Both West Wimmera Warriors senior teams go into the mid-season break on a positive note with a solid win in the B Grade and a thrilling drawn game in the C Grade.
B Grade
The West Wimmera Warriors have moved to outright top of the B Grade One Day ladder with a victory over their closest rival, Homers, at Davis Park on Saturday.
Batting first the Warriors made another double century total for the loss of three wickets, led by 82 from Mitch Dahlenburg, his sixth score above fifty from eight innings this season, and Nathan Alexander’s 77. Late innings contributions of 39 by Ben Pollock and 31 from Aaron Cramer, both not out, who combined for a 60 run partnership for the fourth wicket, took the score to 251.
In reply Homers could only put together one significant partnership of 52 for the third wicket, with wickets falling regularly throughout the rest of their innings of 116.
Josh Cramer was the leading bowler with 5 for 10 off 4.2 overs, and Luke Smith took two. Josh Lees, Alexander, and Liam Preston took one each.
This win sees the Warriors’ finish on top of the One Day ladder, with six Twenty20 and three two day games to be played before the finals once the competition resumes after break.
The competition will resume on 18 January with a big day of Twenty20 cricket that will see two rounds played on day.
The Warriors will play Quantong on the Sunnyside oval in Horsham in the morning and enjoy a bye when the second round is played later in the day.
C Grade
The C grade Warriors hosted Colts on the Jeparit ground in the second last round of T20 games before the final in mid-February, and with the three leading teams, including both involved in this game, going into the round equal on points a close game was anticipated.
The Colts’ captain invited the Warriors to bat first after winning the toss and they set the challenging total 110 off their overs for the loss of five wickets, led by an unbeaten 50 from opener Jamie Harding, 14 not out by Dan Cross and 11 from Steve Leach.
Two wickets before they had made it to double figures had the Colts run chase off to a shaky start, but a solid third wicket partnership of 40 runs kept them in the game.
Further wickets in the twelfth, fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth overs kept the scoring rate in check, but Colts remained within touch of the target, and at the start of the last over they required ten runs for a win.
Tight bowling and fielding kept the result in doubt until the last ball, and even after a run was scored that appeared to give Colts the win, a review of the scorecard revealed that the game had finished with scores level.
Six of the seven Warriors’ bowlers used took one wicket each.
By sharing the points, both these teams remain in the mix to qualify for the final after the current ladder leaders, Laharum, also registered a win, but still could miss the final if they falter in the last game.
The Warriors have the bye in the next round, which will be played in late January, but will need either Laharum or Colts to lose if they are to finish in the top two.
Their next game will be on the first day of February when Lubeck-Murtoa will travel to Davis Park to play a one day game.
Horsham Cricket Association - B Grade - One Day Game
West Wimmera Warriors First Innings
| N Alexander | ct. S Hodge | b.A Hopper | 77
| | M Dahlemburg | lbw | b.C Hopper | 82
| | D Webb | ct. T Hopper | b.A Hopper | 14
| | A Cramer | not out | | 31
| | B Pollock | not out | | 39
| | Sundries | | | 8
| | TOTAL | | 3 for 251
|
Homers Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | J Officer | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0
| | T Hopper | 8 | 2 | 51 | 0
| | W Drummond | 6 | 0 | 41 | 0
| | A Hopper | 8 | 0 | 38 | 2
| | B Hallam | 6 | 1 | 33 | 0
| | C Hopper | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1
| | K Lang | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0
| | S Hodge | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0
|
Homers First Innings
| M Williamson | ct. N Alexander | b. J Lees | 4
| | B Hallam | | b. N Alexander | 7
| | S Hodge | ct. N Alexander | b. J Cramer | 28
| | A Hopper | st. M Dahlenburg | b. L Preston | 38
| | D Seymour | Ct. J Gurry | b. J Cramer | 3
| | T Hopper | lbw | b. J Cramer | 6
| | C Hopper | | b. J Cramer | 15
| | W Drummond | | b. L Smith | 0
| | J Officer | lbw | b. J Cramer | 0
| | K Lang | lbw | b. L Smith | 0
| | A Khan | not out | | 0
| | Sundries | | | 15
| | TOTAL | | 116
|
West Wimmera Warriors Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | J Lees | 6 | 2 | 11 | 1
| | N Alexander | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1
| | T Braendler | 8 | 0 | 20 | 0
| | J Gurry | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0
| | L Preston | 5 | 0 | 33 | 1
| | L Smith | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2
| | J Cramer | 4.2 | 0 | 10 | 5
|
Horsham Cricket Association - C Grade - Round Ten - Twenty20 Game
West Wimmera Warriors First Innings
| J Harding | retired | | 50
| | T Alexander | ct. D Stephens | b. D McDonald | 9
| | A Merrett | ct. D McDonald | b. D Arnott | 4
| | J Crowhurst | lbw | b. A Baker | 1
| | D Cross | not out | | 14
| | J Leach | ct. D Stephens | b. D Arnott | 0
| | S Leach | run out | D McDonald | 11
| | Sundries | | | 22
| | TOTAL | | 5 for 110
|
Colts Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | D Collins | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0
| | J Zanker | 3 | 1 | 15 | 0
| | S Riddell-Connell | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0
| | D McDonald | 3 | 1 | 9 | 1
| | D Arnott | 3 | 0 | 19 | 2
| | A Baker | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1
| | H Millar | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0
|
Colts Innings
| D Collins | ct. T Alexander | b. X Bone | 6
| | J Zanker | ct. A Merrett | b. S Gusman | 1
| | D Stephens | ct. S Leach | b. D Cross | 16
| | S Riddell | not out | | 44
| | D Arnott | ct. J Leach | b. J Crowhurst | 6
| | D McDonald | | b. T Alexander | 14
| | D Davis | | b. S Leach | 16
| | A Baker | not out | | 0
| | Sundries | | | 8
| | TOTAL | | 6 for 110
|
West Wimmera Warriors Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | X Bone | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1
| | S Gusman | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1
| | S Leach | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1
| | A Merrett | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0
| | D Cross | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1
| | J Crowhurst | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1
| | T Alexander | 3 | 0 | 25 | 1
|
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