PORTLAND Country Week got underway on Monday with three Hamilton and District Cricket Association Under-13 teams putting on the Hurricanes uniform.

Hamilton Gold faced Warrnambool Gold at Hanlon Park with Warrnambool sending the Hurricanes to the crease first.

Levi Templeton impressed at the top of the order, retiring on 11, while Hayden Phillips’ 31-retired, Brody Pratt’s 17-not-out and Isaac Lehmann’s 17-not-out pushed the team’s total up to 5-112 after 25 overs.

The bowling effort was tough though, as the Warrnambool team build regular partnerships with five batsmen reaching double figures, eventually reaching 6-122 at stumps.

The wickets were shared with no Hamilton bowler getting more than one; Templeton was the most economical, conceding just six runs from his three overs.

Hamilton Green and Horsham battled it out at Henty Park Turf with the Hurricanes winning the toss and batting first.

It was tough going for Hamilton with two ducks in the top four, as the Hurricanes were struggling at 3-5.

Jude Alexander offered some resistance in the middle overs with 14-retired, as the only batsman to reach double figures.

Hamilton eventually closed its innings on 8-62.

Horsham made light work of the run chase, reaching the target with ease before pushing on to 6-123 at stumps.

Archie Adams was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Hurricanes, finishing with 2-11.

Hamilton White rounded out the opening round fixture with a clash against Mount Gambier at Henty Park Hardwicket.

White won the toss and elected to bowl first, grabbing an early wicket before the middle order steadied the innings.

Ryan Lucas smashed 31-retired to guide Mount Gambier to a big total of 4-147 after 25 overs.

Zander Mibus claimed two dismissals for Hamilton to be the leading wicket-taker.

White’s innings at the crease was not as positive early on, losing 2-2.

Xavier Dwyer’s 14-not-out offered some resistance in the middle overs, while Billy Rhook’s 11-not-out helped push White’s total up to 9-73 at stumps.

Round two was played on Monday afternoon with Gold facing Wimmera Mallee, once again at Hanlon Park.

Gold won the toss and bowled first, as Wimmera Mallee piled on early runs.

Some tight bowling late in the innings kept Wimmera Mallee to 7-88 at stumps.

Oscar Templeton and Nate Longhurst each claimed two wickets for the Hurricanes.

The run chase was steady from the outset, as Levi Templeton contributed 15-not-out at the top of the order, while Will Bourke’s 19 and Theo Lehmann’s 15 pushed Gold to within striking distance of the target.

Unfortunately though, late wickets swung the momentum back to Wimmera Mallee, as Hamilton Gold was bowled out for 85, just four runs short of victory with more than two overs left unbowled.

Hamilton Green and South West met at Henty Park Hardwicket, with the latter batting first after winning the toss.

A mix of steady contributions and quick wickets kept the momentum going back and forth, as Green eventually restricted South West to 5-116 from 25 overs.

Grady Bell and Ned Hintum each collected two wickets for the Hurricanes.

The runs were even harder to score in the second innings with Jude Alexander once again the standout batsman, contributing 10 runs to the team’s total, as Green was bowled out for 84 in the last over of the innings.

Hamilton White faced off against Portland at Alexandra Park to close out the opening day.

White won the toss and bowled first, bowling in good areas and restricting runs throughout the innings.

Only one Portland batsman reached double figures, as the innings closed on 7-68.

Matt Hill was the standout bowler for White, finishing with 1-2 from his three overs.

The job was now up to Hamilton’s batsmen, as Xavier Dwyer opened the innings and added 13 runs to set a strong foundation.

Zander Mibus and Chad Logan each chipped in with eight runs, as White eventually reached 70 before the final wicket fell in 23rd over, grabbing a victory to finish the day.

Day two started with round three games, as Hamilton Gold matched up against South West at Henty Park Turf.

South West got off to a fast start to the innings, as both openers combined for 39 runs before regular wickets reined in the momentum for Gold.

The run rate slowed and the Hurricanes restricted their opponent to 1-95 at the close of innings.

Tom Templeton headlined the run chase, putting together a 20-run innings, but the lack of support at the other end proved costly.

No other batsman reached double figures, as Gold could only manage 8-73 at stumps.

Hamilton Green was looking for a win when it took on Warrnambool Blue at Cavalier Park.

Warrnambool Blue had contributions throughout the innings, helping the team to 7-104 at stumps.

Aidan Cooper was the standout with two wickets for the Hurricanes.

Green struggled to generate any significant momentum in the second innings with bat in hand, as the Blue bowlers remained disciplined and got regular wickets.

George Clark’s 10 was the only double-digit contribution, as the Hurricanes were bowled out for 46 inside 21 overs.

Hamilton White took on Warrnambool Gold to complete round three and it was a strong batting effort from Gold after winning the toss, finding the boundary when required to post 5-112 from 25 overs.

Hugh Prentice took the new ball and claimed two wickets for White.

The batting woes continued, as Jack Mansbridge’s nine-retired was the only score above four, with White struggling to create any scoreboard pressure.

The Hurricanes reached 8-46 at stumps, falling well short of the required target.

The round robin stage concluded with round four games on Tuesday afternoon.

Hamilton Gold and Horsham met at Alexandra Park with Gold electing to bat first after winning the toss.

The top order again struggled to score easily, as none of the top six reached double figures.

Tom Templeton’s 12 and Brody Pratt’s 14 were the standouts, as Gold could only manage 6-82 from its innings.

Horsham also struggled, but had a few more contributors with willow in hand, as it chased down the target and pushed on to 6-118 at stumps.

Theo Lehmann finished with 2-12 from his three overs to be the best of the Gold bowlers.

It was a Hamilton derby in the other game with Hamilton Green and Hamilton White facing off at Cavalier Park.

Green batted first and the innings proved to be one of the highest-scoring periods of the week.

The Hamilton White bowlers struggled to maintain consistent line and length bowling, as Angus Heazlewood (23-retired), Louis Lazzari (14-retired), George Clark (29-retired), Grade Bell (18) and Myles Alderman (25-not-out) helped Green to 3-146 after 25 overs.

Tom Morton and Jack Dwyer were among the wicket-takers for White.

At innings break, White knew they needed to bat well to chase down the target, but the Green bowlers made scoring difficult, with White unable to generate any significant momentum.

The early overs put White on the back foot and Billy Rhook’s five-retired was the top score, as White limped to 4-43 at stumps.

Jobe Dunn grabbed two wickets for Green in the win.

The finals were played yesterday with none of the three Hamilton teams qualifying, as Hamilton Gold closed out its campaign against Hamilton Green at Henty Park Hardwicket, while Hamilton White faced Portland at Alexandra Park.