Nightcliff beat Waratah by four wickets to claim the 50-over grand final
The Tigers are once more the kings of short form cricket winning its 15th game in a row to clinch the 50-over title.
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Nightcliff are once again the kings of short form cricket in Darwin, winning its second title in as many years without dropping a match.
In fact the Tigers have not lost a 50-over or T20 game since May 7, 2022 – when it was belted by Southern Districts by 180 runs in Premier Grade – winning the next 15 straight.
Beating Waratah in the 50-over grand final at DXC Arena on Sunday by four wickets, its seventh win in succession in the format this year, it completed Nightcliff’s second spotless season in two years.
It was the Tigers’ hardest win of 2023, though, and the Tahs certainly made them earn it.
The Tigers, who won the T20 competition last season and went through that campaign undefeated, were bolstered by the inclusion of Big Bash League blaster Josh Brown, who missed the team’s Round 7 match against Darwin on Saturday.
Brown came into the decider in blistering touch, having smashed 117 off just 34 balls (including 13 sixes and eight boundaries) earlier in the week in a T20 match against Palmerston.
The Tigers have enjoyed an extremely settled line-up, took all 70 wickets from its seven consecutive wins in the 50-over competition and were rarely challenged.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Tahs were in a strong position at 1/82 after star batter Ryan Hackney was dismissed for just five.
However, they suddenly lost 2/1 with Isaac Conway (36) and Jagadeswara Koduru (0) departing the scene.
Waratah fell further into a hole when it lost Param Uppal for 56 and was in deep trouble at 5/108 as spearhead Caelan Maladay took two early wickets.
However, Jack Wood (44) and playing coach Udara Weerasinghe (36), in his second game back after a nasty concussion in round 2, combined for a 72-run partnership for the sixth wicket to restore order.
But their hard work was wasted, as Waratah lost 5/9 at the back end and was eventually bundled out for just 189 with 14 balls to spare as Maladay finished with the figures of 4/36 while Jai Nanavati took 2/27.
Nightcliff started its chase strongly with Douwtjie Hoogenboezem (50) scoring his third consecutive half century.
Removing Brown for just 17 was a major win for Waratah, however.
And when captain Michael Kudra (27) departed at 5/137, the Tigers were suddenly looking a little wobbly.
James Doherty then stepped up and steered his side to victory with a crucial 39 not out as the Tigers got home with 17 balls to spare.
Madura Weerasinghe (3/42) and Wood (3/45) kept Tahs in the contest, but they simply didn’t put enough on the board.
Waratah and Nightcliff to fight it out in the 50-over grand final
Waratah has booked a grand final date with Nightcliff in the 50-over Premier Grade competition after star batter Ryan Hackney (125) made his second century for the season.
The Tahs will be looking for revenge after the Tigers rolled them for just 66 in the opening round but have not been beaten since.
However, Nightcliff has taken all 60 wickets from its six consecutive wins and has barely been challenged in 2023.
The Tigers, without dashing opening batter Josh Brown, rolled Waratah’s other contender for a big dance berth on May 28, Darwin, for 190 on Saturday at Kahlin Oval, falling well short of the 268 target.
Batting first after winning the toss, the Tigers lost an early wicket when Luke Zanchetta enticed the big shot from Connor Carroll and was well caught in the deep by Will Pilkington with the score at 29.
However, Douwtjie Hoogenboezem (91) and Raveesh Srivastava (79) added 141 for the second wicket.
Three quick wickets to Connor Hawkins (3/59) set the Tigers back, and with quick Tom Menzies (4/53) stepping up during his second spell, the Eagles held the visitors to a moderate 267 all out with a ball to spare.
Star with the bat was 18-year-old Hoogenboezem who was recruited from the Fremantle District Cricket Club in Perth, and it was back-to-back half centuries for the left hander.
“It was a bit strange batting without Josh (Brown) but Connor is a good player and he started aggressively and then with Rav (Raveesh Srivastava) we got going and set a decent foundation,” Hoogenboezem said.
“I knew I was close to a century when I got out but that was not my main concern which was just to get as many as I could for the team.”
Darwin openers Anthony Adlam and Jacob Dickman set about the Tiger bowling and the former was particularly severe on anything loose but they both succumbed to medium pacer Jai Nanavati.
Only Matt Calder (37) looked comfortable against the steady but varied attack, bowled out for 190 in 37.1 overs.
The spoils were shared by the Tiger bowlers with Nanavati, Carroll, Charlie Smith and Andrew Richards taking two wickets each.
