A miserly showing with the ball was the catalyst for a Black team victory in Tuesday night’s Western NSW Under-15 Carnival Select T20 at Wade Park, which was finished off by thumping digs from three of the side’s top order.
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The Select T20 is the marquee game of Orange District Junior Cricket Association’s Western NSW Junior Cricket Carnivals, each team in the tournament nominates two players who are then split into two sides and given the opportunity to play under lights at Orange’s premier ground.
The Black side, although it only snared seven wickets, managed to restrict its Gold counterpart to just 94 after losing the toss and being asked to field.
In reply Wagga Wagga’s Tim Jenkins, Shoalhaven’s Harrison Graham and South Coast’s Fletcher Allerby opened up from the word go, seeing their side home with eight wickets and almost six overs in hand.
Although Graham was the only one of the three to retire – batsmen do so first scoring shot after 30 to ensure game time is spread around – the trio all produced hard-hitting stints at the crease, entertaining the bulging Wade Park crowd to no end.
Graham knocked up a run-a-ball 30 before retiring to set up Black’s chase, combining in a 46-run second-wicket stand with Jenkins, who blasted his 27 from just 18 balls – dealing almost exclusively in boundaries –before being stumped, thanks to a slick piece of work behind the stumps from Blacktown’s Dhruv Kant.
Allerby’s 18 not out also came at virtually a run-a-ball, as he saw the Black side over the line along with Gordon’s Olivia Fanning (4 not out).
Illawarra’s Harry Williams and Shoalhaven’s Sean Griffin were Gold’s wicket-takers, taking 1-13 and 1-11 respectively.
Black’s successful chase came after an economical performance with ball in hand, the side restricted Gold beautifully in the first 10 overs of its innings to leave the side 5-33 after the first 60 balls.
Behind the eight ball from then on, Gold did mount somewhat of a fightback thanks to Kant, Angus Grigg and Mitchell Cricket Council’s Bailey Brien, the trio did well to lift their side to an almost-respectable total of 7-94.
Brien was the best of the three, smashing 31 retired from 20 balls, while Grigg made a hard-fought 17 from 27 balls – in the context a vital dig – while Kant compiled a run-a-ball 16.
Before that, Gold’s innings started awfully when Manly’s Lachie Moyulenaux (0) was bowled by Blacktown’s Jai Nanavati (2-15) with the fourth ball of the innings.
He also dismissed St George’s Keiran Beadon (2) while Newington’s Luke Walton was bowled by Abhinash Kumar (1-14) and Western Zone’s Phoebe Litchfield was run out, both for ducks.
That left Gold reeling at 4-22.
Dubbo’s Connor Watts (13) and Kant (16) worked about resurrecting the innings, but the former was dismissed not long after.