By Russell Bennett
WARRAGUL & DISTRICT CRICKET ASSOCIATION
DIVISION 1 REVIEW – ROUND 7 (DAY TWO)
Star Western Park skipper Sam Batson utterly annihilated Garfield-Tynong with the ball in Round 7 of the WDCA’s first division. There’s really no other way of describing it.
Batting first on day one last week, the Titans were rolled for just 98 with Batson finishing with the amazing figures of 8/35 from 19 overs.
But he wasn’t done there.
With the Warriors’ dismissed for 162 in a shade over 60 overs in their reply, the Titans batted again – with the home side in search of outright points at Western Park.
And Batson’s incredible individual game with the ball continued – snaring 6/50 in a touch under 20 overs to finish with the incredible match figures of 14/85.
The Titans (103) were only marginally better in their second innings, with Stephen Shields (55) their only batsman to reach double-figures as Batson and Tyler McDonald (4/40) dominated.
The Warriors capped off their outright win by reaching 3/40 in 17 overs of their second dig.
Buln Buln, meanwhile, capitalised on its steady day one performance with the bat by rolling reigning premier Drouin in just under 60 overs in front of a strong crowd, which was gathered for a visit by Melbourne Stars players.
Defending 192 – following Matt Mitchell’s patient 75 and skipper Corey Jagoe’s near run-a-ball 41 – the Lyrebirds struck early and often to storm through the Hawks’ batting lineup.
Opening batsman Malcolm Dow (22) made a particularly fast start with the willow but was dismissed at 1/24. He was one of only three Hawks to pass 20 (with Paul Timewell and Sam Wyatt the others with 20 and 44 respectively) as the side was dismissed for 128 on a day when the Buln Buln outfield was particularly slow. Paul Bridges-Black and Sam Reid impressed with the ball, snaring 4/36 and 3/34.
Elsewhere, Neerim District pulled off a major upset at home – rolling the powerhouse Ellinbank.
With the visitors dismissed for just 105 in under 50 overs in their first innings, the Stags replied with a positive 179 – led by 25-plus run starts from no less than four players.
Sent in again, the visitors were kept to 3/69 in their second innings – with the top order again misfiring.
In the remaining match of the round, the Panthers proved no match for the Kangaroos at Hallora.
Chasing 194 for victory, Yarragon was rolled for just 106 with only champion skipper Gamini Kumara passing 20 as Lauchlan Gregson (5/46) and former Zimbabwean Test player Natsai M’Shangwe (4/26) loomed as the destroyers with the ball.
