Country Colts cricket championships: Wrap, results, standouts from round two
It went down to the wire as two heavyweights clashed in a final over thriller, while there were plenty of fireworks as bat dominated the ball on day two.
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Some of the contenders started to separate themselves from the pack as the Country Colts championships continued on Wednesday.
With all sides having played one 50-over clash to kick off the tournament, it was time for T20s matches on day two.
Two heavyweights met in a thriller that was decided in the final over, while there were plenty of fireworks as the bat certainly dominated the ball throughout the day.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
ROUND TWO WRAP
ILLAWARRA, NEWCASTLE CLASH IN HEAVYWEIGHT THRILLER
Greater Illawarra has surged to the top of the standings and given itself the inside running at the title after defeating Newcastle in a rain-delayed final-over thriller.
In a game between the two sides who were awarded a bonus point in round one, the contest was unfortunately reduced to eight overs each due to a rain delay.
Batting first, Newcastle got off to a terrible start when danger man Kel Wilson was bowled by Bailey Abela with the first ball of the innings.
It was a tricky start for the Hunter side, who lost regular wickets as it sought to pummel the ball to all parts of the ground.
While Austen Hiskens found the boundary in his quick-fire 13, the defending champs looked in trouble up against the tidy Greater Illawarra attack before an impressive 24 from Austin Berry pushed the team to 6-63 from its eight overs.
In response, Greater Illawarra couldn’t have had a bigger contrast to Newcastle’s start, with Angus Campbell belting a four in the first ball of the innings.
The south coast side managed to find the boundary a little easier in the early overs as Campbell (12), Bailey Abela (11) and Jake Monie (11) all made starts.
Newcastle did well to tighten things up, however Nicolas Nicastri (12*) guided his side home in the final over to send his side into outright first place on the ladder.
Newcastle 6-63 (Berry 24, Hiskens 13; Amadio 2-22) was defeated by Greater Illawarra 4-64 (Nicastri 12*, Campbell 12; Frith 2-12) by six wickets
NORTH COASTAL, RIVERINA TURN ON THE FIREWORKS
North Coastal has bounced back from a horror day-one performance to put on the best batting display of the round as it recorded a 20-run win over Riverina in an entertaining high-scoring clash.
On the back of being rolled for 90 in its first hitout, the North Coastal looked like a completely different outfit as it belted the ball to all parts of the ground.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Kai Croft (20) and Sam Weir (31) got the team off to a strong start.
And while the team was scoring at about six runs an over, the middle order came in and really lifted the tempo, with Beau Mainey belting 40 from just 23 balls, Brodie McDowell hitting 28 from 20 and smacking two sixes in his 25 from 16 balls to push the side to a very healthy total of 7-167 from its 20 overs.
In an example of how destructive he was, Mainey took Riverina’s Baxter Wilson for 30 runs from one solitary over, which included three sixes and two fours.
While his team took some punishment, Jay Lavis was the pick of the Riverina bowlers with 3-22 from four overs, while Hunter Hall was also impressive with 2-24 from four.
Facing a big chase, Riverina certainly didn’t shirk the challenge and got off to a brilliant start thanks to openers Shaun Smith and Hunter Hall.
The pair put on a brilliant opening stand of 65 before Hall was dismissed by spinner Harry Kershler for 37.
At the other end, Smith was going berserk, clearing the fence at will as he brought up his half-century. All up, the NSW Country rep star hit seven sixes and one four as he scored a brilliant 86 from 47 balls.
Despite Smith’s best efforts, and the fact that Riverina only lost three wickets, North Coastal’s total was just too far out of reach as the side fell 20 runs short in what was a gallant chase.
North Coastal 7-167 (Mainey 40, Weir 30; Lavis 3-22, Hall 2-24) defeated Riverina 3-147 (Smith 86, Hall 37; Kershler 1-26) by 20 runs
CENTRAL NORTH GETS ON THE BOARD
After a heartbreaking final-over loss to kick off the tournament, Central North opened its account with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Southern Districts in its first T20 clash of the carnival.
Electing to bowl in the overcast conditions after winning the toss, Central North well and truly brought their opponents back to earth after their historic round one win, rolling Southern Districts for just 75 inside 18 overs.
Archer Starr finished with the best figures of 3-11, while Will Parkinson (2-6) and Jordan Lewington (2-21) were also impressive.
As for Southern Districts, it was grim reading with the bat. Although William Thomson (25) and Ted Waterman (18) got the side off to a reasonable start, no other player scored more than five in what was an almighty collapse.
