South Barwon skipper Nick Butters blasts 112 off 90 balls against Grovedale
South Barwon has emerged as a genuine contender after snapping Grovedale’s winning streak following a blistering hundred from Nick Butters.
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South Barwon stamped itself as a genuine contender snapping ladder-leader Grovedale’s undefeated run by running down the Tigers’ 4-271 with three wickets to spare, thanks to a blistering 90-ball 112 from powerhouse captain Nick Butters.
The Swans skipper unleashed his full repertoire of shots in hammering eight sixes and seven fours to launch his team’s innings, finding support from Nathan Pearson (44) before Jasper George brought his team to the cusp of victory with a ballistic 32-ball 52.
“We were really disappointed with last week’s effort against North Geelong, you want to play the really good sides of the comp and obviously Grovey is on top, but North has been the team to beat,” Butters said.
“We had a fair bit to prove this week; chasing down 271 is not going to happen too often but obviously a really good flat wicket, fast outfield and a short boundary with the breeze helped.”
Butters was full of praise for George’s striking as he teamed with Sam Ellis (29 not out) in an electrifying 69-run, sixth wicket stand.
“Jasper was amazing, we probably thought we’re getting a bowler who would be a handy middle to lower order bat,” Butters said.
“To do what he did today; he just hit the ball so cleanly, particularly one of his sixes into the breeze, whereas no one had even gone close to clearing that boundary all day.”
It was an extraordinary innings from Grovedale opener Jake Alsop that threw down the challenge as the busy left-hander batted through the entire innings to strike a superb 146-ball undefeated 134.
Alsop negotiated everything that was thrown at him in an innings punctuated by three maximums and 13 fours, many of those runs coming in a 107-run opening stand with South African import Rob Smith (54).
“Jake batted superbly; it was a chanceless innings,” Butters said.
“He didn’t look like going out; wherever you put a fielder, he’d hit it somewhere else, and you just always felt you were playing catch up the way he batted.
“He probably played second fiddle to Smith at the start, he was looking very good as well, just playing good smart cricket shots.”
Jack Wrigglesworth added 32 for the Tigers, although it was the experienced pair of Butters (0-28) and Brad Hauenstein (1-31) who dried up the run scoring to ensure the Grovedale tally ultimately remained within reach.
East Belmont 8-173 def Highton 172
East Belmont paceman Dylan Moroney played the innings of his life to team with opener Danny Hegarty to salvage success from the jaws of defeat against Highton.
Set 173 for victory the Lions pursuit looked hopeless at 8-93 before the pair joined forces to claw their way to success with an unconquered 80-run union that elicited delirious scenes among the East Belmont faithful at McDonald Reserve.
Despite his heroic 61-ball unbeaten 39, the Lions’ firebrand was quick to deflect the credit to Hegarty who anchored the run chase with a brilliant undefeated 84 comprised of seven boundaries from almost 49 overs at the crease.
“Danny was definitely the leader of that partnership, he had a very clear plan, he was doing all the talking between overs and made it simple for me to follow,” Moroney said post-game.
“He’s a craftsman and places a high value on his wicket; if the ball’s not in his zone to hit, he’s quite content to defend it and play on its merit and then when a ball comes into his zone, he’ll score off it most times.
“He didn’t really have to take too many risks, he just kept playing his game and we got there in the end.”
The Heat was best served by Errol Burns (3-28) and new-ball spinner Nash Viney (2-27) in the field, while earlier in the day it was the determination of coach Andrew Murden (37) and captain Nathan McCoach (30) that enabled the home side to set a competitive target.
Along with his heroics with the willow, Moroney led the Lions with the ball (3-20), while emerging paceman Noah Quick showed he’ll be a challenge for GCA1 batsman with another impressive spell of 2-28.
“It’s a really satisfying win, as it’s unlikely wins like that, that really count at the end of the season,” Moroney said.
“It was especially important to get that one as we’ve got Grovedale and North Geelong, two really good opponents, in the next two rounds.”
St Joseph’s 6-202 def Lara 201
Englishman Callum Leese demonstrated the breadth of his skillset with 3-46 before striking 73 at better than a run-a-ball to steer St Joseph’s to a four-wicket defeat of Lara.
Leese was supported by energetic all-rounder Brandon Purcell (3-42) as the Zampatti Oval hosts restricted Lara to 201 from its 50 overs. Skipper Daniel Weigl led the way for the Cats with 43, with Ed Kol (28), Andy Hughes (27) and Danny Hughes (23) all getting starts.
Jack Riding contributed 26 at the top for the Joeys, although it was the work of Leese and the patience of captain Andrew Hodgson - with a 98-ball unbeaten 53 - that provided the lion’s share of St Joseph’s successful run chase. Daniel Blatherwick (2-34) and Danny Hughes (2-38) were the visitors’ best performers with the ball.
North Geelong 9-227 def Newtown & Chilwell 9-182
A critical 102-run eighth wicket stand between all-rounders Mitchell Troy (47) and Alistair McCann (44) was the key to North Geelong posting a winning score against Newtown and Chilwell at Keith Barclay Oval.
Impact opener Sam Hall launched the innings with an enterprising 33, although some tidy work by Dylan Hodge (2-22) and Joshua Norman (1-26) contributed to restricting the Magpies to an attainable 9-227on an uncharacteristically fast Osborne Park.
Sam Mitchell began the Two Blues’ innings brightly before retiring after crashing to the crease with a knee injury.
The enterprising opener courageously returned with a runner to strike a game-high 59 from 95 balls, however too few supporters meant the visitors innings fell 45 runs short.
McCann and Andrew Fergusson claimed 2-25 and 2-28 respectively, although towering paceman Tom Webster was the pick of the bowlers with 3-33.
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