Meanwhile, needing a win over Palmerston to face the Tigers in the May 28 decider, Waratah set a mammoth 4/281 after 50 overs at Gardens Oval.
Hackney has been the bedrock for the Tahs this season with 433 runs at 108.25 in the 50-over competition, including hundreds against Tracy Village (114 not out) and now Palmerston, plus a 94 versus Darwin.
The southpaw opener teamed up with Param Uppal (107 off 109 balls with seven sixes) for a second wicket, 212-run partnership.
Josh Baraba was the only multiple wicket taker with 2/53 off 10 overs.
In reply, Palmerston was largely contained by the Tahs spin attack as Uppal (2/37) did the most damage while playing coach Udara Weerasinghe (1/40) made a strong return to Premier Grade after a sickening concussion at the same ground in round 2.
Harshtik Bimbral (67) and Tom McGann (60) combined for an 82-run partnership for the second wicket but Palmerston could not find a centurion to base its challenge upon, ending up on 6/249.
Meanwhile, Tracy Village has won its first match for the season, a three-run heartstopper over PINT.
The Villagers posted their largest score for the year, all out for 240 with three balls remaining.
Reggie Els (73 off 76 balls) and youngster Zayden Lewis (65) combined for a 142-run stand for the fourth wicket at Tracy Village Oval while captain Max Hatzoglou chipped in with 41 and Sam Elder 25.
Mitch Doolan (3/34) continued his strong form with the ball in Premier Grade while skipper Coby Edmondstone claimed 2/45.
The captain then recorded his second century for the season, a 101-ball 120 with 14 boundaries, but could not find enough assistance.
That being said, PINT appeared to be cruising at 1/100 with the captain and Farzan Chowna (24) at the crease.
But the game changed with the departure of Edmondstone at 6/182, caught by Elder off the bowling of Prajay Paramesh (3/36), as PINT lost 4/20.
It looked all over at 8/208 before Rohan Chandel and Wickremachchi Wickramanayaka dragged their team to within five runs of victory, before Elder had Chandel caught by Hatzoglou for 17.
Then Zane Gellel bowled number 11 James Nyvlt for a duck, completing PINT’s second heartbreaker after losing a round 3 match to Palmerston by a single wicket.
Spinners shine in Round 6 of Darwin Premier Grade
It was a day out for dynamic all-round performances from local spinners in Round 6 of Premier Grade cricket as Darwin and Waratah inched closer to a berth in the 50-over grand final next Sunday.
Palmerston skipper Hamish Martin, Waratah’s Jack Wood and Jagadeswara Koduru, PINT’s Mitch Doolan and Croc Dylan Mullen all dominated with the bat and ball.
In fact, nine of the top 10 wicket takers are spinners this season.
At DXC Arena, Waratah opening batsmen Ryan Hackney (80) and skipper Isaac Conway (60) laid the perfect foundation to carry their team to a 68-run victory against a combative PINT.
Batting first, a third century stand (129) in past four games from the red cap pair set the platform for Koduru (58 not out) and Wood (47) to pounce as Tahs reached 4/268 at the compulsory close after 50 overs.
Left arm orthodox Mitch Doolan (2/39 from 10 overs) filed the best return for the home side, taking his season tally to 14 at 14.57.
In his second season with Tahs, 20-year-old Koduru, who plays with Northcote in the Victorian Premier Grade competition has set himself to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Ashley Chandrasinghe and carve out a first-class cricket career.
Koduru was thrown the ball late in the Green innings and returned 3/22 with his leg-breaks from 6.2 overs.
“It’s a bit easier batting after a solid opening stand where ‘Hackers’ (Hackney) has been smacking them all over the park and Isaac (Conway) has been going along like he always does,” Koduru said.
“This is my second year up here and like most of the boys we come here for a purpose – to try and get better.”
The Green run chase started disastrously with skipper Coby Edmondstone and number three Dhanusha Gamage both dismissed for ducks.
However, with opener Sanka Wijegunarathna (50) batting through the early mayhem and Doolan providing a swashbuckling 70 off just 65 balls with seven fours and two sixes down the order, a degree of batting resilience was on show.
However, with mostly only token resistance from others, the Waratah spinners of Koduru, Wood (3/42) and Param Uppal (2/3) got the job done.
Meanwhile, Darwin set an imposing 3/297 against Palmerston at Cazalys Oval with Anthony Adlam knocking out the season’s highest score with 146 off 132 balls with 13 boundaries and six sixes.
