Captain Mitchell Parsons, who had a late start to his season after suffering a serious knee injury, struck a superb unbeaten 50 to lead a resurgent Brothers to an eight-wicket victory over a shell-shocked Norths in their Bundaberg Cricket Rum City Foods Division 1 Premiership clash at Salter Oval on Saturday.
But after recording their first win of the season a week earlier against East Bundy Magpies, Brothers remain in fourth and last place, and they are still more than a win away from third position with three rounds remaining after the Magpies bounced back in the best possible way, ending leaders Waves’ seven-match unbeaten streak with an 86-run demolition of them.
Norths won the toss against Brothers and after electing to bat, their high class all representative top five of Blyton Pendergast, Brendan Handley, Chris Napper, Josh Winen and Nathan Van Eekeren could collectively muster only 19 runs as left armers 14-year-old Lachlan Heycox, who was backing up from playing for YMCA in under-16 in the morning, and Jeremy Haaksma cut loose with three and two wickets respectively, to leave them teetering at 5-24.
Shannon Smith continued his good form, leading a middle-order rally with 30, but another collapse of 5-22 saw them bundled out for a paltry 91 in 26.4 overs, with Brothers other pacemen Sam Pearson (3-20) and Andy Porter (2-13) completing the route.
Brothers lost new opener Harry Kuorikoski cheaply in their run chase, but No. 3 Mitchell Parsons signaled his intentions from the start, hooking their nemesis Nathan Van Eekeren, who claimed 9-42 in a match haul of 12 wickets against them in a two-day outright victory in December, for four, and he went on to dispatch eight boundaries in his 50-neat from 41 balls, before they passed their target in 15.5 overs.
Meanwhile, big hitter Trent Seeds was the main-stay in the Magpies’ imposing total of 6-244 from their 45 overs with 71, after opener Arden Lankowski had laid the platform with 50.
Arden also opened the bowling and grabbed 1-12 from his six overs, but it was unheralded veteran spinners 48-year-old Artie Richardson and Lachlan Donovan, 56, who were the main destroyers with 4-49 and 2-9 respectively, as Waves crashed to be all out for 158, after Lachlan had chipped in with 28 with the bat.
Despite their defeat, Waves retain an iron grip on the minor premiership, moving to 72.29 points, while Norths retain second spot on 55.86, with East now breathing down their necks on 55.04, with Brothers on 46.07 but having to beat Waves this Saturday if they are to stay in the race for a semi-final berth.
In Division 2, Waves powered on at the top of the table with a four-wicket dispatch of Brothers, for whom emerging 16-year-old all-rounder Dustin Collin struck his maiden half-century, a swashbuckling unbeaten 92.
Meanwhile, Jade Hyde notched 101 to spearhead Norths to a return-to-form 82 run victory over the Magpies.
In Division 3, 15-year-old opener Toby Lamond wreaked havoc, snaring a staggering 7-8 from 4.4 overs for Brothers to send a nine-man YMCA packing for a diabolical total of 17, before the Brethren took just 3.2 overs to wrap up a victory which lifted them to fourth on the ladder at the expense of the Y.
At the other end of the age scale, 48-year-old Waves spinner Nick Catasti notched his second five-wicket haul in three weeks, picking up 5-10 against Norths, while team-mate Josh Wormington racked up an excellent double of 2-30 and an unconquered 60.
On the representative scene, Bundaberg duo Dylan Heycox and Logan Woodward, along with Nathaniel Bailey, of Gympie, were chosen in the South Queensland Country Under-18 side after excelling for Wide Bay at the Don McPherson Shield at Gatton on the weekend.
In 30-over games on Saturday, Wide Bay suffered a seven-wicket loss to South East Queensland (SEQ) in the morning, before toughing out a six-wicket victory over Darling Downs and South West Queensland (DDSWQ) in the afternoon, with captain Dylan leading them home with a classy unbeaten 55.
On Sunday in their 50-over game, Wide Bay could manage just 137 against the previously unbeaten Sunshine Coast, but they ran out 20-run victors after Nathaniel Bailey cut a swathe of destruction through the Coast innings with 5-24.
Dylan finished fourth in the championships’ batting statistics with 77 runs at an average of 38.5, while Logan wound up fifth on the bowling list with five scalps at 9.20 apiece.
Three teams each finished the weekend with two wins and a loss, but Wide Bay’s heavy first-up defeat ultimately cost them the title on the basis of batting and bowling incentive points as they wound up third on 17.40, behind SEQ 19.69 and Sunshine Coast 18.61, but well ahead of DDSWQ 5.85.
SOFTBALL
Unfortunately, all Coral Coast/Hervey Bay Softball Association games were again cancelled due to the fields at Brothers Sports Club being unplayable following the heavy rain late last week.
