GRAMPIANS Pumas has claimed the Hamilton and District Cricket Association Under-14 premiership after a dominant bowling display against College at College Turf on Saturday.

Having finished the season as minor premiers, Grampians Pumas entered the match as slight favourites and had little hesitation in asking College to bat first after winning the toss on Saturday morning.

Grampians Pumas co-captain, Louis Lazzari, took the new ball for the first over and had success with only the second ball, as Sam Mecham was caught by Alex Bird for a duck.

It would be the same in his second over, with Cairo Cullinane failing to defend his stumps, as Lazzari castled the Eagles’ number three for only two.

The wickets continued to tumble as the first eight batsmen in the order failed to register a score above seven, as the ball did all the talking with the electronic scoreboard shining out with 8-15 from the first 11.2 overs.

The Eagles needed a group of batsmen to stand tall and post a partnership if the side was going to have a total it could defend.

Enter Spurs Lynch as the number nine batsman, who joined with number 10, Archie Malseed, and number 11, Hamish Brown, who were determined not hand their wickets to the Pumas without a fight.

The batsmen saw off nine different changes of bowling, as the Pumas looked for someone to end the innings.

The trio added a further 53 runs for the final two wickets to lift the final score to 68, with Lynch (12), Malseed (22), and Brown (five-not-out) all contributing.

Harper Rush (3-5), Lazzari (2-7), and Ryder Van Someren (2-5) did the damage with the ball to put the Pumas in a winning position.

With 17 overs to bat before stumps on day one, Grampians Pumas may have gone all out to reach the required target, but the wickets of Zander Mibus (one), Harper Rush (three), Darcy Potter (seven), and Ryder Van Someren (four) saw the Eagles gain a foot hold in the match at 4-44 at stumps.

Sunday wasn’t expected to last very long, and it didn’t, as only another seven overs were required to end the game, but not before the Eagles put up a huge struggle.

Grampians Pumas co-captain, Oscar Templeton, resumed on 22-not-out along with Bonnie Jackson on three, but Jackson was back in the pavilion after only four balls for the morning without adding to her overnight score.

The prized wicket of Templeton (33) was claimed by Lynch, as Charlie Hindhaugh held the catch offered and the game was there to be won and lost at 6-59.

The Eagles put further shivers through the Pumas’ batting line up by dismissing Lazzari (three) and Frederick Jury (one) to leave the Pumas at a precarious 8-64.

Alex Bird (six-not-out) and Sean Bird (two-not-out) saw the Pumas home without further loss in what ended an epic game of cricket despite the best efforts of Ned Hintum (3-12) and Lynch (2-18).

Oscar Templeton was named Player of the Match after his innings of 33 guided the Pumas to victory.