Matt Calder (64 not out), Jacob Dickman (51) and Dan Kerber (27 off 16 balls) complemented Adlam’s innings.
With several Palmy bowlers copping some tap – Josh Baraba went for 72 runs off his nine overs and Alex Bleakley going for 25 off three overs – skipper Hamish Martin stood out with 1/43 off his full quota.
In reply, Palmerston started strongly before losing 3/3 and never fully recovered, despite Tom McGann’s 32-ball 35 and the tail wagging (Martin 61 off 63 balls, Baraba 33, Andrew Somerville 31).
William Pilkington (4/50), Dickman (2/24) and Matt Hammond (2/61) shared the spoils.
At Gerry Wood Oval, Southern Districts bounced back from three consecutive losses to smash Tracy Village by nine wickets on the back of a complete game from Mullen.
He (4/27) starred with the ball while Jackson Isakka, Reiley Mark and captain Tim Garner took two apiece as the Villagers were rolled for just 121.
Three of Mullen’s wickets came through the safe hands of Kane Donald.
The Villagers have struggled with the bat this season and have passed 150 just once this year.
The Crocs easily surpassed Tracy’s meagre total with 33 overs remaining, with Mullen (44 not out) and Tom Jackson (32 not out) combining for the second wicket after the loss of Josh Kann for a 21-ball 35.
Tigers go 5-0 in Premier Grade cricket
Nightcliff’s game plan of a steady and varied bowling attack, elite fielding and blistering batting from Josh Brown at the top of the list continues to reap dividends in Premier Grade cricket.
The Tigers took all 10 wickets for the fifth game this year as they went 5-0 after a seven-wicket win over Palmerston.
And yet again a win was complemented by a destructive cameo from Brown who has peeled off a 22-ball 63 not out, 18 (10 deliveries), 35 (22) 27 (13) and now a 46 off 30 rocks against the Maroons on Saturday.
The Brisbane Heat blaster has belted 20 boundaries and 12 sixes from those five knocks to set the tone for his teammates.
Batting first at Nightcliff Oval, the visitors were never in command of a steady Tiger attack as top-class ground fielding forced the error and caused wickets to fall at crucial times, eventually skittled for 153 with five deliveries to spare.
Opener Jack Freeman (32) and Tom McGann (27) at five were the batting mainstays while the Tigers rotated through seven bowlers, as quicks Caelan Maladay (2/18), Jai Nanavati (2/30) and spinner Andrew Richards (2/41) shared the spoils.
In his final outing before possibly joining a franchise in the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament in the US, Brown produced a typically belligerent innings with five boundaries and a pair of sixes.
However, after he was removed by Andrew Somerville, Connor Carroll departed cheaply and youngster Jayden Chatto claimed Raveesh Srivastava soon after, the Tigers were reduced to 3/93.
But with so few to chase, and a resolute Douwtjie Hoogenboezem (61 not out) an immovable object with Paul Wasiewicz (30 not out), the 5-0 Tiger team cruised to the required total in 28.1 overs.
Tiger coach Michael Hancock said he was “really happy” with his squad’s dream start, including the scalp of reigning premier Southern Districts.
“We’ve got depth and variety in our bowling which was a very deliberate plan in selecting recruits before the season,” he said.
He singled out young leg spinner Charlie Smith (11 Premier Grade wickets at 8.27) as an “example of success” following hard work at training and time spent reviewing tapes after games and net sessions.
Meanwhile, Districts have dropped their third game in succession after being rolled for another paltry total.
Jackson Isakka’s 47 was the only innings of substance from the Crocs’ 148 with seven balls to spare as Param Uppal (3/34), Jack Wood (2/34), Himesh Sandaradura (2/4 off five overs) and Jagadeswara Koduru (2/16) struck.
The Crocs got off to a nightmare start, falling to 2/4 as they lost Josh Kann for a golden duck and Tom Jackson for two, both caught by Wood off Sandaradura.
In reply the Tahs were wobbling slightly at 5/105, before Koduru (39 not out) and Madura Weerasinghe (28 not out) combined for the matchwinning partnership.
The Crocs were served by new recruit Reiley Mark (2/30 off his full quota) while Ash Nagel was equally economical (2/31).
At Kahlin Oval, PINT produced their its win of the season and the biggest upset so far in Premier Grade, belting the Eagles by 114 runs.
Inspired by Queensland recruit Mitch Doolan’s 7/46, Darwin were rolled for just 143 in search of PINT’s 257 that was built upon Farzan Chowna (57 not out), skipper Coby Edmonstone (45), Dhanusha Gamage (45) and Jet Liebke (37).
