Warragul send warning to competition with win over rivals

Warragul 4/168(dec) def Drouin 165
A dominant and newly promoted Warragul side has trounced arch-rivals Drouin, sending a potential warning to the rest of the competition. 

Resuming on 0-38 with 128 runs still to chase, the Gulls needed to ensure they won the first hour- and they did, convincingly.

Tyler Constantine and coach Matt Wakefield showed that this may be a side to be reckoned with, as the pair added 126 for the first wicket in quick time to completely demoralize an out-of-form Drouin outfit. Wakefield was eventually dismissed for 53, his first A Grade WDCA half-century since 2018, before Constantine (81) who hit four towering sixes, departed soon after. 

Simon Gardiner (2-39) toiled hard all day and was rewarded with late wickets, as the team based in Eastern Warragul was unable to continue their momentum through to the end of the game however with Drouin able to snag four wickets, but in the end, it was Warragul who snagged a famous victory. 

Buln Buln 204 def by Hallora 257
Hallora has secured a Round 1 victory, overcoming a plucky Buln side in a tight encounter. 

Defending a mammoth 257 Hallora found success quickly, removing openers Lachie Jagoe (1) and Wilson Pollock (22) early, as Aidan Phillips continued his fantastic all-round game this time with the ball in hand. 

Veterans Corey Jagoe and Brent Eastwell looked to use their experience to push the home side back into the encounter though, the pair adding 89 before Eastwell fell for 46. Jagoe fell soon after, his 53 keeping his side alive, however a lack of depth in the middle-order was exposed as the Lyrebirds fell into free-fall. 

Natsai M’Shangwe (2-53) took a couple of vital wickets, before Tom Williams (4-28) and Phillips (4-39) tore through to leave Buln reeling. Hard-hitting knocks from Brad Monson (30) and Matt Allen (21) continued to ask the question of the reigning grand-finalists, however they weren’t able to hold off Hallora’s class for the entire day, as they fell to 204 all out and a 53-run loss. 

Neerim District 50 & 89 def by Western Park 141
Another tremendous bowling performance has seen Western Park grab all 10 available points on the weekend, as they secured an outright victory over Neerim. 

Resuming on 7-84, the Warriors set out to add quick runs to build a sizeable lead early in the day. Zane Harper (32) set the tone early with quality batting, the explosive right-hander hitting form as he provided an early spark. He would eventually depart with the score on 117, as Matt Kelliher (2-41) struck, before also claiming Harry Wans (4).

Jason Croft did what he so often does for the Parkers, provide them with late runs, calmly working his way past 50 before being the final man to fall for 56 as the away side were all out for 141, holding a handy 91-run lead. 

For the Stags, Dane Fawcett (5-50) picked up another five-wicket haul as he continued his fine form of late, however his side’s issues were clearly with the bat and once again they started slowly in their second innings.

Sam Batson found success early with the swinging ball, as Neerim fell to 4-25 and were clearly staring down the barrel of a big loss. Rhys George (16) fought hard for a long period of time, however Batson (5-19) and brother Joel (3-32) strangled the home side into submission. Dane Fawcett (25) battled to keep the Stags’ head above water, but they were soon all out for 89, with Western Park not required to bat again. 
 

Yarragon 119 def by Ellinbank 8/249
A monster batting performance from Ellinbank has seen them trounce Yarragon away from home on the weekend.

Resuming on 0-38 with just 82 more runs required for victory, the Eagles had a little wobble early as Troy Ferguson (30), Bryce Joyce (3) and Matt Farthing (2) fell victim to strike bowlers’ Gamini Kumara (3-41) and Ruwan Perera (2-37) as they sniffed the chance of a potential upset. 

Unfortunately for the Panthers, the day went downhill from here as Ellinbank skipper Ben Spicer (72) put last year’s semi-finalists to the sword, smashing a wonderful 72 before being dismissed beyond the score required for Ellinbank. For the rest of the day, Ellinbank’s focus was amassing plenty of runs, a goal that was rewarded with plenty of them.

Sean Masterson (64*) was the prime beneficiary for the rest of the day, making Yarragon slave in the sun as he turned 6-146 into 8-249 by the end of the afternoon. 

For Yarragon, Tom Martin (2-40) was able to garner the most success he has had with the ball for the club, but ultimately the home side it was one they’d like to forget as they look towards next week.