‘Punjabi Derby’: Norths Spicy Bite hold their nerve to secure rival win against Mulgrave Punjabi
A fierce derby ensued between the region’s top two Punjabi sides on Sunday, with first-class cricket on display at Griffiths Park.
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A fierce derby ensued between the region’s top two Punjabi sides on Sunday, with first-class cricket on display at Griffiths Park.
Friends off the field, yet rivals on the pitch, Norths’ Spicy Bite (fourth place) hosted the experienced Mulgrave Punjabi (third place) in a battle with crucial consequences for the second-grade season.
Mulgrave Punjabi won the toss and elected to bat, with Gurpreet Chanaa getting his side off to a blistering start.
Chanaa bashed 55 runs from 73 deliveries, including six boundaries in a stellar innings.
However, Norths’ bowling duo Parminder Dhillon (2-27 from eight overs) and Jatinder Singh Jeetu (2-56 from eight overs) mounted a strong defence, limiting Mulgrave to a solid 8-184 total after 40 overs.
In response, Norths faced an early collapse, going 3-35 in the early stages.
Mulgrave all-rounder Vicky Lefty ripped through Norths’ top order, with the tricky spinner taking 6-27 from eight overs, including two maiden overs.
But Norths had the last laugh, with Karan Singh (40 runs from 30 balls) and Jatinder Singh Jeetu (48 runs from 56 balls) leading the charge with crucial knocks, bringing their side closer to victory.
Karan Singh, in particular, launched three massive sixes to reduce the run-chase in a crucial period of the innings.
Opener Bhupinder Singh (28 runs from 21 balls) and middle-order batsman Parminder Dhillon (29 runs from 54 balls) also contributed solid knocks.
Eventually, Mandeep Singh (13* not out from 22 balls, and 1-30 from six overs) slashed home the winning runs with two wickets and five overs to spare.
In the end, Norths’ composure secured them a hard-fought win, reaffirming their competitive spirit with the victory adding another chapter to the ongoing rivalry between these two formidable sides.
7 ducks and all out for 43, Barron River annihilate Atherton
Barron River’s dominant victory over Atherton at Crathern Park has bolted them back into the finals race, as they annihilated third-place Atherton with a crushing all-out performance.
Barron River posted a competitive total of 7-140 in their first innings, led by their captain Tim Ward – playing his 200th senior game for the club – who scored 36 runs from 47 balls.
David Coulthard contributed a patient 29 runs off 74 balls, while Braydn Croft finished unbeaten on 38* from 55 balls.
A late contribution from Fredrick Pittorino (31 off 37) along with a rampage by Charlie Howard (23* from 8) propelled Barron River to a defendable score.
Atherton bowler Brandon Green took 3-27 from eight overs, while spinner Cameron Davis – who last week bowled an incredible 6-29 against Mareeba – continued his fine form with 2-18 from seven overs.
On the opposite side of the innings, Atherton’s batting line-up – which has propelled the side to third place this season – collapsed spectacularly as they were bowled out for just 43 runs in 18 overs.
The collapse began early with David Coulthard’s dismissal of Alexander Nasser on the opening delivery of the innings, falling 2-0 an over later.
With Atherton captain Tom Boorman out, vice-captain Logan Poggioli provided a brief resistance to steady the ship, scoring 20 runs from 24 balls before falling to Charlie Howard.
Wickets continued to tumble.
The bowling trio of Sean Prior (3-2 from 5 overs), Jordan Massey (3-2 from 3), and Jordan Fulton (2-9 from 4) ensured there was no recovery. Seven Atherton batsmen were dismissed for ducks with only Poggioli and Davis (10) reaching double figures.
The result was a stunning 97-run defeat, putting Barron River firmly back in contention for the finals.
In other matches, Mareeba faced Mulgrave at Borzi Park, where the hosts posted a total of 9-144 in their 40 overs.
Opener Tristan Curmi, facing his former team, topscored with 34 runs and Tyson Brown’s late blitz of 37 runs helped lift the total.
Mulgrave’s spinners William Robertson (2-22) and Aidan Beach (2-30) were the standout bowlers.
In their chase, Mulgrave reached 6-146 in 35.4 overs, with the Johnston brothers — Rhys (40 off 56 balls) and Kobi (44* off 64 balls) — guiding them to a successful run chase.
Rhys Johnston, recently selected for Queensland’s under-17 team, played a key role as opening batsman with the rising star one to watch for the future.
Mareeba’s Curmi was the pick of the bowlers with 3-21.
Meanwhile, Rovers proved too strong for Cassowary Coast, bowling the Cyclones out for just 91 runs.
Rovers chased down the target in under 13 overs, with Seth McGinty (40* from 35 balls) and coach Andrew Phelps (47 from 36) leading the charge.
Norths had the bye.
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Originally published as ‘Punjabi Derby’: Norths Spicy Bite hold their nerve to secure rival win against Mulgrave Punjabi
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