine set the foundation for Go-Ports’ run chase with a patient 38, before Wills (49) and O’Brien (31-not-out) helped to finish the job in a strong run-chase which saw them get home with eight balls to spare.

Now with four wins from their first five rounds, Gorae-Portland continues to prove itself to be a side which cannot be counted out by any means.

Pigeon Ponds d Portland Tigers

PORTLAND Tigers’ struggles in the results column continued on the weekend, as they went down to Pigeon Ponds by five wickets at Hanlon Park.

The Tigers batted first, and while they didn’t get off on the right foot, they were certainly in the game as Llewellyn Oakley and Ian Faure (17 each) got them to 1-25.

However, Ponds found the mark shortly thereafter, able to rattle off three wickets for the addition of just four runs to have the Tigers at 5-44 and on the brink.

A 46-run partnership for the seventh-wicket between captain Will Oakley (19) and Dean Brewster, who scored a run-a-ball 31 which included two sixes, got the Tigers past three figures and towards a competitive total.

Eventually they were all out for 135, a far less than ideal total but one that at least gave them a chance at victory.

That chance became all the more real when Paul Procter stepped up in the second over of the innings, nicking off the dangerous Peter Staude for a duck.

Joel Hollis and Tigers recruit, Axel du Plessis, both got in on the action picking up a wicket each.

However, that brought Simon Close to the crease, as he single-handedly was able to take the game away from the Tigers with a dashing 79-not-out off just 67 deliveries, which included 14 boundaries (two sixes).

From there it was relatively straightforward for Ponds who got to their target with just over 10 overs to spare.

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