Harness racing at Wayville, Michael Doughty, Ben Dougall and a netball quintet are all in the spotlight in this week’s Adelaide Sport Gurus

ANOTHER week, another chance for Messenger’s Gurus to shine a light on the latest eye-catching performances and quirky moments in local sport.

East Torrens batsman Ben Dougall is our hero this week after making 178 on his return to the A grade.

ONCE again the Gurus are here to shine a light on the eye-catching performances and quirky moments in local sport from the past week.

SIX-PACK

■ Teenagers taking hat-tricks seemed to be all the rage last weekend. Brahma Lodge 15-year-old Dylan Wall took one against Golden Grove in Adelaide Turf’s C1 competition. At Colonel Waite Oval, 16-year-old Darcy Hunkin snared 6/4 for Kensington, including a hat-trick, on day one of the D-grade clash with Port Adelaide.

■ Winning the first harness race at Wayville for more than 44 years last Friday night was extra special for top SA trainer/driver Ryan Hryhorec. Hryhorec gave a big salute to the 8000-plus crowd including his children. “My kids, Denver and Acacia, were watching the race at the top of the straight,” Hryhorec told The Advertiser. “They are not really into harness racing at this stage so when I knew I was going to win, the first wave was for them.”

Ryan Hryhorec salutes the crowd at Wayville last Friday night. Picture: Graham Fischer.

■ Unley Mercedes Jets are assembling a well-credentialed coaching team around Kane Stewart ahead of the 2018 season. Former Crow Michael Doughty has come across from Southern Football League club Reynella to be an assistant and football director, while West Adelaide premiership player Daniel Caire has joined as a playing assistant. Doughty is mates with Stewart and Caire is sport co-ordinator at Mercedes College.

■ When you bat at number nine, it is not often you are relied upon to hit the winning runs. But Adelaide University A-grader Tom Edwards got his side over the line in consecutive days last weekend. His runs helped the Blacks claim first-innings points on day one against Tea Tree Gully on Saturday then on Sunday his three off 12 balls included a thrilling game-winner when Uni was 9/145.

■ Good to see Adelaide off-spinner Michael Cormack get a chance to showcase his talents against international cricketers. Cormack, 20, is the only South Aussie named in a Cricket Australia XI which will face England in two Ashes warm-ups this month – in Adelaide from the 8th-11th then Townsville from the 14th-17th.

Trailblazing umpire Eloise Sheridan. Picture: AAP/Matt Loxton.

■ And finally, Eloise Sheridan on Sunday became the first woman in Grade Cricket history to umpire a men’s A-grade match. The schoolteacher and Kensington premiership player was in the middle for the One-Day Cup clash between Glenelg and Southern District at the Bay. The trailblazer spoke to Rob Greenwood before the match.

OUR HERO

Ben Dougall played two Sheffield Shield and three one-dayers for SA in 2010-11 but was later struck down by a serious knee injury – twice.

On Saturday, the East Torrens left-hand batsman played his first A-grade match since March 2015 and blasted 178 at Campbelltown Oval.

His 222-ball knock came in four-and-a-half hours, included 16 fours and six sixes, and helped the Reds reach 9/371 against Glenelg.

“Benny’s effort was outstanding,” Dougall’s coach Wayne Bradbrook said.

“It was great to see Benny really take it by the horns because he’s had those last two years with wretched knee reconstructions and we haven’t been able to play him.”

KEEP AN EYE ON

Payneham lawn bowler Mitch Percy. The 26 year old has won all four of his games to start the Premier League season to sit on top of the skips ladder, including beating Adelaide’s Australian representative Scott Thulborn 24-19 on Saturday. Percy’s rise has led him to join the SA squad. Hopefully we don’t put the moz on him, like we seemed to have done with last week’s nominee Ben Wakim. After starting the season with unbeaten scores of 120 and 150, the Adelaide University cricket captain scored two ducks over the weekend.

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

5 – The number of training partners the Adelaide Thunderbirds have announced they will have next netball season. They are Contax’s Gia Abernethy, Charlee Hodges, Chelsea Lemke and Chelsea Blackman and Matrics player Emily Burgess.

Pedare Christian College student and Contax netballer Chelsea Blackman, who has become a training partner for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Picture: AAP/ Keryn Stevens.

SAY WHAT?

Cricket is a funny game and if you’re playing, you’re a chance.

Reynella cricket captain Richard Gabb ahead of his side’s A1 Adelaide Turf match against unbeaten reigning premier Pooraka this Saturday.

WEEKLY POWER RANKINGS

(We know it’s not apples for apples when comparing sports but here are the five teams that are impressing us across the top-tier SA summer competitions)

1. Adelaide University (cricket) – Cannot have done much more, winning both completed two-day matches and its 50-over clash then claiming first-innings points on day one of its latest two-day game, against in-form Tea Tree Gully last Saturday.

2. East Torrens (baseball) – Still sits equal top of the division one men’s baseball ladder but went 1-1 over its past two games, surprisingly losing to Southern Districts on Tuesday, to be 6-1 for the season.

3. Glenelg (baseball) – Has an identical record to the Redsox and also went 1-1 over the past week, losing to Woodville.

4. Sturt (cricket) – Now the only unbeaten side in the women’s Grade competition, at 3-0, after its comprehensive victory over Port Adelaide and Kensington’s loss to Northern Districts.

5. Woodville (cricket) – The Peckers are 2-0 in the two-day competition and 1-0 in 50-over matches following a 60-run victory over Adelaide on Sunday.

Woodville batsman Conor McInerney has been a key reason behind his side’s unbeaten start.

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