WEST GAMBIER V MIL LEL

The Dycer Constructions Big Bash T20 competition got under way Thursday night and with some big hits and great scores it made for exciting viewing for the spectators who ventured out to watch.

Reigning premier West Gambier hosted Mil Lel and the match lived up to the hype, showcasing quality cricket.

The home team won the toss and elected to bowl first with Bray Stephenson and Sam Willis and it was not long before Mil Lel’s Jack Miller lost his wicket with the score at 23 from a change of bowler in Trent Badman.

William Rowland and Brad Talbot steadied the ship with some good shots through the gaps to pile on the runs with a partnership of 25 before Rowland fell for 21 with the score at 48.

Talbot with 45 and Logan Gibbs 33 were the backbone of Mil Lel’s score and both made the most of opportunities to allow them to open the shoulders and hit the ball long.

The lower order only managed to score nine runs but at the end of 20 overs tallied a score of 8/116.

West’s bowling was led by Badman with 4/12, Jack Geddes with 2/17 and single wickets to Stephenson and Willis.

Niall Easterbrook and Jake Blackwell opened for the home side and Mil Lel snared an early wicket in Easterbrook for a duck with the chase at just four runs.

The chase looked dire as one more ball into the over saw number three batsman Ned Wilke (1) fall, leaving the home team at 2/5 and looking under pressure.

West needed something and Blackwell answered the call, holding down one end with Badman at the other and looking to build a partnership before Blackwell (20) lost his wicket and the score was 3/38.

Badman (16) followed some eight runs later leaving the middle order and the tail to take on the run chase.

Nuwan Gunawardana (24no) anchored the middle order while Stephenson threw the willow around and scored 11, with the tail trying to get away but only managing six runs and leaving the home side at 10/93.

Logan Gibbs 3/21 and Jack Miller 3/19 dominated the bowling attack, while 13-year-old Harrison Hicks impressed with his bowling spell of 3/14.

Last year’s T20 winners Mil Lel and captain Will Rowland were excited about the win.

“I think a lot of it comes down to sort of just clicking on the night I guess,” Rowland said.

“We had a few ring-ins that helped us out a lot too and who are going to be constantly playing A grade.

“Young Harry Hicks came in and surprised us as well with his bowling.

Rowland said a big boost for the side was getting runs on the board early, which is something he said the players had struggled with.

“That set us up pretty well and then our bowling backed that up pretty well too.

“We just clicked on the night, which was really good to see, and we are the youngest side in the competition.

“West are a good side and can bat and bowl right down to their number 11, so to get the win was great.

“This game gives us a lot of confidence knowing we can go forward and get another win.”

SOUTH GAMBIER V EAST GAMBIER

South fell agonisingly short of East Gambier in Thursday night’s Dycer Constructions T20 competition.

South won the toss and bowled first on a flat wicket and it was not long before they captured their first wicket of Zach Jones with the score at 1/5.

This brought in Dion Stratford, a specialist in the T20 format.

Stratford and Alex Hill went to work smacking the ball all over the ground and building a reputable partnership.

Stratford notched up his half century, but fell two runs later, leaving Hill at the other end with the score at 2/75.

Hill continued to battle away joined by Jake Wright, who tallied 17.

With steady scoring at a run a ball East rallied to 5/125, with Hill not out on 34.

Stephen Easterbrook was the best with the ball, taking two wickets, while Daniel Loupus and Jakob Opie claimed one each.

South Gambier started much the same as East losing the first wicket of Robert Drenthen on six with the run chase briefly stalling at 1/10.

A great batting effort from Stephen Easterbrook with a knock of 22 and Elwood Geary with 28 gave South some hope of chasing the total.

Next best at the wicket was David Vine with 13 not out and Loupus with a respectable 25.

While South managed to rescue the innings, they fell just one run short of East’s total, all out at 6/124.

East’s Hentschke picked up two wickets along with James Sullivan in the win.

NORTH SPORTSMANS V PENOLA

An exciting game took place at Marist Park on Thursday night in the first round of the Dycer Constructions Big Bash T20 competition, as North Sportsmans hosted last year’s runners-up Penola.

North stand-in skipper Isaac Mulraney won the toss in his first senior game as captain and opted to bowl first.

The Penola openers in Mark Smith and Mullen came out of the gates firing, before Tim Young and Tom Cull were brought on and successfully slowed the run rate of the opening pair.

As the run rate slowed, the pressure increased on Smith and Mullen with Young finally making the breakthrough in the over.

Penola was not able to regain the fiery start to its innings as North looked to assert its dominance.

However, Penola kept plugging away to a respectable 7/132, giving North something to chase.

However, North Sportsmans was never really able to get going with the bat.

Mathew Robinson was able to steady the ship until he was dismissed and as wickets fell around him he continued to tick over the scoreboard.

Elliot Fisher was the most successful with the bat for North making 40.

Ultimately Penola’s total was too much for North with them falling 30 runs short at the end of the 20 overs, with a score of 8/100.