Chowna, an Under 19 Vic Metro representative, has been a quality addition for PINT, averaging 47 with the blade with two 50s and 12 with the ball.
The Eagles could only conjure a bunch of 20s from five players as Doolan shot to the top of the Premier Grade bowling charts with 12 wickets at 13.75.
Struggling Southern Districts face third successive loss
Reigning premier Southern Districts will be looking to reassert their authority in Premier Grade Cricket on Saturday after dropping the past two games.
However, it won’t be easy for the new-look Crocs at Gardens Oval who come up against a Waratah outfit which has found its batting mojo after a nightmare Round 1 display, rolled by the unbeaten Nightcliff for 66.
The Crocs have lost bulk bowling power after the departure of Xavier Crone, Brodie Symons, Sam Kerber, Corey Kelly, Tom O’Connell and Matt Hammond from their best side of 2022, and their meagre 136 last round was easily reeled in by Darwin with more than 23 overs to spare.
In other Round 5 action, the 2-0 Eagles could be floating under the radar a tad after a bye and an abandoned match to start the season, and will face a winless PINT at Kahlin Oval.
Meanwhile, Nightcliff will be chasing a 5-0 start to the season when it takes on Palmerston at home, having claimed all 40 wickets from four rounds of 50-over cricket.
The Tigers have five in the top 11 of the grade’s most prolific wicket takers.
Palmerston are coming off a stirring one-wicket victory over PINT in Round 3 but in a similar vein to the Eagles, have had their momentum thwarted somewhat through an abandoned match in Round 1 and a bye last Saturday.
The big talking points ahead of Round 5 Premier Grade cricket
Ryan Hackney
The NSW first class opener has proven to be the recruit of the season so far in Premier Grade.
Hackney, 23, who has played five games for the Blues in Sheffield Shield, is in the middle of something of a purple patch and unsurprisingly leads the Premier Grade for total runs and average (208 runs at 208).
After finishing off the NSW First Grade competition with 548 runs at 137 from his final six innings across February and March, with a lowest score of 51, he has been a diamond for Tahs so far in 2023.
Hackney has produced scores of 94 and an unbeaten 114 last round in Premier Grade, plus a 63 not out in the T20 competition.
Eagles fly under the radar
While there’s been a bit of talk about the 4-0 Tigers, Darwin under new captain Matt Hammond have quietly gone about their work and faced every challenge so far.
After a bye in Round 1 and the following match called off due to an injury to Waratah’s Udara Weerasinghe, the Eagles have disposed of Tracy Village by 59 runs and then demolished the reigning premier by six wickets.
The Eagles needed less than 27 overs to reel in the Crocs’ 136 with Matt Calder (44 off 32 balls), Dan Kerber (a-run-a-ball 30) and Hammond (14 off 11) making rapid contributions.
You would expect Darwin to continue their form against bottom placed PINT.
Nightcliff out to claim another top spot
The Tigers are sitting on top of the ladder in Premier Grade and now their women will be looking to pull off something similar.
Second-placed Nightcliff take on league leaders Waratah in the senior women’s competition at Gardens Oval on Friday night.
However, the Tahs boast some of the most in-form players in the comp with Monet Hunter (58 runs) and Candida Rego (35) in the top three of the batting table, with Nightcliff’s Zita Varatharajan fourth with 34.
Hunter, who recently took a five wicket haul in C Grade, also leads the wicket tally with five, followed closely by Nightcliff’s Jemima Anver-Raeck (three).
Tribunal tales
Does the Darwin & District Cricket Competition need to be more transparent with its judiciary?
This publication understands a Tracy Village batter faced its tribunal for dissent almost two weeks ago but it appears public information is limited on its findings.
The competition’s tribunal records are squirrelled away on its website and is light on detail.
By comparison, AFLNT sends out media alerts for all charges following Men’s and Women’s Premier League matches, even if they are dismissed.
Ryan Hackney goes big again in Darwin Premier Grade cricket
Another century opening stand by Waratah pair Ryan Hackney and Isaac Conway set the red caps on the way to a hugely competitive 3-278 at the compulsory close against Tracy Village on Saturday in Round 4 of Premier Grade cricket.
Hackney followed his 94 against Darwin in Round 2 with an unbeaten 114 not out (off 123 balls) in a sedate inning that set a foundation, with number five Jack Wood (75 off 41 balls with five sixes) a beneficiary.
