AROUND THE GROUNDS...

Korumburra

WITH last week’s washout behind them, this week saw both A and B Grades take to the field for a one-day fixture.

The club was proud to celebrate a major milestone with A Grade vice captain Jacob Whiteside playing his 100th senior game. 

Congratulations Jake.

A product of the Cobras junior program, Jake continues the strong tradition of developing outstanding all-round cricketers.

A powerful left-arm opening bowler and a classy top-order batsman, he embodies everything the club stands for.

The club also enjoyed a trip down memory lane with the return of Cobra legend Robert Francis, who pulled the pads back on in C Grade.

In a club first, the match featured three 300-game players on the field together – Rob joining Darren Scott and Glen Barrett in a special moment for the Cobras.

In A Grade, Korumburra 10/94 lost to Kilcunda Bass 6/181.

Bowling first, the Cobras had Killy Bass reeling early at 3/13, with young gun Rueben Foster striking twice in a brilliant opening spell. 

Despite the hot start, the Cobras couldn’t maintain the pressure, and two big middle-order partnerships allowed Kilcunda Bass to steady and finish the innings at 6/181.

Rueben was outstanding, finishing with 2/24, while 100-game milestone man Jacob Whiteside supported well with 2/35.

The batting innings never fully got going, with several starts but no one able to go on with a substantial score.

Mitch Young, stepping up in the unfamiliar role of opener, battled hard for 20 off 36, while Jason Richards added 14 off 20, but the Cobras ultimately fell short.

In B Grade, Korumburra 10/31 lost to OMK 1/33. 

It was a tough day with the bat for the young and 

inexperienced B Grade side, coming up against a well-drilled OMK outfit. The Cobras struggled to build meaningful partnerships, losing too many wickets cheaply. 

Phil Richards showed great fight, grinding out eight off 74 balls as he tried to anchor the innings and hold things together.

Defending a small total, the Cobras couldn’t have asked for a better start – Levi Gooch, returning after an extended injury layoff, struck with the first ball of the innings.

Unfortunately, that early breakthrough was the only real highlight, as OMK settled in and paced themselves comfortably to the win.

In C Grade, Korumburra 8/120 lost to Wonthaggi Club 3/121.

It was old school week in C Grade, with club favourites Rob Francis, Peter “Peachy” Edwards, and Adam Balfour returning for a run.  

Peachy set the tone at the top of the order, showing all his trademark class before a brilliant one-handed grab in the deep ended what looked like a big innings in the making.

The veterans led the way with the bat – Adam Balfour (34 off 54) and Peter Edwards (32 off 32) piling on valuable runs. Matt Allen (12 off 46) and Tim Morrison (10 off 28) also contributed as the Cobras pushed towards a competitive total.

Unfortunately, the Cobras couldn’t make early inroads into a strong Wonthaggi batting lineup. 

They settled quickly and cruised to the target, passing the Cobras three down with eight overs to spare. 

Bryce Riddell, Peter Edwards, and Darren Scott each claimed a wicket.

Leongatha Town

LEONGATHA Town and Nerrena played out a tight A Grade contest on Saturday, with the Scorpions posting a strong 6/212 before Nerrena chased it down in the final stages to finish 6/215.

Town’s innings was built on a superb knock from Jack Hume (69), who anchored the middle overs beautifully. 

He was supported by Seb Kyle (41), who kept the scoreboard ticking, and Rory Gilliatte (39), adding valuable runs to push the total beyond 200.

Defending 212, Town fought hard with the ball. Jack Hume backed up his batting with 2/30, while Luke Ashton (2/44) and Rhett Hume (2/53) also chimed in. 

Despite the pressure created in patches, Nerrena managed to hold their nerve, finishing just ahead in a well-fought match.

B Grade travelled to Inverloch and batted first, posting a competitive total of 129.

Ash Hickey once again showed his reliability at the top with 30, while Jack Aeschlimann (30) played a solid middle-order knock. Karl Aeschlimann (20) also contributed crucial runs to help build a defendable score.

When it was Leongatha’s turn to bowl, the team applied pressure, but Inverloch’s top order managed to steer the chase. Jack Aeschlimann picked up the only wicket, finishing with 1/15, as Inverloch reached 1/130 to snatch the win.

