Red Caps and Club make it to final showdown

B Grade, Division 1 

NERRENA and Wonthaggi Club will do battle in the B1 grand final this weekend.

The Red Caps earned their ticket into the grand final after a win against Inverloch at the Nerrena Recreation Reserve.

Inverloch won the toss and chose to bat first, sending in Walter Taberner and captain Brett Debono.

A catch from James Kelly off the bowling of William Croatto saw Taberner out for seven runs.

Leigh Cole was dismissed LBW for a golden duck by Croatto, but Jack Rowe stepped up to the crease to add 21 runs.

Will Rankin made 54 runs and Debono went on to top score with 60 runs.

Nerrena bowlers Ryan Clark and vice-captain Damien Symmons went on a run to wipe out Inverloch’s bottom order.

Ryan Clark took 4/60, and Croatto and Symmons took two wickets each.

Nerrena bowled out Inverloch and was fired up to chase 10/172.

Kade Berryman and Loc Roberts opened for Nerrena.

Roberts made 26 runs before he was caught by Rowe off the bowling of John Richardson.

Kelly stepped up to the crease with the score at 1/60.

At 2/100, Taberner dismissed Berryman, who had made 42 runs.

Bowler Jake Dennerley took out three Nerrena batsmen – Kelly, Symmons and Joel Renden – but Kelly and Symmons had made 30 and 42 runs respectively, which would earn the Red Caps the win.

After 56 overs, Nerrena won with a score of 5/173.

Club storms into Grand Final after dominating win

WONTHAGGI Club cruised into the grand final with a victory over Phillip Island.

Phillip Island chose to bat first at Wonthaggi’s McMahon Reserve.

After losing the opening batsmen early, third bat Heath Womersley came to the rescue and made 40 runs before he was bowled by Heath Dobbie.

This turned out to be the top score, with Archie Williams and Jobe Williams adding 27 and 29 runs later in the innings.

Phillip Island was tasked with defending 10/151.

David Britt opened for Club and proved to be unmoveable.

Britt made 63 runs and was not out when Club’s win was decided.

Harry West opened with Britt, but he was dismissed by Womersley for nine runs.

Kai Allison also fell victim to Womersley for five runs.

Allison’s dismissal sent in Lochlan McLean, who cleaned up the innings alongside Britt.

McLean made 67 not out, allowing Club to reach 2/152 off 48.5 overs.

B Grade, Division 2

Foster and Town gear up for grand final clash 

FOSTER and Leongatha Town will meet each other in B2’s grand final following this weekend’s semi-final clashes.

The meeting comes off the back of Foster toppling Leongatha Town in the final round of the home and away season to claim the minor premiership.

Foster played in the first semi-final against Koonwarra L/RSL in Foster.

Koonwarra L/RSL won the toss and sent Foster out to bat first.

Jack Gay and Jake Pilkington opened Foster’s account with Pilkington making 10 runs before he lost his wicket to Louis Read.

Neil Henry stepped in next.

Gay made 22 runs before he was bowled out by Cambell Riseley and Henry top-scored with 91 runs.

Henry was caught by Brad Anderson off the bowling of Riseley, but his contribution proved to be game-changing, as Koonwarra L/RSL’s bowlers made quick work of the rest of the batting order.

The bowling honours went to Riseley, who claimed 4/26.

Three wickets were taken by Britney Thomas.

Foster was bowled out at 10/198 but was more than up to the challenge.

Koonwarra L/RSL’s third bat Nick Arnup but the only significant impact on the scoreboard with 21 runs before he was caught by Chris Ford off the bowling of Henry.

Vice-captain Adam Drury added 13 runs later in the innings, with no other batsman cracking double digits.

Ford was Foster’s star bowler, taking 4/12, while three wickets fell to Henry.

In the 35th over, Koonwarra L/RSL was defeated with a score of 10/80.

Town dominates with batting blitz

DESPITE a decent score from the Imperials, Leongatha Town proved to be a stronger side in the second semi-final.

Playing at Leongatha’s Scorpion Park, Town quickly lost opening batsman Mark Hardy for one run after his wicket fell to Martin Reidy.

This resulted in the powerful partnership of Trent McRae and Pandukabhaya Jayasinghe.

Both eventually dismissed by Reidy, McRae made a whopping 152 runs and Jayasinghe made 121 runs to set an unreachable target for the Imperials.

Colin Bruce finished off the innings with 33 not out.

Reidy was the star of the show for the Imperials, taking 4/82. 

The only other wicket was claimed by Kane Maskell.

Leongatha Town’s score was 5/351.

The Imperials got themselves off to a great start with Gary Sauvarin making 40 runs.

Captain Samuel Vagg and Andrew Meyer contributed 34 and 31 runs respectively, while Kristian Gray made the top score of 55 runs.

However, Town bowler Lachlan Gill slowed the Imperials’ run rate as he claimed 5/60.

Three more wickets were taken by Frazer Livingstone, and singles were claimed by captain Levi Hickey and Rory Gillatte.

The Imperials were defeated with a final score of 10/210.