The few not enough

TOO little left to too few sums up West Gippsland Cricket’s Country Week campaign after the winless Warriors’ four-year stint in division two ended in failure last week.
The Warriors, despite missing several key players, were confident of a successful series but two close losses, on day two against eventual winner Bairnsdale and day three against Benalla, ended any hope of survival.
Pakenham Upper/Toomuc’s Chris Smith was the Warriors’ stand-out performer, making 208 runs, at an average of 69, with a top score of 95 not out, while skipper Dom Paynter and Brent Murdoch made solid contributions. Shannon Mathers (5 wickets), Jason Eastwood (4) and Craig Boswell (3) were the mainstays of the bowling attack but things really thinned out, in both departments, from there.
Coach Dennis Armstrong said his side just lacked an element of luck at key moments.
“Those two matches we lost, by five runs and 12 runs, could have gone either way,” he said.
“Things just didn’t roll our way but I couldn’t be happier with the team, every one of those players gave everything they have and they can go back to their clubs very proud of themselves.”
Armstrong said the players took their relegation hard.
“We stayed on the ground for 15 minutes after that last game and I can tell you, there were tears,” he said.
“The standard was hot, 100 percent up on last year and there were class players everywhere. I want to make it clear that the players gave their all.”
The Warriors drop to division three for next year’s campaign.