Though the result didn’t go our way, there were plenty of positives: the batting showed real grit, and the bowlers held their nerve under pressure.

Koonwarra won the toss and sent Town in to bat, and openers Ray Edwards (26) and Nigel Hodges (9) laid a steady foundation. 

A small cluster of wickets slowed momentum before Damian Burge (75) arrived at the crease and completely shifted the tempo. 

Burge played a superb lone hand, lifting the run rate and keeping Town competitive while partners came and went. 

With no other batter managing to settle, Town finished their innings on 143 all out.

Town started strongly with the ball, applying good early pressure. 

Poly Joseph Kallookkaran struck twice inside the first few overs, finishing with an excellent 2/12 from five, while Nijo Devassy claimed the other breakthrough with 1/21 off four. 

Despite the disciplined start, Koonwarra regained control and chased down the total with 10 overs to spare, closing at 3/144.

A tough day on the scoreboard but highlighted by a standout innings from Burge and some disciplined early bowling from Kallookkaran and Devassy.

Leongatha Town Scorpions is hosting its annual Comedy Night fundraiser this Saturday, November 22, at the Daker Centre in Leongatha.

Check out the Facebook page for more information – the club would love to see you there for a night of laughs to support the club.

Phillip Island

PHILLIP Island cruised to a win over Wonthaggi Club on Saturday.

Club travelled to the Cowes Recreation Reserve, where it won the toss and chose to bat first.

The top order started well with opening batsmen Mitch Thomas and Alexander Geyer making 26 and 40 runs respectively.

Harry West and captain Joel Brann each added 22 runs.

Phillip Island bowler Jobe Williams took some important wickets through the middle, which slowed Club’s momentum.

Williams took 4/37.

Brann returned the favour by wiping out Phillip Island’s top order alongside Fraser West.

Captain Daniel Mock steadied the ship with Kohen Beaumont.

Beaumont made 49 runs, and the score had reached 5/121 by the time he was dismissed.

Mock and Thomas Niven saw out the rest of the innings, making 65 and 26 not out.

Phillip Island is currently sitting third on the ladder and will be looking to record another win against Inverloch next weekend.

MDU

MDU went up against Nyora on the weekend in A2, with Nyora coming away with the points.

Playing at the Nyora Recreation Reserve, the home team won the toss and chose to bat first.

Nyora set the target with 270 with great scores recorded by the top order batsmen.

Jy Hull top scored with 74 not out.

MDU’s highlights were Mark Cantwell taking 2/57 off eight overs, Jake Palmer 1/40 off 4.3 overs and Mitch McGrath 1/27 off three overs.

MDU replied with 100 and conceded defeat.

Semba Lakshan made 24 off 28, Wayne Prosser 22 off 29 and Tharindu Nuwan 14 off 24.

Nyora’s best bowler was Aaron Thompson with 3/29, with Reece Cordeux and Jona Watts taking two wickets each.

MDU will take on Glen Alvie this weekend.  

Kilcunda Bass

Written by Matt Grayson

Kilcunda Bass hosted Korumburra in the A2 match on Saturday.

Korumburra won the toss and sent Kilcunda Bass in to bat. 

The Cobras started strongly with Kilcunda Bass stumbling to 3/13 in the fifth over. 

Steve Oates (30) joined Matt Grayson (80) at the crease to steady the ship, with both batting positively to keep the scoreboard moving.

Kilcunda Bass lost Oates in the 24th over, bringing Todd Smith (33* not out) to the middle. 

Grayson and Smith added a solid 70-run partnership before Grayson fell in the 37th over. 

Bass batted out the remaining three overs to finish at 6/181 from their 40 overs.

With the ball, Bass knew early wickets were crucial against Korumburra’s in-form top order. 

Cam Davidson (1/17) struck early, dismissing Rangana in the third over, while Smith contributed with both bat and ball taking 1/16 off his five overs. 

Ryan Brown (2/36) then claimed two key wickets to put Bass in a strong position with Korumburra at 4/58.

From there, Harrison Berry (3/13) took control before Grayson (3/4) closed out the innings, securing the remaining wickets with Korumburra all out for 94.

Kilcunda Bass, now sitting three-one for the season, will take plenty of confidence into next week’s clash against top-of-the-table Koonwarra.

