GCA round 6 team of the week and talking points from across the grades
There were stacks of stellar performances across the grades in the Geelong Cricket Association. See the full team of the week for the first day of round six.
There were plenty of stellar individual displays in GCA first grade over the weekend.
See the full team of the week from across the grades below.
GCA TEAM OF THE WEEK
Andrew Casey (St Joseph’s)
The Joeys skipper set up the innings with an opening stand of 162 with Josh Appleford, making 87 from 154 deliveries with 12 boundaries and a pair of sixes.
Davinder Singh (Guild St Mary’s)
Has proved unstoppable at the top of the order, this time blasting 82 with six maximums and nine boundaries against Teesdale.
Tyler Dittloff (Meredith)
Said himself he hadn’t been going too flag, but the Meredith skipper produced a captain’s knock when his side needed it most with 74 from 63 balls in their two-run win.
James Gillard (Highton)
The only first grader to pass three figures in the GCA on Saturday, reaching 102 from 164 balls with 10 fours.
SCROLL DOWN FOR ALL THE GCA TALKING POINTS
Tom Saunders (Lethbridge)
Lethbridge lost four quick wickets to start their innings against Thomson before No.5 Saunders (78 from 107) and Keiran Lawton (59) steadies the ship, with Saunders hitting 10 fours and a six.
Lewis Campbell (Highton)
Powered Highton past 300 with a quickfire 90 from 82 deliveries at No.6, clearing the fence on four occasions to go with six fours.
Reece Plumridge (Leopold)
Plumridge span a web against Torquay, snaring 5-26 from 12.4 overs – two of those dismissals caught and bowled.
Chesney Milne (Meredith)
Turned the game in a tight two-run, dismissing opener Trent Archer for 79 before claiming three later wickets and knocking the bails off for the last wicket. His 4-36 came after an important cameo of 22 from 15.
James Stokes (St Peter’s)
Had a day to remember, tearing through Lara with 7-42 from 19 overs and also taking a catch.
Mitchell Vicary (Guild St Mary’s)
Caused mayhem with the ball, finishing with outstanding figures in for one-dayer: 5-9 off seven overs.
Nathan Keevil (Newcomb & Distict)
The Dinos opening bowler snared 5-25 from 8.2 overs – four of those bowled and LBW – as he ripped through the Manifold Heights tail.
Local cricketer sent to hospital, ‘timed out’ after costly injury in thriller
A Little River cricketer was taken to hospital with an ankle injury suffered in the field as Meredith held its nerve in a tense two-run GCA4 win over the Redbacks.
Redbacks batter Joel Thompson was taken from the field in the first innings of the match after rolling his ankle fielding a ball, leaving Little River with 10 batters to chase down the 206-run target.
Thompson headed to hospital for scans during the match as a precaution, but his ankle was too swollen to be assessed.
Little River vice-captain Nicholas Fairchild said that Thompson’s diagnosis remained unclear but he was in good spirits at the club on Sunday.
“He’s got to wait until (the swelling) comes down, but he’s in here at the club today, he’s walking around on it,” Fairchild said.
“It looks like it will be okay, we just don’t know the extent of it.
“He just rolled his ankle, he had it taped up and he just landed funny in the field fielding a ball. Unfortunately meant it swelled up pretty quickly and was giving him pain up his shin.
“We just thought it was best for him to go off to hospital and make sure he looks after himself first.”
The blow proved costly as the Redbacks lost their ninth and final wicket just two runs behind with two balls to spare after Rams fielder Beau Mooreland ran out Little River batter Josh Walker (35 from 28) at the non-strikers end.
The scorecard read that Thompson was ‘timed out’ given he wasn’t at the ground and unable to bat.
Fairchild had the bigger picture front of mind.
“It’s just unlucky in the end unfortunately,” Fairchild said.
“But you know what, there’s things more important than cricket and the welfare of one of your players is probably a bit more important than winning a match of cricket.
“There was 10 other blokes who could have gone out there and made two more runs.”
The Redbacks were in a strong position at 2-136 before Meredith matchwinner Chesney Milne (4-35 and 22 from 15) entered the attack, claiming the wickets of Meredith opener Trent Archer for 78, Nicholas Fairchild, Blake Kelly and skipper Luke Wright.
Little River batter Josh Walker (35 from 28) kept the Redbacks ahead before Matthew Ringin dismissed Reuben Chandran on the final ball of the penultimate over, leaving the Redbacks with eight runs to get from the final over with one wicket in hand.