With a small target to chase, Central North wasted no time finishing the job, with Franklin Cripps (24), Harry Scowen (18*) and Harrison Dunn (11*) helping to finish the job inside 11 overs for the side’s first win of the championships.
Southern Districts 10-75 (Thomson 25, Waterman 18; Starr 3-11, Parkinson 2-6) were defeated by Central North 2-76 (Cripps 24, Scowen 18*; McGregor 1-6) by eight wickets
CENTRAL COAST HAMMER WESTERN
Central Coast has kept pace with the leaders at the top after demolishing Western by eight wickets.
Set 133 to win, a brutal batting display from Alexander Cutting (54* from 35 balls) and Zak Graham (48* from 38) saw the side cruise past the total with more than four overs to spare.
Coming off a first-round humbling at the hands of Southern Districts, Western continued its struggles with the bat, slumping to 2-22 early on and then 5-58 as the Central Coast trio of Graham (2-17), Harry Askey (2-25) and Liam Roche (2-34) ripped through the batting line-up.
Western was able to stabilise things somewhat, with contributions from Thomas Blowes (23), Dugald Shepherd (20) and Angus Cornish (19) pushing the side to a defendable total of 8-132 from its 20 overs.
However it soon became clear that the total wasn’t anywhere near big enough as Cutting and Thomas Alderson mowed down the lead.
The Central Coast was scoring freely, and although Alderson (25) and danger man Jaylen Johnston (0) were dismissed in the same over, the result was never in doubt as Graham joined Cutting at the crease to top off a man-of-the-match performance that saw the side cruise home after 15.4 overs.
Western 8-132 (Blowes 23, Shepherd 20; Graham 2-17, Askey 2-25) was defeated by the Central Coast 2-136 (Cutting 54*, Graham 48*, Alderson 25; Macfarlane 2-21) by eight wickets
ROUND ONE WRAP
CENTRAL COAST PIP CENTRAL NORTH IN FINAL-OVER THRILLER
An excellent top-order innings and then some clutch tail-end hitting has helped the Central Coast to a stunning final-over victory over Central North to kick off its Colts campaign in style.
Chasing 253 for victory, the Central Coast was in trouble at 7-163 after 34 overs before number eight Kobi Goldie breathed life into the innings with a crucial 41 from 51 balls and lower-order batters Raj Sharma and Scott Daniels hit 37 off the last five and a half overs to give their side a two-wicket victory with just three balls to spare.
It was an impressive end to the chase for the Central Coast, who for much of the game looked to be behind in the contest following an excellent start to Central North’s innings.
After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, Central North got off to a brilliant start as openers Harrison Dunn and Thomas Thorpe went about building the innings.
While not scoring at express pace, the pair steadily ticked over as they first past 50 and then brought up their 100-run partnership in the 22nd over.
The Central Coast needed something and left-arm orthodox spinner Jaylen Johnston finally got the breakthrough in the 27th over when Thorpe was caught for 59, bringing an end to the pair’s excellent 128-run stand.
While the wicket didn’t trigger a collapse, it saw a string of batters make starts without going on with it, with Harry Scowen (18), Blake Scicluna (12), Franklin Crips (19) and Will Parkinson (12) all making contributions before being dismissed.
Dunn looked in excellent touch and was nearing in on a ton when he was remarkably run out by Raj Sharma for an excellent 92 from 124 balls.
And while Central North perhaps didn’t get the most out of its strong start, some late hitting from Harry Lewington (16*) got the team to a healthy total of 7-253 from its 50 overs.
In an innings dominated by the bat, Johnston was the pick of the bowlers with 2-40 from 10, Harry Askey also picked up two wickets while Zak Graham was economical with 0-26 from seven.
Chasing by far the biggest total of the day, the Central Coast also made a reasonable start to its innings with Alexander Cutting (16) and Thomas Alderson (28) both getting starts before two of the team’s best bowlers – Johnston and Graham – met at the crease.
The pair upped the ante and scored at a good click. They pushed the score past 100 before Johnston was dismissed for an excellent 62 from 57 balls with the score on 3-127.
The wicket triggered a middle-order collapse, with the Central Coast losing 4-36 to be struggling at 7-163.
Blake Scicluna and Thomas Holmes were particular impressive during this period, with both picking up two wickets each.
With his team in trouble needing 91 from 96 balls, Goldie did what some of his teammates couldn’t by keeping things ticking over and chipping away at the total.
While only hitting two boundaries, he kept rotating the strike before being dismissed for a well-made 41 from 51 balls.
