Coote bags four wickets in tournament but Western Zone loses title defence chance

However the team’s efforts in the tournament were not enough to stay in contention to retain its title.

Although it beat North Central and Central Northern, games in which Coote picked up two wickets each, it could not overcome the might of Newcastle in Inverell last Sunday.

Newcastle scored 7-223 and its bowlers managed to strangle the Western batsmen to 160.

Coote, a last-minute call-up for injured Bathurst all-rounder Aaron Seymour, took 2-17 off six overs against North Central and 2-12 against Central Northern.

His figures against Newcastle were 0-40.

Coote is in contention to score a place in the Central West Wranglers outfit in the Plan B Regional Bash series.

Western Zone captain and wicketkeeper Jordan Moran is facing a race against time to be fit for further representative competition after suffering a broken thumb on Sunday.

A delivery from spearhead opening bowler Ben Patterson bounced just before Moran and hit him on the end of the thumb.

An x-ray that day revealed he had broken it and he will now have surgery on Wednesday.

“It didn’t feel right (straight away) and I kept on keeping and then at the end (of the 50 overs) I took the glove off and couldn’t move it,” Moran said.

The injured Moran batted lower in the order when the match was already slipping away from his side.

The Australian Country incumbent will miss the Plan B Regional Bash Super Weekend at Wade Park on November 18 and 19.