B2- Kilcunda Bass vs Glen Alvie
Written by Andrew Leighton

Glen Alvie hosted Bass at Glen Alvie in perfect conditions for cricket. 

Bass won the toss and elected to bat. 

Bass set Glen Alvie a target of 197 thanks to some aggressive batting from Vijai Gopal (70). 

He was backed up by Joel Dickson (38) in a partnership of (99), which set the game up for the Sharks.

Zac Crow ensured Bass finished the innings strong with a run-a-ball 34.

Tight early bowling ensured Bass were in control from early in the second innings with Glen Alvie eventually falling three runs short of the target. 

The pick of the bowlers were the two openers, James Papworth (1/28) and Alister McBride (2/35) off their eight overs.

Glen Alvie

GLEN Alvie enjoyed success over the weekend.

In A2, Glen Alvie successfully chased down Foster’s total of 114.

Glen Alvie’s line-up included Ned Brown, who was stepping up to play his first A Grade game of the 2025/26 season.

“Playing in A Grade is really helpful for his game. He has played A Grade before, but this was the first time this season,” club president David Hynes said.

“He took three wickets, which was great to see.”

Vice captain Matthew Dakin also claimed three wickets, and the pick of the batsmen were Wayne Luke (47) and Dakin (36*).

In B Grade, Glen Alvie fell short against Kilcunda Bass, but was thrilled to celebrate the success of Darcy Tiziani.

Batting fifth in the order, Tiziani pushed Glen Alvie up to the respectable score of 164 with 70 not out.

“Tiziani has played at our club for a long time, and it was great to watch him bat extremely well. He is certainly a player who deserves it,” Hynes said.

Steven Smith opened with 57 runs and Glen Alvie’s best bowlers were Lachlan McRae and Jack Brown with two wickets each.

In C Grade, Glen Alvie looked to be in trouble against OMK.

Wickets were falling quickly and Glen Alvie lost its top batsmen, captain Ian Thorn for 12 runs.

Owen Luff stepped up to the crease and steadied the ship, recording 20 not out and securing the game.

“Luff played a pivotal role in a low-scoring game. We lost quite a few early wickets, so it was great to have Luff step up and get us the win,” Hynes said.

Luff also took control of the bowling, taking 4/13. 

Wickets were also shared between Grace Luff, Pieter Loos and vice captain Charlie Andersen. 

The Imperials/Nyora

IT WAS anybody’s game, but ultimately Nyora was victorious over the Imperials in B2 on Saturday.

The ground at Leongatha’s East Campus was in good condition as the away side won the toss and chose to bat.

The Imperials bowled well but couldn’t convert that same strong performance into the batting.

“Nyora’s score of 169 was really good. Once again, we were doing it easy with the bat at first, but we lost a few key wickets through the middle and it slipped away from us,” Imperials president Kristian Gray said.

Jake Cochrane was the Imperials’ best bowler, taking three wickets.

Noah McLennan and James Jeffery also bowled well, without success.

For Nyora, Daniel Blackney took control and showcased his talents as an all-rounder.

Blackney top-scored with 39 runs. 

“It was a good game that could’ve gone either way. Jaylen Waixel played a good game, taking three crucial wickets, and Daniel Blackney was good with the bat and ball. It was a good team effort,”

Nyora’s Adam White said. 

During the Imperials’ innings, the partnership of captain Sam Vagg and Cochrane delivered excellent results, and Lucas Anderson and Jordan Nagel offered a strong finish.

However, it wasn’t enough to chase Nyora’s tally. 

“We batted well enough to be in with a chance to win. It just came down to the last over,” Gray said. 

Waixel took three wickets – including two ducks – while Ryan White, Viraj Peiris and Lincoln Brock claimed two wickets each.

“Waixel’s wickets turned the game back our way and stopped the Imps from getting back in it,” White said. 

Next week, the Imperials’ B Grade side will play Kilcunda-Bass and A Grade will play Nerrena. 

These will both be big games, with the Imperials looking to get a few wins on the board. 

Nyora will be playing Koonwarra L/RSL in B Grade, Korumburra in A Grade, and is looking forward to launching its Woolworths Blast program on Thursday.

Koonwarra L/RSL

B GRADE had its face off against Meeniyan on Saturday morning.

The top of the ladder, Demons were always going to be a challenge, which would make Nigel Grimes’ 350th game one to remember. 