The Central Coast was still 35 runs short at this stage, and just as it looked like the game was slipping away, number eight and nine – Sharma and Daniels – combined with some excellent late hitting.
Daniels in particular really got the run rate going with two big sixes and fittingly hit the winning runs to cap off a remarkable victory with just three balls remaining.
Central North 7-253 (Dunn 92, Thorpe 59; Askey 2-18, Johnston 2-42) were defeated by Central Coast 8-255 (Johnston 62, Goldie 41; Holmes 2-17, Scicluna 2-39) by two wickets
STAR SHINES AS SOUTHERN DISTRICTS CREATES HISTORY
A truly brilliant individual performance from all-rounder Ted Waterman has led Southern Districts to a historic first ever country championships victory as the team defeated Western by three wickets in a round one boilover.
Leading the attack with the ball, the big right-arm paceman took 3-28 from nine overs to help bowl Western out for 174 before scoring a stunning 88 from 49 balls to dig his side out of a massive hole and drag it to a three-wicket win.
While the performance and victory was spectacular enough, the significance of the occasion was arguably even more special, with Southern Districts recording its first ever junior country championships victory in either the under-16s or under-19s men’s and women’s tournaments since forming last year.
With his team bowling first, unsurprisingly it was Waterman who struck the first blow of the match, knocking over Western openers Hugh Taylor and Murray Staines in just the third over to give his side a dream start.
He was well supported by fellow opener Sam McGregor and Lincoln Reynolds, who ripped through the top order to reduce the very strong Western batting line-up to 5-48 in the 11th over.
With his team in deep trouble, all-rounder Riley Keen teamed up with Cooper Pullen at the crease to rescue the innings.
The former was particular impressive as he played his shots and put the pressure back on Southern Districts.
The pair helped stabilise things and put on 35 before Waterman was brought back into the attack and got Pullen caught behind for 11.
The wickets seemed to spur Keen on, as the left-hander put on a wonderful display on hitting as he past 50. While wickets kept falling around him, Keen smashed 10 fours and one six before he was eventually dismissed by McGregor for a brilliant 85 from 78 balls.
And although the team was bowled out for 174 after just 35 overs, Keen managed to give his side something to defend with the ball.
After a brilliant performance with the ball, Southern Districts got off to a disastrous start with the bat, slumping to 3-23 in just the seventh over.
While Brock Fahey (21) and Will Torr (19) put on 32 together to help to stabilise things, two more quick wickets saw Southern Districts fall to 5-55 from 15 overs.
With his team staring down the barrel of an agonising batting collapse, Waterman strolled into the middle and picked up exactly where he left off with the ball.
Much like Keen had done for Western, the NSW Country rep star put on a stunning display of clean hitting, dispatching the bowlers to all corners of the ground as the scoreboard raced ahead.
With Torr patiently holding up an end, Waterman passed 50, and eventually plundered five fours and an incredible eight sixes as he was eventually dismissed by a matchwinning 88 from just 49 balls.
And while there may have been a few nervous moments for the Southern Districts team, McGregor (14*) and James Panozzo (1*) helped guide the team home to chalk up a famous win by three wickets with more than 15 overs to spare.
Western 10-174 (Keen 85, Blowes 16; Waterman 3-28, McGregor 2-30) was defeated by Southern Districts 7-176 (Waterman 88, Fahey 21; Dillon 2-25, Burke 2-46)
NEWCASTLE SETS STANDARD IN TITLE DEFENCE
Newcastle has kicked off its title defence in style after romping home to an eight-wicket victory over Riverina.
A blistering performance by the team’s quicks laid the platform for victory, with Newcastle bowling its opponents out for just 125 before the defending champions’ top order made light work of the chase to secure the big win.
Quicks Jonah Roser (4-13) and Jacob Curry (3-17) were the pick of the bowlers, while fellow paceman Jamie Dickson (1-29) and young leg spinner Tyler McInnes (2-20) also got among the wickets in what was a statement performance to kick off the tournament.
Coming into the tournament looking to emulate last year’s efforts, Newcastle got off to a dream start when Dickson dismissed Riverina danger man and NSW Country representative Shaun Smith for a duck in just the third over.
Up the other end, bustling paceman Curry was almost unplayable, picking up the wickets of fellow opener Hunter Hall and Jonathon Whiting in quick succession.
The damage didn’t stop with the openers, with first-change bowler Roser coming on to rip through the middle order. He took three wickets in his first four overs to leave Riverina absolutely reeling at 6-37 from 15 overs.
