Ward crucial as Neerim District win two on the trot

Neerim District v Catani

Neerim has made it two wins on the trot, handing Catani their first WDCA Division 1 defeat. Losing the toss and being sent in, the Stags lost Heath Darcy (0) early, but made their opposition pay for their decision with a fierce top-order onslaught.

Jack Ward (37) showed why his return has been crucial for his side with another fine knock, before Rhys George (58) celebrated his first senior GCL appearance with another half-century, pushing his side’s score northwards.

Lachie Gregson (2-20) fought hard for the Cats, but they struggled to make inroads through the latter part of the innings, as Riley Ferguson (17), Kody Wilson (16) and Carter Davis (13*) all made contributions in the back end to give Neerim the ascendancy, as they made 6-171.

In reply, Catani required another huge effort from their top order. However, Dane Fawcett (3-27) welcomed the new boys to their new turf ground with a relentless spell as the likes of Ned Harrison (20), Josh Bethune (5) and Liam Adams (0) were unable to repeat their magic.

James Vela (24) gave his side a sniff, however wickets were falling at a rate of knots with Aaron Fawcett (3-19) joining his brother in the fun. Gregson (25*) ensured Catani made it into the triple-figures. However by this point the match was well and truly over as Catani were all out for 132 and fell out of the top four in the process.