Starting well, “Ando” won the toss, and the Cougars headed out for a bowl. 

Striking early, Louis Read would remove both the openers putting the Demons in a position of 2-3, serving as the catalyst for a great day’s play. 

Saj at the other end bowled exceptionally, finishing his figures 1/20 off eight overs. 

Cambell Riseley (2/35 off eight overs) also bowled well, taking crucial wickets, alongside Ryder Pedlow (2/7 off three overs), who showed his continued growth. 

It was Louis Read who would take out the top bowling spot. 

After coming on for his second spell, Louis finished with 4/13 off 7.1 overs to help the Cougars bowl out the opposition for just 92 runs. 

On the batting side of the day, Sam Hughes (1) and Kevin Thorne (5) would be at the forefront of the batting. 

Despite losing these two early and being in a position of 2-15, Brett Pedlow (48) rocketed the team early, looking a force to be reckoned with before straining his calf. 

It was the miracle combo to finish off, as Nick Arnup (5*) and Mr. 350 himself Nigel Grimes (14*) got the Cougars over the line to finish 4-94 off 25.1 overs. 

It was a great day for the Cougars, led by consistency in bowling and tight areas. 

Congratulations to Louis on his four-wicket haul and to Nigel Grimes on his 350th done right.

B Grade’s next game will be against Nyora out at Mary MacKillop. 

It will be de ja vu as Nyora have now slotted themselves into the top spot. 

C Grade faced off against the Town Scorpions Saturday afternoon.

Also winning themselves the toss the Cougars followed the trend and headed out for a bowl. 

Glenn Boxall (3/15 off five overs) and Spencer Chadwick(0/21 off six overs) headed the bowling for the Cougars on Saturday. 

Glenn took the first three wickets, the Scorpions were put in a position of 3-32 to start the day. 

Damian Burge (75) batted well, making over half of the team’s runs before the Cougars bowled them out for 143. 

Steven Anderson (2/7 off 1.1 overs) picked up a few, as well as Jack Hawkins (2/16 off three overs), who also picked up the big wicket of Damian Burge via bowled. 

On the batting side of the day, Ashley Boxall (23) and Mick Caruana (0) opened up the batting. 

The Cougars lost Mick early via lbw and Nicolas Botha (1) not long after. 

In a position of 2-6, the Cougars looked shaky, but Glenn Matthies had other plans for the day. 

He and Ash put on another 49 runs before Ash departed from the crease.

As the saying goes, lose won Boxall, in comes another. 

It was the Glenn show out in the middle, as the two dragged us over the line smashing 3-144 off 24.1 overs. 

Glenn Matthies finished 68 not out to be our leading run-scorer, alongside Glenn Boxall (49*). 

It was a comprehensive win by the boys, as they creep up the ladder into fourth position. 

They can rest in their work now as they have the bye next week.

Wonthaggi Club 

WONTHAGGI Club’s rising stars led the C2 team to victory against Nyora on Saturday.

Playing at McMahon Reserve in Wonthaggi, Nyora won the toss and chose to bowl.

Club’s road to victory was paved by the partnership between 13-year-old Heath Crump and 14-year-old Blake Ton.

The partnership recorded more than 100 runs, with Crump making 46 and Ton making 74.

“It’s fantastic to see these guys playing at this level. They’ve got a big future,” Club president Luke McGuirk said.

“Once we got underway, our win was very much led by the young guys on the team.” 

Archie Dynes and Brian Osborne finished off the innings with 24 and 33 runs respectively.

Nyora’s bowling efforts were shared between Keith Maclure, Elijah Le Serve and Benson Layton.

Nyora started its innings strong with Maclure and Craig Robertson making 61 and 26 respectively.

Three wickets claimed by Brendan Pentland ensured the game stayed in Club’s favour.

“Pentland took three wickets at a crucial time. Nyora’s top order was batting well, and Pentland took the game from them,” McGuirk said.

Ollie Donohue, Crump and Jatin Shannon took two wickets each.

Club will face Leongatha Town next week.

“This will be a test for us. We’re sitting undefeated on top of the ladder, but Town was in C1 last season, so it will be interesting to see how we go against a tough opponent.”

Club is also looking forward to its trivia night, which will take place on Saturday from 7pm at McMahon Reserve.