While the team looked set for an early change of innings, Riverina number five Caleb Walker launched a stirring fightback.
Batting with the lower order, Walker showed plenty of ticker and flair to score a brilliant 56 to give his side at least something to bowl at.
Leggie McInnes came on to get the breakthrough, and then when Roser was reintroduced he took the final wicket to bowl Riverina out for just 125 in the 41st over.
With a small target to chase, Newcastle lost one wicket early when opener Lucas Vincent was dismissed for just five.
However any hopes Riverina might have had about pulling off a miraculous victory were swiftly dashed by NSW Country representative pair Austen Hiskens and Lachlan Williams, who steadily ate into the target.
Batting with plenty of maturity and relative ease, the pair put on 93 before Williams was dismissed for 29.
At the other end, Hiskens showed why he is considered to be one of the state’s best young batting prospects, pummelling eight fours and one six on the way to an excellent unbeaten 64.
He was joined by another Country rep star in Kel Wilson, who finished off the job in style with a six to finish on 16 not out and see his side ease past the total after just 25.1 overs and with eight wickets in hand.
Riverina 10-125 (Walker 56; Roser 4-13, Curry 3-17, McInnes 2-20) were defeated by Newcastle 2-127 (Hiskens 64*, Williams 29; Gain 1-5) by eight wickets
BOWLERS STAND TALL IN GREATER ILLAWARRA WIN
Some gritty batting and a stunning bowling performance has been enough for Greater Illawarra to record a first-up win as the side chalked up a comprehensive 90-run victory over North Coastal.
A restrained performance from star opener Bailey Abela (53) and Nicolas Nicastri (21), along with a rearguard action from the tail, helped the side scrape to 180 from its 50 overs before a five-star performance from leg-spinner Ryan Cattle and brilliant all-round display from Joshua Garnero helped skittle North Coastal and set up the big win.
After losing the toss and being sent into bat, Greater Illawarra got off to a tough start when opener Jake Monie and captain Angus Campbell were removed cheaply to leave the side struggling at 2-32 early on.
With North Coastal’s openers applying the pressure, Abela and Nicastri took a slow and steady approach to stabilise the innings.
Scoring at around three runs an over, the pair gradually built up the score as they accumulated runs. All up, they put on 55 together before North Coastal’s excellent left-arm spinner Harry Kershler got the breakthrough by dismissing Nicastri for 21 from 47 balls.
The wicket triggered a middle-order collapse, with Thomas Fletcher and Ryan Cattle both dismissed for one. Abela was run out for 53 from 94 balls soon after, and when Blake Cattle was also run out cheaply, the south coast side was in a spot of bother at 7-118.
Staring down the barrel of being bundled out cheaply, number eight Joshua Garnero led a fightback to give the side something to bowl at.
Working with the tail of Jackson Ingram (11), Kasey Barton (11) and Logan Jensen (14*), Garnero hit an unbeaten 21 from 42 balls to drag his side to 9-180 from its 50 overs.
While they failed to clean up the tail, it was nevertheless an impressive bowling performance from North Coastal, with tweaker Kershler (2-26 from 10) and quick Nathan Pryke (2-35 from 10) the pick of the bowlers.
After doing the business with the bat, Garnero took control with the ball. The left-arm quick devastated the North Coastal top order by dismissing danger men Beau Mainey and Sam Weir in just the fourth over to leave the side reeling at 2-6.
While Kai Croft (24) and Rory McLean (15) sought to steady things somewhat, the Greater Illawarra bowlers were on the money, with Kasey Barton picking up two wickets and Jackson Taylor one to leave their rivals reeling at 5-45.
Suddenly 180 looked like a mountain to climb and things only got worse when leg spinner Cattle was introduced to the attack.
In his second over he trapped Brody Felton on the pads for nine, before dismissing Croft and Taylor Gilbert in his third over to well and truly extinguish any hope North Coastal had of chasing down the target.
Cattle then finished the job by bowling Kershler and then getting Pryke caught to bowl North Coastal out for just 90 and finish with the very impressive figures of 5-22 from 5.5 overs.
He was well supported by Garnero (2-27 from eight) and Barton (2-7 from five) as Greater Illawarra put on statistically the best bowling display of the day to give themselves a great start to the tournament.
Greater Illawarra 9-180 (Abela 53, Garnero 21*; Kershler 2-26, Pryke 2-35) defeated North Coastal 10-90 (Croft 24, McLean 15; R Cattle 5-22, Barton 2-7) by 90 runs
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