Gippsland Goannas over 60 outfit wins

VETERANS

IT WAS a beautiful Sunday morning, with plenty of sun and a light easterly breeze as the Iona/KooWeeRup Over 60 cricket team arrived at the Bundalaguah Cricket Club to play the Goannas Over 60’s. 

The ground was in magnificent condition as acting captain, Ray Floyd, won the toss and decided the Goannas would bat first, the Gippsland side going on to set a strong total the opposition couldn’t reach.

Floyd and Rob Bacchetti opened the Gippsland innings and set the tone for the day with 12 runs from the first over.  

Floyd retired for 42 from 27 balls, after eight overs, when the score was 54.  

Mark Brown joined Bacchetti and they took the score to 83, when Bacchetti was brilliantly caught in the covers by Andrew Patterson, for 20 runs.  

Col Carmody joined Brown and they kept the score ticking over.  

At the 20 over drinks break these two both retired, Brown for 37 from 40 balls and Carmody for 12 from 19.  

The score was then 1/118.

Graeme Ingle and Bernie Symons took up the attack, with Ingle scoring 10 runs from his first two balls.  

He was eventually stumped for 23, from 18 balls when the score was 154.  

This led to a mini collapse as Andrew Smith, Barrie Nunn, then Symons (17 from 19) were out in quick succession as the score reached 5/166 in the 29th over.  

Chris Devent (15 from 12), and Gordon Cowling (22 from 21) advanced the score to 7/206 after 35 overs.  

Ian Gibson (20 not out from 21), and Peter Anton (33 not out from 22) completed the innings safely, with the Goannas scoring 7/255 after their 40 overs.

Graeme Davey for Iona/KWR had good figures of 4/32 from eight overs.

Davey then opened the innings with Ron Wernke, as Symons and Anton bowled the first six overs for 13 runs.  

Bacchetti and Cowling then came on, with Wernke well caught by Ingle from Cowling’s bowling.  

The score after 10 overs was 1/38.  

Davey retired for 11 from 30 balls and Bacchetti bowled the number three batsman Eric Ohlson.  

Smith and Devent then came on and took the side through to the 20 over drinks break, when the score was 4 for 89.  

These two had both claimed a wicket.  

Nunn and Ingle entered the attack, with Nunn bowling Steven Nadj for 27 from 15 balls, the fifth wicket falling in the 23rd over at 102.  

These two plus Floyd and Anton bowled the rest of the overs without any further wickets as the Iona/KWR innings finished at 5/161 from 40 overs.

Five bowlers each claimed one wicket, with Devent also taking a catch.

The Goannas Over-70 team play at Frankston against the ACS team on Tuesday, while the Vic Country veterans will come to Gippsland on the first weekend in January for a double-header against the Goannas Over-60 and Over-70 teams.  The Goannas Over-50 team will resume their season on January 19 with a game at Geelong.

The Goannas will next train at Traralgon on Friday, January 3.