MACARTHUR continues to make statements in the Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade competition after the Demons thrashed Pigeon Ponds on Saturday to continue the climb up the premiership ladder after round three of the 2024-25 season.
Macarthur travelled to Pigeon Ponds Recreation Reserve for the clash and although skipper Charlie Summers was absent it made no difference as Michael Brilley won the toss for Macarthur and quickly said he’d bat first.
Brilley opened the innings with Simon Sharrock and the pair tore the bowlers apart with a total of 20 boundaries and a couple of maximums thrown it too as they added 182 for the first wicket.
The pair batted through to the drinks break and each appeared likely to raise three figures, but in the 27th over Brilley made a lapse in concentration and was caught by Michael Leeming for 86, as Ben Hanrahan made the much-needed breakthrough.
Sharrock followed only six runs later for 88 from only 55 deliveries (seven fours and two sixes), but the damage had been done and from there the rest of the batting order had a licence to hit out including Kyle Smitten (62-not-out), finishing with 4-305.
The loss of Peter Staude from the first ball of the innings was a blow that the Pigeons never recovered from as Simon Close and Hanrahan each scored 23 and Rowan Hage posted a late innings 28-not-out, but it was never enough as Sharrock (3-11) and Harry Turnham (3-18) took the honours with the ball.
College d St Andrew’s
COLLEGE remains undefeated after the first three rounds with a convincing victory over St Andrew’s at Clem Young Oval to remain in the top four.
St Andrew’s skipper, Latham Wishart, won the toss and sent College into bat, as the Eagles sent Jock Barrie out to partner regular opening bat Heath Schmidt.
Barrie (zero) lasted only seven balls as Bailey Walsh forced the mistake from the young batsman and Brendan Huf snaffled the chance offered.
Regular opening batsman, Charles Murrie, batted at number six after injuring his back during the week, but he top-scored with 29 to lead the way with Adrian Burn (27), Angus Brown (26) and Lachie Watt (21) all helping to lift the final tally to 9-175.
Drews spinner, Russell Elton, was the pick of the home side with 3-22, while Walsh, Josh Nield, and Wishart all grabbed two wickets apiece to help keep the visitors under 180.
When the home side batted after the tea break the top order fell cheaply with only Darryl Fry (43) refusing to hand over his wicket as wickets fell all too regularly.
Nield (26) and John Walsh (21) were the only other players to reach 20 as the visitors stifled any chance the Drews had of hunting down the target as Jordy Anthony (3-20) and Burn (2-29) led the way with the ball for the Eagles.
Casterton District d Hamilton
The home side won the toss and elected to bat first and get a target on the board for the visitors to chase as Rick Killey (46), Kane Forbes (43), and Oliver Foster (31) all chipped in to ensure the Maroons posted a healthy 9-204 from its 40 overs.
Hamilton looked to the unlikely bowling of Mitch Lang (4-28) to lead the way with the ball as Anthony Read (2-38) ably assisted.
When the visitors came to bat after the tea break the Maroons started on fire by having three of the top four batsmen in the order all back in the pavilion with ducks next to their names in the scorebook.
Read (five) followed soon after with only 23 on the board as Carey Megaw and Logan Gibbs tore through the batting line up to halt any hopes Hamilton had of chasing the target.
Nic Cullinane (46) batted well at the top of the order to post the highest score on the innings, but Isaac Shaw (38) and Eli Crutch (20) were the only other players to offer resistance against the Maroons’ attack.
It was Fletcher Bright (3-3) who took the bowling honours as he mopped up the Hamilton tail in only three overs, with the Blues all out for 139.
Tyrendarra d Gorae-Portland
REIGNING Hamilton and District Cricket Association A grade premier Tyrendarra produced another impressive run chase on Saturday.
After not losing a wicket in their win over Hamilton in the opening round of the season, the Darras came off a round two bye to easily chase down Gorae-Portland’s 146 in Saturday’s round three one-day clash at Alexandra Park.
And while it was Lachie Kirk and Mitch Arnold who got amongst the runs in round one, this time it was Cam Mather (81-not-out from 101 balls, 12 fours) and Jordi Withers (55-not-out) who did the job.
The Darras were 2-20, but Mather and Withers then peeled off a 127-run unbeaten partnership across just 21 overs.
Gorae-Portland recruits, Raju Tamang (1-10) and Noah Greene (1-29), were the wicket takers.
Earlier in the day Go-Ports had put together what looked to be a competitive score, bowled out in the 40th and last over for 146.
Josh Walker (45) and Nick Wills (41) were the mainstays of the innings, while Darren Killmister (3-43) and Arnold (2-18) were the best with the ball.
Portland Colts d Grampians
PORTLAND Colts made it three wins from three games with a comfortable 48-run victory over Grampians on the turf wicket at Henty Park.
Colts posted their highest score of the season to date, batting out their 40 overs to make 6-172.
That score was set up by a strong 77-run opening stand from Glenn Hollis (26) and James Chapple, while Luke Evans (28) added a further 41 for the second wicket with Chapple.
Chapple’s innings of 58 was his second half-century of the season, having made a stylish 78 in the opening round.
Grampians’ run chase hit an early hurdle with skipper Donald Collins (five) removed by Evans with only 12 runs on the board.
When Angus Heazlewood was dismissed in the 21st over, Grampians were 4-60, needing a further 113 from the remaining 19 overs.
But the Colts bowlers were able to keep the brakes on and although Eddie McShane (51) and Hayden Phillips (27) added 64 runs for the fifth wicket, by the time McShane departed there was less than four overs left and still 49 runs to get.
Eventually Grampians limped to 7-134 from their 40 overs, well short of victory.
South Portland v Tahara
THE competition’s newest A grade team, Tahara, posted their first victory of the season with a 19-run win over South Portland on the turf at Cavalier Park.
South, who went into the match without their skipper and best batter, Scott Martin, and key bowler Shaun Lench, won the toss and elected to bowl first.
That looked to be a great decision with Tahara’s first five batters back in the sheds with just 19 runs on the board, thanks to Rory Barry (3-14) and Karsen Edwards (3-14).
Tahara captain, Marcus Rhook (35) and James Povey (28), then dug in for a 64-run partnership, and the visitors did well to bat into the 40th and last over before being bowled out for 130, with Nathan Slaughter adding a valuable 26-not-out.
Craig Cummins (2-12), Noah Liersch (1-4 from three overs) and Bhargav Gorrupotu (1-23) also claimed wickets for the Demons.
South’s run chase started shakily with Edwards, Barry and Harri Dennert all out with only 17 runs on the board.
The Demons worked their way back into the contest with some solid middle order batting from Adam Thompson (17), Tighe Warburton (31 from 43 balls, two fours) and Eamon Drew (27) and at 4-100 and loads of overs in the bank, victory was within sight.
However, when Warburton fell to Luke Barnes, it was the start of a collapse which would see South lose the final six wickets for the addition of only 11 runs.
Eventually South was all out for 111 with Barnes cleaning up the bottom order with 4-12 from 6.4 overs, while Taine Morris did the early damage with 3-52 from his eight overs.
