Confirmation of finals places for both the Second Grade and Third Grade competitions will be decided in the final round following matches from the second last round on Saturday.
Second Grade
Kinross have guaranteed their place in second grade grand final after their 8 wicket win over Wanderers confirmed they couldn’t be knocked out of top spot. The Wanderers batters were no match for the Kinross bowlers made quick work of dismissing their opposition for 54, with Harry Brazier (4/6 off 6 overs) and Charlie Anderson (3/2 off 2.4 overs) the main destroyers. The students then picked off the 55 runs needed for victory inside 15 overs with opener Walter Prowse compiling 26 not out.
Cavaliers pushed themselves into second place with an emphatic win over CYMS. The green and golds had a dismal day with the bat as Dan O’Reilly (3/9), Oli Jarick (3/13) and Kobe Mansell (2/7) helped knock them over for only 34. Cavaliers took their time with the chase, losing a single wicket on their way, but secured a bonus point to push themselves 3 points ahead of Centrals and CYMS. The only way they can miss the finals now is if they don’t turn up on Saturday.
The match between Orange City and Centrals went down to the wire. Batting first, Troy O’Keeffe (51no), Pat Giuffre (38) and D’Arcy Hamling (32) guided City to their total of 140. Rowan Dray (3/33) and Sean Kelly (2/18) were the pick of the Centrals bowlers.
Centrals looked well in control of their run chase as Angus Norton (44) and Graeme Judge (32) combined for a 76-run opening partnership but a collapse of 5 for 12 quicky changed that. Wickets continued to fall regularly and with Centrals needing 13 more runs and only 4 overs left with the last pair at the crease, Orange City must have favoured themselves. However Jack Judge and Stuart Pullar had other ideas as they picked off the necessary runs, securing the win for their team in the last over of the day. The win gives Centrals control of their finals destiny with 1 round remaining.
Lawson Hamling was the star with the ball for the Warriors taking 5/23 from his allotted 8 overs, while the ever-reliable Glenn Robinson was super-economical with his 2/8 from 8 overs.
In an intriguing final round, the finals have come early for Centrals and CYMS as the winner of their match will qualify for the finals and the loser gets to pack their kit away until next season. Kinross host Cavaliers in a top of the table clash, with Cavaliers fighting to stay in second place. At Riawena Oval, Wanderers and Orange City will be playing to end their season on a positive note, with both teams out of contention for the finals.
Third Grade
Spring Hill put themselves in prime position to be first team into the third grade grand final with their demolition job on Gladstone. Lachlan Harvey top scored for the home team with 63, while brother Riley made 31 as Spring Hill posted a total of 175. Troy Pearson picked up 3/47 for Gladstone, with Gavin Smith, Mick Kennewell and Ty Nean each bagging two. Gladstone were then bundled out for 30, with new recruit Mitch Parker taking 4/12.
Orange City kept their title defence alive with a resounding 8 wicket win over Centrals. Damien Caughlan top scored with 33 in Centrals innings of 61. Will McKeown (4/24) and Alex Cullen (4/27) were the best with the ball for Orange City. City knocked off the required runs inside 12 overs to secure a valuable bonus point, Talby Smith top scoring with 24 not out.
In the other match, Orange CYMS secured 2nd place after defeating Cavaliers by 4 wickets. For Cavaliers, Damian Chopping made 55 not out and Ben Taylor 34 in their total of 6 for 147. Orange CYMS’ chase was led by Rubneet Singh with 48 and Angus Goman with 40.
Next Saturday’s match between Orange City and Gladstone looms as a big match for both teams. In other matches from third grade, Spring Hill come up against Cavaliers at Anzac Park and Centrals take on CYMS at Jack Brabham 3.
Fourth Grade
Centenary Cup teams played their second last round with Orange CYMS and Centrals coming out on top. In their match against Kinross Centrals batted first and made 8/163 from their allotted 35 overs. Ian Baker (45) and David Marchese (31) were the leading scorers.
Kinross fell short in their reply, dismissed for 120. Charlie Fossilo was the star with the ball taking 5/16 from his 7 overs. Alexander Wilson also picked up 3/10 in a tidy return from 4 overs. Henry Martel made 29 off the bat for the students.
Orange City made 7/155 batting first in their match against Orange CYMS, with Harry Coleman (45) and Hugo Parker (36) their best. Wickets were shared amongst the CYMS bowlers.
CYMS lost an early wicket in their chase before a 2nd wicket partnership of 53 between Sam Garvin and Harry Harry (36) had the green and golds chase back on the right track. The dismissal of both batters triggered a collapse of 5 for 17 which brought Thomas French (54 no) and Simran Dhatt (26 no) together for an unbeaten seventh wicket partnership of 85 runs to see CYMS home with 7 balls to spare. Thomas Frecklington and Toby Jackson each picked up 2 wickets for Orange City.