SG Moore Cup: Wrap, results, standouts from rounds 4-6
From final-ball thrillers to devastating individual performances, teams have locked in their positions for the finals in the SG Moore Cup.
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The final ladder positions have been sorted as the regular rounds came to a close in the SG Moore Cup.
A couple of big guns have emerged as the teams to beat after some excellent cricket, while others jockeyed for spots in the mid-table logjam.
During an exciting day of cricket that saw all teams play two T20 games, one side bounced back from its poor start with a thrilling, last-ball victory while two guest players have well and truly proved their worth with some devastating performances.
Catch up with a wrap of the action below.
MEREWETHER SENDS WARNING SHOT
Merewether hopes of going back to back are well and truly on track after keeping its perfect record alive with another two heavy wins in a warning to rival teams.
The results take the Lions to four wins from four and top of the table after the regular rounds of the competition.
The team kicked off the day with a comprehensive 47-run win over Charlestown.
Batting first, Merewether overcame the loss of three early wickets to post an excellent score of 4-138 from its 20 overs as it put Charlestown’s strong bowling attack to the sword.
Harrison Najor starred with an unbeaten 50 from 53 balls, Thomas White scored a run-a-ball 33 and Preston Jolliffe chimed in with a handy cameo of 23 not out.
The Lions never looked like losing in the field, taking regular wickets to restrict Charlestown to 9-91 from its 20 overs.
Jolliffe continued his good day out by taking 3-11 with the ball, Hunter Croft picked up 2-3 from his only over while Thomas White, Fraser Pratt, Hamish Allan and Damon O’Neill all took one wicket each in a strong team bowling performance that restricted all bar two Magpies players to single figures.
Merewether kept the momentum rolling in the afternoon game with an eight-wicket thumping of Waratah-Mayfield.
The team’s excellent form with the ball continued as it held the Tahs to 7-69 from 20 overs before cruising past the target inside 13 overs with the loss of just two wickets.
Jolliffe couldn’t stay out of the action, taking 2-12 to make it five wickets for the day, while Pratt (2-11) and Alby Grange (2-10) were both good in the win.
With the bat, Hamish Allan (25*) and Lachlan Cornwell (20*) made the chase look easy, with the pair well supported by Clancy Moore, who made 20.
WESTS CONTINUE PERFECT RUN
Wests have emerged as the team most capable of challenging Merewether for the title after also keeping its 100 per cent record alive on the back of another couple of strong wins.
The Rosellas sit equal at the top of the ladder on 12 points with four wins, with the Lions just edging ahead on averages.
Fresh from a perfect start to the tournament last weekend, Wests continued its good form in the morning fixture with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Stockton at Harker Oval.
Bowling first, the Rosellas put in an excellent team bowling performance to restrict the Seagulls to 7-60 from their rain-reduced 17 overs.
Quick Joe Vandenbergh picked up two wickets while left-arm spinner Leo Thornton was impressive with figures of 1-10 from four.
In response, the home side made light work of the chase, passing the target after just 10 overs and with the loss of just two wickets. Abhiru Basnayake top scored with 23 not out while Riley Brown scored 19.
Wests then really flexed its muscles with a very impressive 46-run win over the previously undefeated Hamwicks to solidify its spot at the top.
Batting first, the Rosellas overcame the loss of a couple of early wickets to post a solid total of 7-123 from its 20 overs. Opener Samuel Gallagher was a standout with 33 from 22 balls, while Zameer Masoom Khil (22), Thornton (20) and Max Surjan (19) all made handy contributions.
With a strong score to defend, Wests put on another clinic with the ball, bowling Hamwicks out for just 77.
Thornton continued his strong tournament with 2-11 from four as Vandenbergh, Koby Blight and Nicholas Brien all took one wicket each.
Charlie Lovegrove finished with the impressive figures of 3-7 from three, with the team capping off its day with a brilliant team hat-trick. In the final over of the day and with the win well and truly assured, Samuel Gallagher ran out Hamwicks’ Heath Williams, before Lovegrove took wickets in consecutive balls to cap off a brilliant day of cricket for the team.
NEWCASTLE CITY BOUNCES BACK WITH LAST-BALL WIN
Newcastle City has bounced back from a difficult opening weekend of the tournament with back-to-back wins, including a thrilling final-ball victory, to get its campaign back on track.
Coming into the round four clash with Belmont, last year’s grand finalists were sitting joint bottom of the table after losing its two opening games of the competition.
Things seemed to get worse early on as Belmont openers Simon Alderson and Vincent Thornley went to work with the bat. The pair were seeing them like watermelons and City’s bowlers seemed to have no answers as they first past 50 and then 100 to finish with an impressive score of 0-113 from the reduced 15 overs.
Needing more than seven and a half per over to win, City got off to a tough start when skipper Hayden Checker was bowled by Thornley early on for just seven.
However George Verth and Felix Vella quickly set about getting the chase back on track with a 56-run partnership at better than a run-a-ball that was ended when the latter was dismissed for 33.
The wicket triggered a mini collapse as City lost 3-7 to leave the game on a knife’s edge.