Skipper Conway also chipped in with 55, as Tracy medium pacer Jeewan Rathnayaka (2/50) was again the best with the ball at the Village Green.
However, he along with all others suffered toward the end at the hands of a belligerent Wood and a number of dropped outfield catches.
The Village opening batsmen Sam Elder and Prajay Paramesh enjoyed a solid stand before the latter (38), skipper Max Hatzoglou and Sanjay Anandarajah were dismissed in quick succession and the foundation was immediately on shaky ground at 3-105.
Undaunted, Elder held his nerve and stood alone throughout much of the innings until finally dismissed for 82.
While his side failed to make the runs, Waratah did not dismiss their opponents who fell 74 runs short at 7/204.
Tahs used eight bowlers, Param Uppal (3/38 off 10 overs), but a failure to dismiss the Villagers would not have pleased coach Udara Weerasinghe.
At the game but not yet cleared to play following his freakish on-field accident two weeks ago, Weerasinghe was satisfied with the red cap batting performance but was disappointed his bowlers couldn’t finish the job.
“I’m getting better but won’t play until I’m 100 per cent and will wait patiently until I get the all-clear to play again,” Weerasinghe said.
“Our batting today was first class and with Ryan Hackney and Isaac (Conway) at the top they set us up and provided a basis for those to follow.
“That allowed Jack Wood to play a wonderful cameo at the end.
“We bowl deep and have plenty of options, so our plan was always to rotate until we determined the right mix.
“That we didn’t finish the job with the ball was a disappointment.”
Meanwhile, Nightcliff has gone 4-0 after beating PINT by 39 runs at DXC Arena.
The Tigers’ total of 9/285 was a team effort with plenty of contributors (Caelan Malady 58, Connor Carroll 54, James Doherty 54, Michael Kudra 46).
In reply, skipper Coby Edmondstone (101 off 77 balls) led the way while Farzan Chowna made 64 to go with his 2/27 with the ball, but PINT ultimately fell short.
Using seven individual bowlers, the Tiger attack took all 10 wickets for the fourth Saturday in a row, with young leggie Charlie Smith yet again among the poles (3/33) and Carroll taking 2/18 with his medium pacers.
Smith has now pouched a competition-leading 10 wickets in Premier Grade at the miserly average of just 6.8.
Meanwhile, Darwin has got revenge on Southern Districts for last year’s twin grand final losses, easily reaching the Crocs’ 136 (Dylan Mullen 36 Corey Hunter 32) as Blake Coburn (3/36) and Atharv Deshpande (3/14) did the damage.
Jacob Dickman’s unbeaten 50 guided the Eagles to victory at Gerry Wood Oval with more than 23 overs to spare, with support from Matt Calder (44) and Dan Kerber (30).
Big talking points ahead of Round 4 of Darwin Premier Grade cricket
Nightcliff will be out to keep its spotless season intact when Darwin Premier Grade cricket returns on Saturday.
The Tigers are 3-0 – with an in-form bowling attack boasting plenty of options – but will face a PINT outfit who have been competitive in both of its games so far in 2023.
Meanwhile, the game of Round 4 appears to be the grand final rematch between Southern Districts and Darwin at Gerry Wood Oval.
Ex-Crocs captain Matthew Hammond comes up against his former club for the first time with only a handful of players left in either side from the decider of last September.
And a Waratah team will be bolstered by a couple of big ins as it faces a team in transition, Tracy Village.
The big talking points ahead of Round 4 of Darwin Premier Grade cricket
Terrific Tigers
The Tigers are the story of the competition so far this season with their bowling attack taking all 30 wickets after three rounds.
And they passed their biggest test in Round 3, knocking off reigning premiers Southern Districts despite a 47-ball 79 from Josh Kann, who cleared the boundary six times in a jaw-dropping innings at Nightcliff Oval.
However, despite losing their two games so far, PINT has been more than solid with the bat with scores of 194 and 5/211 and will provide a fresh challenge for young skipper Michael Kudra’s team at DXC Arena.
New Tahs
Waratah, coming off a bye, will look to bank its first win of the season against a club in transition, Tracy Village.
Despite the loss of playing coach Udara Weerasinghe to concussion following a nasty incident in Round 2, the Tahs will add a couple of handy players for Round 4.
Brisbane Heat spinner Jack Wood, who played his first game for the club in a T20 fixture on Thursday night, with an unbeaten 89 against Tracy Village at Gardens Oval, has been named.
Wood played for PINT last season.