Walker hit Milne for a boundary off the first ball and then a single put No.10 Hunter Wright on strike.
Milne responded with two balls up in the blockhole, the second of which spilt to Moreland at mid-on who ran out the overly ambitious Walker at the nonstrikers end, seeing the Rams secure a thrilling victory and leapfrog the Redbacks into third place.
Rams captain Tyler Dittloff, who top-scored for his side with 74 from 63 deliveries, said they likely would have lost if it weren’t for the unfortunate injury.
But he praised the all-round efforts of Milne, having also hit a quickfire 22 from 15 balls to finish the first innings.
“It obviously put a lot more pressure on having one less bat,” Dittloff said.
“Young Hunter hit it straight to the fielder and it’s a bit hard when you backing up at the end, he overcomitted at the nonstriker and got him out that end.
“With all the T20s we have been playing in the last couple of years too, it helps when it gets close like that at the end. You play a lot of T20s where it does go down to the wire.
“That experience the last couple of years probably helped with that, and the boys held their nerve, Ches bowled really well.
“He didn’t bowl the first over until the later part of that innings and he bowled through and took four wickets and some real key wickets at the end.
“Coming towards the end of the year it might prove to be pretty handy six points.”
Ditloff played down his role in the win, saying that his knock was a long-time coming.
“I’ve had a pretty lean year so far with the bat, so it was just nice to spend some time in the middle It was good to be able to stand up and actually contribute,” Dittloff chuckled.
LETHAL LIONS COME CLOSE TO DAY-ONE WIN
Leopold came close to securing a win on day one of its GCA2 two-day clash against Torquay as the Lions continued their dominant start to the season.
Lions coach Reece Plumridge (5-26 from 12.4 overs) and former Premier Cricket gun Hayden Butterworth (3-15 from 13) had Torquay in a spin, taking eight wickets as the Tigers were skittled for 122 off in the 58th over at Memorial Park.
Leopold then cruised to 3-107, just 16 runs from a first-day victory, with Lions opener Robbie Donnell making 52 from 68 deliveries.
Butterworth will begin next Saturday on 26 as the Lions hunt a possible outright win
Robbie O’Donnell, which would see them edge closer to ladder leaders Bell Park, who were all out for 241 against Bell Post Hill.
MONSTER PARTNERSHIP STUNS CITY
A century from James Gillard and a blistering 90 from Lewis Campbell has powered Highton to a strong total of 314 against Geelong City.
The Sharks were right in the game with Highton at 4-94 until an imposing 153-run stand for the fifth wicket between Gillard and Campbell.
Gillard plundered 102 from 164 deliveries with 10 boundaries and fell just making his hundred, with Gillard (90 after 82) departing soon after.
Geelong City captain Byron Taylor (5-68) couldn’t have done much more and was ably supported by Ethan Guida (3-39).
GCA3 MATCHES DELICATELY POISED
All four GCA3 first grade matches remain in the balance ahead of the second weekend after an even first day across the competition.
Lethbridge, Marshall Bears, Bannockburn and Murgheboluc made between 204 and 241 on day one, but Lethbridge was able to snaffle two Thomson wickets before stumps.
Thomson will start day two at 2-6 needing 242 for victory, while Modewarre has a target of 219 against Marshall Bears, Waurn Ponds Deakin needs 239 to knock off Bannockburn, and Corio requires 205 to keep its undefeated run in tact.
The Devils kept things tight in their top-two clash at Shell Reserve as Stuart Calder led the way with 4-41 from 14.2 overs.
Murgheboluc captain Luke Brown held the fort with 54 from 146 deliveries, while Owen Dunipace (42 from 76) and Sub Hutley (39 from 38) made critical contributions down the order.
RAMS EYE FIRST VICTORY OF SEASON
Geelong West has its best opportunity yet to get off the mark in season 2025/26 after two late wickets against Alexander Thomson.
The Rams reached a competitive 256 with Dhanush Periyapatna Satishkumar (58 from 80) making a half-century at number six after Noah Harvey (5-54) dismissed the top-four batters.
Then Charlie George-Eldridge (2-4) claimed Vikings top-duo Jesse Thornton for a duck and captain Zachary Mevissen for nine, seeing Alexander Thomson begin next week on the back foot at 2-16.
A Geelong West win could see the Rams rise from eighth to sixth, jumping ahead of Torquay and Alexander Thomson.
Originally published as GCA round 6 team of the week and talking points from across the grades
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