Korumburra scores briskly against Inverloch

B Grade, Division 1

A SOLID opening partnership helped ensure Korumburra’s decision to bat first was a sound one in an abbreviated first day of action against visitor Inverloch.
Trevor Allen struck 47 at better than a run-a-ball, with opening partner Jacob Wrigley delivering a more cautious 21.
Cobras captain Shane Dole notched an impressive 67 not out at a strike rate of 88.15, his side completing day one with the loss of just a couple of wickets and 173 runs on the board despite less than 50 overs of play.
John Bowring was the wicket taker for the Stingrays, claiming 2/45 off 14 overs, while teammate Dean Cashin proved stingy with the ball conceding just 13 runs off almost 11 overs.
Korumburra’s brisk scoring means an intriguing day’s play is on the cards come Saturday despite the loss of overs on day one.

Honours appear even between Cougars and Demons
KOONWARRA Leongatha RSL batted first at home after visitor Meeniyan Dumbalk United won the toss, Michael Thomas (61) and Brad Anderson (55) being the main contributors in the Cougars setting a competitive 9/230 day one total.
Opener Thomas exhibited great patience, his innings stretching to 169 balls, while Anderson’s runs came more briskly, facing 87 balls.
Medium pacer Andrew Richardson quickly justified MDU’s decision to bowl, sending Thomas’ opening partner Jordan Pickersgill on his way for a third-ball duck, Richardson finishing the day with a tidy 2/63 from 20 overs.
MDU skipper Craig Hoober’s probing medium pace 
deliveries helped expose the Cougars’ lower order, dismissing the number six, seven and eight batsmen and taking 3/45 off 11 overs.
The match is well poised for an intriguing day two.

OMK sets cracking day one tempo against Imperials
OUTTRIM Moyarra Kongwak set a blistering day one pace after choosing to bat at home, flaying the Imperials bowlers on the way to 6/303 by stumps, a scoring rate of better than 4.3 per over.
Openers Joel Cuman (63) and skipper Kris Kerr (68) set the platform for a big team total, with Shane Taylor’s rapid-fire 54 off just 39 balls and Sam Matthews 36 not out off 40 balls building on those foundations.
James Jeffery was the standout wicket taker for Imperials with 4/107, although he didn’t have it all his own way as the Diggers took him for more than four runs 
an over.
His teammate Archie Casey captured just one wicket but yielded only 49 runs off 16 overs at little more than three runs per over.
It will be interesting to see how the Imperials batsmen respond to a substantial total when they get their turn at the crease.

Sharks bite at Scorpion Park

PHILLIP Island wreaked havoc after deciding to bowl, skittling home side Leongatha Town for a total of just 61 runs.

It was a terrific team effort with the ball from the Sharks, with all five bowlers used breaking through and proving miserly.

Kohen Beaumont finished with 3/1 and accounted for Colin Bruce who registered a patient 20 runs to be the Scorpions top scorer.

Timothy Niven grabbed 2/10 off eight overs, dismissing an opener and the number three batsman, and captain Kurt Lane cashed in on his decision to send Town in with figures of 2/12 off just over eight overs.

Leongatha Town opener Mark Hardy showed fight with a determined 13 off 37 balls, with Josh Williams (10) the other Scorpion to reach double figures.

In a frenetic day’s cricket, Phillip Island lost eight wickets en route to a score of 145 runs off 35 overs.

The Leongatha Town fought impressively in an effort to pull their side back into the game, claiming a fourth scalp by the time Phillip Island had edged a run ahead.

Andrew Finlayson’s 44 not out proved important in the Sharks building a decisive total, Niven’s 24 being their next best score.

Scorpions captain Luke Ashton led the fightback effort with 3/25 off 10 overs, but Phillip Island enters day two content with its position in the match.