Needing four to tie and five to win from the final ball, Newcastle City’s Sairam Patil pulled an incredible play under pressure, slogging Belmont’s Cooper McIlvenie for six to claim a dramatic win.
Although City was thrilled with the nailbiting nature of the win, Belmont’s inconsistency cost the team dearly, as the Whips bowled 21 extras to three to ultimately lose with the final ball.
While the Sabres might have been let off the hook in its first clash of the day, they certainly made no mistake in the afternoon as the team recorded a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Cardiff-Boolaroo.
Restricting their opponents to 6-95 from their 20 overs, City made light work of the chase, going past the total in the 15th over after losing just two wickets.
Vella continued his good day with the bat, starring with an excellent 61 not out from just 52 balls while Checker finished unbeaten on 14.
The victories took City’s record to two wins and two losses from its four games, and while the side finished the regular rounds in sixth position, the Sabres should take plenty of confidence into its quarterfinal clash with Hamwicks this Sunday.
BELMONT’S RECRUITS PUT ON A SHOW
Belmont guest players Vincent Thornley and Simon Alderson have well and truly proved their worth with some stunning performances as the Whips enjoyed another strong day of cricket at Learmonth Park.
The Central Coast pair scored a remarkable 267 of Belmont’s 302 runs for the day – 88 per cent of the team’s total – as the side recorded one win and one loss to finish the regular rounds in fourth place.
Kicking off against Newcastle City, Thornley and Alderson carried the bat for Belmont en route to a team total of 0-113 from the reduced 15 overs.
In a blistering innings, Alderson hit 61 was 55 balls while Thornley smashed seven fours and one six as he finished unbeaten on 49 from just 36 deliveries.
While setting a healthy total, Belmont struggled to keep City’s run rate down and the team was ultimately beaten by a final-ball six from the Sabres’ Sairam Patil, with 21 extras – including 17 wides – coming back to cost the team dearly.
Despite the team’s loss, Thornley and Alderson continued their brilliant form in the team’s 91-run win over Cardiff-Boolaroo.
Batting first once again, the pair put on 148 for the first wicket as the Whips posted an imposing total of 6-189 from its 20 overs, by far the highest team score of the tournament so far.
Alderson brought up his second half-century of the day with 61 from 43 balls, while Thornley went agonisingly close to chalking up the first ton of this year’s competition with a destructive 96 from just 56 balls that included seven fours and five sixes.
With an incredibly tough chase ahead of it, Cardiff-Boolaroo never looked like getting close, finishing on 8-98.
Hashit Singla (2-11), Charlie Holden (2-19) and Nate Fullerton (2-23) all bagged wickets while Kale Keast finished with 1-8 from two.
The result leaves Belmont with a record of two wins and two losses from its four games, with the team finishing in fourth place and setting up a clash with Charlestown in the quarterfinals.
HAMWICKS, CHARLESTOWN IN THE MIX
Speaking of Charlestown, the Magpies very much remain alive in the competition after a mixed day out at Waratah Oval.
Coming into the day with a record of one win and one loss, Charlestown downed Waratah-Mayfield in a rain-shortened clash before being given a reality check by leaders Merewether in the afternoon.
With the weather reducing its first game to just seven overs a side, the Magpies were tidy with the ball as they reduced the Tahs to 3-38, with star paceman Tasman Davidson taking 2-5 from two overs.
And despite losing a couple of early wickets, Charlestown eased home with one over to spare, with Riley Sharples top scoring with 20.
It was a very different story against the Lions, however, as Merewether showed its championship credentials by batting first and piling on 4-138 from its 20 overs.
In an innings when most bowlers struggled to keep the run rate down, Central Coast recruit Aarham Shah was the pick of the bunch for Charlestown with the excellent figures of 1-8 from three overs.
The gun recruit continued his strong form with the bat, top scoring with 32. However the Magpies never looked close to chasing down the target as they finished on 9-91.
The result left the side as one of three teams with a record of two wins and two losses, with Charlestown to take on Belmont in this weekend’s quarterfinal.
Another team that had a mixed day was Hamwicks who, in a similar vein to Charlestown, recorded an impressive win before succumbing to a comprehensive loss at the hands of a competition heavyweight.
Taking on winless Stockton in the opening game of the day, Hamwicks got off to a golden start when Samuel Worland struck early with three early wickets to reduce the Seagulls to 3-12 inside six overs.
Despite the tough start, Stockton recovered well to finish on 5-97, with Theo Law (36) and Tremayne Small (28) the best with the bat.
In response, Hamwicks eased past the total with more than three overs to spare and more than five wickets in the shed, with opener Xavier Dean top scoring with 35 from 29 balls.
However it was a very different story in the clash against joint ladder leaders Wests.
Despite both teams going into the game undefeated, the Rosellas proved far too strong and recorded a 46-run win.
Worland continued his strong day with the ball by taking 4-24 as Wests finished on 7-123. However the Pumas never came close as the team was bowled out for 77, with Jack Hughes (21) the best with the bat.
Despite the loss, Hamwicks finished the regular rounds in third place with the impressive record of three wins and one loss, with the team to take on Newcastle City in the quarterfinal at Townson Oval.
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