KINROSS ON FIRE: Kinross celebrate the wicket of Gladstone batter Gary Cole on the weekend. Photo: LUKE SCHUYLER 0309lscountryclub1
KINROSS has pulled off one of the upsets of the Orange District Cricket Association season, right when it matters most.
Staring down the barrel of a big defeat after Gladstone piled on the runs on day one, Kinross managed the near impossible, chasing down 327 to win by one wicket in their second grade minor semi-final showdown at Country Club Oval.
Led by a brilliant ton by Toby Polkinghorne and more than handy contributions from Damian Hill (65) and Stanley Alston (52 not out), the students narrowly came away with victory after a mini collapse late in the innings threatened to derail an otherwise faultless chase.
Polkinghorne (100) was dismissed shortly after bringing up his triple figures, taking the score to 6-300.
Kinross needed just 28 more for victory, but lost wickets at an alarming rate to be 8-303 and then 9-306 as Gladstone’s Ben McAlpine looked to secure his side a win with key wickets and figures of 5-114 off 28 overs. Enter Bailey Hilder.
A regular number 11, Hilder joined forces with Alston at the end to put on 21 runs for the 10th wicket and steer Kinross to 9-330 and the win, hitting a career top score of 16 along the way.
Kinross will now meet CYMS in the preliminary final of the ODCA’s second grade premiership after the green and golds went down to Orange City outright by 10 wickets at Riawena Oval.
Orange City did the damage with the ball as Matt Roberts (6-39) tore through CYMS in the first innings while Tom Waters got the job done in the second, taking 5-36 off his 12 overs to help set up the win.
CYMS’ first innings total of 135 was surpassed by City skipper Shaun Churchill’s (33) and Ben Findlay’s (20) fifth-wicket stand of 53.
Bowled out for 211, City then dismissed CYMS for 123 in the second innings, with the green and golds racking up nine ducks from two innings at bat in the semi-final.
Rory Jaye (24 not out) and Adam Cowden, who’s 24 not out in the second innings added to an impressive half-century in the first, steered Orange City home to record the big win and earn a grand final berth.
The Centenary Cup finals were in full swing over the weekend, with CYMS Kellys progressing through to the grand final thanks to an eight-wicket major semi-final win over CYMS Fahys.
Fahys will now meet Kinross in the preliminary final next weekend after the students accounted for Orange City by four wickets in the minor semi-final.
Centrals and Cavaliers will go head-to-head in the ODCA third grade preliminary final this weekend, with the winner to meet Metro Wanderers in the grand final in a fortnight.