Under-14s improve

By Gavin Staindl
THE West Gippsland Cricket Association’s under-14 team was beaten narrowly by cross-town rivals Warragul Cricket at Nar Nar Goon last Sunday.
After losing the toss, West Gippsland restricted its opponents to 8/167 but in reply was bowled out for 133, 34 runs short of the target.
Julian Hanei-Scott (2/14) and Thomas Glen (1/11) were the best of the West Gippsland bowlers while Lachlan Harrison (48), Nick Hillard (30 n.o.) and Greg Inderlandi (14) gave the home side the best chance of a victory.
Coach Jeff Stephanitsch said he was proud of his team and made special mention of Glen and Inderlandi for their efforts in the field and Harrison and Hillard for withstanding a fierce bowling attack.
The 34-run loss was a significant improvement on last year when Warragul trounced West Gippsland by more than 100 runs.
“It is a great step forward as WGCA is closing the gap. I believe with the structure we have put in for the next couple of off-seasons we will match it with the boys from Warragul and even beat them.
“The desire from our juniors to represent our league this season has been outstanding and they are looking forward to the pre-season,” Stephanitsch said.