MAIDEN Gully has opened its Emu Valley Cricket Association season with back-to-back wins over last summer’s grand finalists.
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The Gully backed up their round one win over last season’s runner-up Mandurang with a 66-run victory against reigning premier Golden Gully in their one-day match on Saturday.
A knock of 56 from opener Anthony Medhurst helped the Gully to 9-160 off their 40 overs after they won the toss.
However, the Cobras worked hard with the ball to put the brakes on the Gully, which had been 3-108.
Apart from recruit Medhurst, the only other player to score more than 20 for the Gully was fellow opener Shane Rabbitt (23), with the pair sharing in a 59-run stand for the first wicket.
Justin Marsh (3-25) and Brad Webster (3-35) each claimed three wickets for the Cobras, who were quickly on the backfoot in their chase.
The Cobras slumped to 5-31 early before being all out for 94 in the 29th over.
Josh Hutchinson played a lone hand with the bat for the Cobras in making 49 at No.7, with the only other player reaching double figures Travis Eckardt (10).
Alex Gorrie (5-22) and Kayle Thompson (4-18) were the destroyers with the ball for Maiden Gully, combining for nine wickets.
Thompson bagged four of the first five wickets to fall to leave the Golden Gully innings in tatters.
Gorrie was involved in seven of the wickets to fall. As well as his five scalps he also took two catches.
• Sedgwick improved to 2-0 with a victory at home over United.
Sent into bat, the Rams compiled 4-194, with the bulk of the runs coming from coach Greg Thomas (63), Daniel Chamberlain (46) and skipper Rick Ladson (44).
The Rams’ innings featured a 73-run stand for the second wicket between Thomas and Chamberlain, and Thomas and Ladson putting on 85 for the third.
United opening bowler Damien Nihill produced the economical figures of 1-6 off eight overs, including four maidens.
Nihill’s wicket was the key dismissal of Rams’ opener Matt Dwyer (14), who was caught by Patrick Hartney.
In reply the Tigers fell 42 runs short as they battled their way from 7-77 to 152.
Highlighting the fickle nature that can be cricket, a week after they combined for 182 runs against West Bendigo, this time Josh White (3) and Will Horan (2) contributed just five for the Tigers, who had No.9 Andrew Shovan (45) top score.
Quinton Bentley (2-32), Andrew Sheehan (2-32), Jordan Ilsely (2-19) and Justin Hancock (2-30) all took two wickets apiece for the Rams.
Rams’ wicket-keeper Dustin Elliott had a busy afternoon behind the stumps taking five catches.
• Spring Gully scored at better than a run-a-ball in blasting 9-265 in its big win over West Bendigo to also move to 2-0.
The Crows had one stage been 4-37, but Ryan Pedrotti (81), captain Alex Sutton (56) and Joel Bish (38) took the ascendancy away from the Redbacks.
West Bendigo had four players take two wickets apiece – Tarran Kilcullen (2-38), new captain Brendon Lummis (2-35), Cameron Holding (2-17) and Gary Singh (2-30).
Liam Pilcher (5-35) later starred with the ball for the Crows as they bundled the Redbacks out for 150.
The Redbacks had been 4-116 before losing 6-34 to be all out in the 31st over, with Joel Purdy (24) their leading run-scorer.
• Mandurang proved too strong for Marong to win its first game of the season.
Batting first the Rangas amassed 6-224, with Luke Rafferty and James Pietromonaco both making 64 – Pietromonaco taking just 37 balls to do so.
Adam Brown (2-65) took two of the six wickets for the Panthers, who were restricted to 8-174 in their chase, with Andrew Gladstone (48) and Jeremy Ross (40) the best with the bat.
Pietromonaco backed up his performance with the bat by taking 2-30 with the ball for the Rangas, who also had James Bailey (2-18) chip in with two wickets.
