Leongatha compete at Country Week
GIPPSLAND cricketers enjoyed another Country Week tournament, with Warragul doing the region proud winning the Division 3 premiership.
Sale-Maffra and Traralgon survived relegation whilst the performance of a number of other associations means that next season will feature four Gippsland teams in Division 2, highlighting the depth and quality of players who are making themselves available for representative cricket.
Gippsland cricket was well represented in the individual standings as well, with at least one player from each association either scoring a century or taking a five wicket haul.
Congratulations to the seven batsmen who raised the bat, and the three bowlers who took five wickets in an innings.
Scorers and team managers are to be commended for the way in which scores were kept live via MyCricket and the way in which information was made readily available through various online sources.
Round one:
Leongatha played Latrobe Valley.
Round two:
Leongatha was defeated in its round two clash against Ballarat, following an ordinary batting display that saw it post just 110.
Sam Huitema top scored with 19, in what was one of those days where no batsman was able to occupy sometime in the middle and scratch out a 40 or 50.
With virtually nothing to defend, Ballarat chased the required runs in 22 overs, and thanks to new common sense rules from VCCL, players did not have to play pointless time to make up for lost overs.
Round three:
Leongatha secured itself a place in the semi final playoff for a place in the grand final with a win over Shepparton on day three.
After being sent in, Leongatha was in early trouble with the scoreboard reading 3-47, before captain David Newman stood up and scored a mighty 117 not out in three hours of intense concentration.
Newman firstly combined with Madura Madusanka (46) to put on 106 for the fourth wicket, before doing likewise with Callum Honeyman (46) as the pair put on 111 for the following.
Shepparton’s innings saw it fall 35 runs short, as it was bowled out in the 48th over when the run rate became too astronomical.
Jack Ginnane took 2-38 whilst Lahiru Jayakody’s 4-47 ensured the points and second spot on the Green pool ladder would be going to Leongatha.
Semi final:
Leongatha was unable to advance its Country Week campaign, after going down to Bendigo in the semi final.
Electing to bowl first, Leongatha had Bendigo 2-45 before some scores throughout the middle stages saw Bendigo finish at 9-267.
Best bowlers for Leongatha were Lewis Rankin (3-40) and Jack Ginnane (2-66).
With the bat, Leongatha’s hopes took a catastrophic hit when both openers were dismissed for golden ducks, as they collapsed to be 3-19.
Captain David Newman scored 20 as Sahan Perera made a strong 90 when Leongatha’s backs were well and truly up against the wall.
In the finish Tim Wightman slogged a quick 26 from 25 to cause some fireworks as Leongatha was dismissed for 186 and bowed out of the tournament anticlimactically.
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