Meanwhile, Waratah have also added New South Wales first class player Param Uppal to its XI, who made 132 against Tracy Village last season as a Nightcliff player.
Grand final rematch, of sorts
It won’t be your typical player-takes-on-former-club story at Gerry Wood Oval on Saturday for Matt Hammond.
The Southern Districts premiership captain, who switched to Kahlin Oval during the off-season, will come up against his old side for the first time this year.
Joining him for the Round 4 clash is Dan Kerber, brother of run machine Sam, who played a handful of games for the Crocs in 2022.
But it will be interesting to see how much feeling there is between both sides, with each squad looking vastly different to those which contested the 2022 decider.
There are only nine players remaining from that match: Hammond, Daniel Mylius, Dylan Mullen, Tim Garner, Anthony Adlam, Matt Calder, Will Pilkington, Connor Hawkins and Tom Menzies.
Nightcliff sit on top of the Premier Grade ladder
Nightcliff sits on top of the Premier Grade ladder after its bowling unit did the job for the third Saturday in a row.
After skittling the opposition for 66 in consecutive rounds, this time at Nightcliff Oval the Tigers won the toss and compiled an extremely competitive 5/253 against the reigning premier, Southern Districts.
An unbeaten 73 from James Doherty and 58 from skipper Michael Kudra did the bulk of the work while Josh Brown provided another whirlwind innings, a pair of sixes contained within his 22-ball 35.
With the ball, Josh Kann produced the best figures with 2/29.
And the Crocs were always a chance with the former Hobart Hurricane master blaster at the crease, who ignored the slow outfield by clearing the boundary six times in his brutal knock of 79 off 47 balls.
Kann produced some of the cleanest hitting of the season so far, smoking three consecutive sixes off one Connor Carroll over.
However, the game turned when the medium pacer had Kann caught by Douwtjie Hoogenboezem at long off.
Despite a handy 40 from Dylan Mullen, Districts ultimately fell 43 runs short as Richards (3/44) Caelan Maladay (2/23), Charlie Smith (2/17) and Carroll (2/51) exemplified the Tigers’ bowling depth.
Meanwhile, while strong in the field, Tracy Village faltered in its run chase against Darwin’s three-pronged spin attack and ended 59 runs short at Kahlin Oval.
Batting first after winning the toss, the home side began brightly with openers Anthony Adlam and Jacob Dickman appearing at ease against the multitude of Village medium pacers and Sanjay Anandarajah who opened the bowling with off spin.
However, Dickman (20) fell to an undisciplined lofted shot from Zane Gellel with the score at 30.
And while Adlam scored heavily (61 off 74 balls), others failed to follow his lead.
A steady Tracy bowling attack, aided by some classy ground fielding and catching, restricted the Eagles to 197.
Playing his first Premier Grade game in Tracy colours, medium pacer Jeewan Rathnayaka excelled taking 4/17 from 6.2 overs.
“I think we did a good job, we bowled to a line and length plan and the fielders didn’t let us down,” Rathnayaka said.
“To take four wickets exceeded my expectations.
“I like to bowl a bit wide of the batsmen and change up now and then and that worked for me today.
“We are rebuilding here, and it is a good environment with good management both on and off the field.”
The visitors started their run chase in a determined manner.
But when Eagles quick Tom Menzies had Prajay Paramesh (11) caught at the wicket, and skipper Max Hatzoglou (17) was sent packing following an odd LBW decision, the Villagers failed to capitalise on the solid start given by Sam Elder (25).
Left arm leggie Blake Coburn (4/37 off 10 overs) claimed two of the first three wickets to fall and none of the batters looked comfortable against him.
Fellow spinners Connor Hawkins (3/41 from eight overs) and skipper Matt Hammond (2/17 off seven) also mesmerised the Villagers.
Meanwhile, Palmerton has banked its first win for the season in a one-wicket thriller at Cazalys over PINT.
A captain’s knock of 32 not out from Hamish Martin saw Palmerston home as they chased down PINT’s 6/211, complemented by Tom McGann’s 75-ball 70 (with five sixes) and Jack Freeman (30).
Palmerston lost its ninth wicket at 208 before Martin combined with Lucas Nitschke to conjure the final four runs needed.
Mitch Doolan (2/25), Farzan Chowna (2/25) and skipper Coby Edmondstone (2/52) led the wicket takers.
Earlier, Dhanusha Gamage (76), Bailey Coleman 42) and Sanka Wijegunarathna (42) were instrumental to PINT’s total as Martin also contributed with the ball (2/32).
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