Highfields stays alive with Odendaal’s eight

ANDRE Odendaal had career best figures to keep Highfields-Railways alive in the TCI A-grade finals race.

Andre Odendaal bowls for Highfields-Railways. Picture: Nev Madsen

CRICKET: A bowling masterclass from Andre Odendaal has kept Highfields-Railways in with a shot of making the finals of the TCI A-grade competition.

The Zimbabwean all-rounder produced one of the finest individual bowling displays in Toowoomba cricket history, finishing with eight wickets to guide the Bulldogs to a 59-run first innings defeat of Northern Brothers Diggers.

He struck early in the day by taking the wicket of Brandon Walker in the first over of the day, before a dropped catch turned into a lucky break.

Odendaal dropped Pat Sullivan, but was able to run out Louis Reen on the same delivery, dislocating his finger in the process.

He continued on, dismissing Sullivan the very next ball to leave Diggers reeling at 3/24.

As he has done on so many occasions, Kris Glass stepped to the crease and looked poised to help his side through a tough situation.

He eventually ran out of partners and was himself dismissed for 72, as the wickets kept tumbling for Odendaal, who finished with 8/36 from 24.1 overs.

“They were my best figures ever and it seemed to be a day where everything went right,” Odendaal said.

“Even when I dropped the catch it was able to ricochet and cause a run out.

“It was a great feeling in the sheds after. It was a really great team performance and it is one we wanted to savour, especially winning the way we did.”

Odendaal said it was a plan to come out hard and attack Diggers from the outset, a ploy which they executed to perfection.

“We had a game plan and stuck to it. We knew that we needed to win to keep ourselves alive in the competition so we tried to bowl at the stumps and really attack,” he said.

“It can be a tough field to score in at Highfields with the longer grass. We had a good total on the board and a bowling attack good enough to get the job done.

“We wanted to come out quite hard and aggressive, but also stay patient. That meant we were able to put the pressure on and they made the mistakes for us.”

Ben Brocherie for Metropolitan-Easts. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Metropolitan-Easts has become the second team to book its spot in the finals.

The Trojans were able to score a first innings victory over University by just 17 runs at USQ, ensuring they remain a chance to complete the Harding-Madsen Shield/A-grade double.

Needing 163 for a first innings win and despite a late knock from Rick Smith (27 runs), University was able to muster just 145.

Western Districts went close to its second outright win of the year, defeating Souths by 137 runs in the first innings, with the Magpies finishing the day at 6/93.

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