Downs U16s continue hot form in Lord’s Taverners competition

CRICKET: A late-season resurgence from DDSWQ has continued with another thumping Lord’s Taverners competition victory.

Kye Martin batting against South Brisbane. Photo: Nev Madsen

The U16s side has produced its best cricket of the season in recent times, and it once again flexed its muscles on the road to Western Suburbs.

Darling Downs and South West Queensland claimed an eight-wicket win at Graceville Memorial Park, giving the team two wins from its last three games.

“It was a cracking win and the boys played well across the park which is pleasing,” coach Adrian Bidgood said.

“We’ve had two convincing wins in recent weeks against University (of Queensland) and Wests which shows we can be dominant.

“We were in a good position to win the game against Souths the week prior but weren’t able to finish them off.”

With plenty on offer in the pitch, Wests opted to bat first, however the visitors were able to strike with conviction right from the outset.

A polished bowling display saw Wests restricted to just 115, with Bidgood praising the ability of his troops to bowl as a team.

“Joe Fry (2/27) bowled well early and set the game up with his two wickets,” he said.

“Cooper Webster (0/12) bowled unluckily but kept things tight, and Matthew Spanner (4/11) did what a good leg-spinner does and cleaned up the tail.

“The boys really hunted as a pack and bowled well in partnerships. That’s something we’ve wanted to do all season and it’s pleasing to see them do that.”

As they chased down the modest total, DDSWQ was never in doubt, with an unbeaten 41 to Callum Galvin helping to seal the win with more than 22 overs in hand.

While finals is out of the equation, Bidgood said they were looking to finish the season on a high over the next fortnight.

“They will take a lot of confidence out of this game,” he said.

“The way they’ve been bowling, batting and approaching the game has been great.

“They’re adapting to the level of competition and they’ve risen to that level at times. We’re looking for that consistency for the remaining two games.”