Cobram Tigers A-Grade met Berrigan Saints at home under overcast conditions in round five of the Murray Valley Cricket Association’s top tier competition at the weekend.
A light wind stole across the field at the Cobram Showgrounds on Saturday, November 9, as Cobram won the toss and elected to bat.
Coming off his performance in round three’s clash with Nathalia, in which he notched 91 from 74, Shaun Downie got the home side off to a strong start with 71 from 31 deliveries before being caught out by Berrigan’s Jacob Bartlett on 1-89 in partnership with Cobram vice-captain Hugh Hyde.
Cobram coach Will Power said he was really pleased with the side’s overall start to the season.
“Berrigan’s got some good cricketers, so it was good to win,” he said.
For the visitors, bowler Matthew Ross put on the fireworks, claiming three wickets for his side.
Ross, alongside teammates Matthew Whelan and Andrew Parr, made things dicey for the home side halfway through Cobram’s batting.
“We had a bit of hiccup in the middle there where we lost a couple of wickets,” Power said.
Indeed, Whelan and Ross did their best to keep a lid on Cobram’s runs, sending in quick succession Lachlan Hyde, Lenny Power and Chase Hardwidge packing for the home shed.
But despite the pressure from Berrigan’s bowlers, Cobram soon ran away with the innings. A strong performance from captain Jimmy Daniel (37 from 59) and young talent Eamon Hyde (33 from 57 deliveries, not out) helped ease the Tigers to 9-218 from 45 overs before Berrigan took up the batting.
“[Eamon Hyde] announced himself as an A-Grade batter at the weekend,” Power said.
“We have a couple of good spinners so we rely on not running through sides, more of trying to keep the run rate down.”
“With good captaincy, we’re able to get crucial wickets at crucial times.”
And get those wickets they did, with Jeremy Baden, Noah Sneddon, Chase Hardwidge and Jimmy Daniel each claiming two victims apiece when it came time for the visitors to bat.
Despite efforts from Berrigan’s Tristan Mears (12 from 33 deliveries) and Lachlan Whelan (27 not out from 48, along with three fours), the home side soon confirmed its taste for claiming wickets.
Hardwidge, who finished with four maidens among his 2-11 from nine overs, left no doubt as to his ability after continuing an in-form run off the back of last week’s clash with Katamatite.
Berrigan was restricted to 9-104 in the chase.
Going in this coming weekend’s head-to-head with Finley at Finley, Power said the side will not be taking the opposition likely.
“I don’t think they’d be happy with their performance so far,” he said.
“It will be trying to get our performance to a point where we want it to be and play the game by our terms.”
Across the league, Nathalia (3-105) triumphed over visitors Katamatite (10-104), Barooga (3-117) cleaned up against Finley (10-115), and Deniliquin (3-99) came out trumps over Tocumwal (10-96).
In the B-Grade action, Cobram (0-22) took an emphatic win over hosts Barooga (10-21).
Classy bowling from the visitors’ Hunter Hardwidge and Jaxon Webb ensured the embattled Barooga side were kept squared away.
Webb started the rot with 3-7 from eight overs, but it was Hardwidge who drove his side’s advantage home with a hat-trick among his 4-1 from two overs.
After his first over went for one run, Hardwidge dismissed batters with the first three deliveries of his second and another with the last for a four-wicket maiden.