Here are all the scores:
CRICKET BUNDABERG
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 1 PREMIERSHIP
EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 6-244 (Trent Seeds 71, Arden Lankowski 50, Dale Steele 29, Lachlan Donovan 28) d WAVES 158 (Artie Richardson 9-0-49-4, Lachlan Donovan 4-0-9-2).
BROTHERS 2-94 (Mitchell Parsons 50no) d NORTHS 91 (Shannon Smith 30, Lachlan Heycox 5-0-13-3, Sam Pearson 7.4-1-20-3, Andy Porter 5-0-13-2, Jeremy Haaksma 6-3-17-2).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 2 PREMIERSHIP
WAVES 6-207 (Kori Pope 58, Matthew Pozzebon 36, Sam Stuchbery 28, Kynan hard 25, Jayden Santacaterina 7-2-25-2, Oliver Mathiesen 8-0-58-2) d BROTHERS 8-204 (Dustin Collin 92no, Mitchell Parsons 34no, Vince Differ 8-1-16-3, Mat Fleming 8-1-45-2).
NORTHS 8-198 (Jade Hyde 101, Bharat Kumarat 8-0-30-3, Lachlan Donovan 8-0-27-2, John Richardson 8-0-45-2) d EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 116 (David Bonser 37, Dean Kronk 8-2-24-3, Michael Penny 8-1-33-3, Damian O’Neall 8-0-31-2).
RUM CITY FOODS DIVISION 3 PREMIERSHIP
WAVES 2-95 (Josh Wormington 60no, Dan Unwin 27no) d NORTHS 93 (Shaun Pinney 29, Nick Catasti 5.4-2-10-5, Troy Coates 5-0-21-2, Josh Wormington 7-1-30-2).
EAST BUNDY MAGPIES 5-124 (Chris Baker 48no, Jack Ford 38, Marty Ryan 7-0-31-4) d ISIS 9-122 (Jack Rowan 48, Reece Sorensen 5-0-27-3, Laurie McCloskey 7-5-4-2, Jordan Petersen 7-0-30-2).
BROTHERS 1-18 d YMCA 17 (Toby Lamond 4.4-1-8-7).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 3-UNDER-16’S
BROTHERS 8-139 (Nick Clarke 32, Patrick Marshman 29, Beau Marshman 25, Kori Pope 3.3-1-8-4) d WAVES 4-137 (Sam Stuchbery 44, Nick Clarke 4-1-20-2).
YMCA/NORTHS MARAUDERS 4-238 (River Felstead 113, Leigh Eade 55, Lachlan Heycox 30no) d ISIS 79 (Tyler De Martin 23, Ned Jenner .2-0-0-2, Louis Webster 4-0-9-2).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 2-UNDER-14’S
WAVES 8-150 (Tahj Coates 45no, A Webster 3-0-13-3) d MARYBOROUGH 8-118 (H Murree 35no, Lara Hamilton 3-0-7-2, Tahj Coates 2-0-8-2).
NORTHS CHOPPERS 1-203 (Tom Elphinstone 64, Mackenzie Clifford 44no, Jordan Mather 34no) d ISIS/BROTHERS MUSTANGS 148 (Jett Sim 47, Riley Collett 31, Will Fletcher 2-0-10-2, Angus Algie 2-0-13-2, Abby Stevens 3-0-15-2).
RUM CITY FOODS JUNIOR CRICKET 2
BROTHERS 2-178 (Zac Honor 34no, Cale Anderson 28no) d ISIS 51 (Zac Honor 1-0-7-3).
NORTHS SEI STRIKERS 6-122 (Beau Donnison 45no, Samson Juster 4-2-4-2) d NORTHS AVENGERS 8-106 (Samson Juster 20no, Thomas Wendt 2.3-0-3-3).
YMCA 7-201 (Archie Webster 65no, Atlas Felstead 50no, Jack Bowman 4-0-8-2, Xander Childs 5-0-25-2) d WAVES 6-136 (Tom Delacy 57no, Bailey Bowman 28).
WIDE BAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Round 5 at Salter Oval on Sunday:
UNDER-14
SOUTH BURNETT 159 (Lawson Black 46, Lachlan Cullen 28, Jack Tyers 9.2-1-17-4, Charlie Steele 6-1-19-3, Levi Faint 8-0-24-3) d BUNDABERG 97 (Nic Delacy 27, Lochlan Burrows 9-3-24-5, Zach Harris 5.2-2-19-2.
UNDER-12
BUNDABERG 8-295 (Corin Driver 50ret, Beau Donnison 43, Archie Webster 39no, Tom Delacy 25) d SOUTH BURNETT 134 (Joshua Williams 31, Tom Delacy 3-0-5-2, Zayde Kitching 6-2-7-2).
SOUTH QUEENSLAND COUNTRY UNDER-18 DON McPHERSON SHIELD
Played at Gatton – Saturday – Game 1: SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND 3-117 (Caleb Doyle 30, Luke Boettcher 6-3-8-4, Kynan McDonald 4-1-11-2) d WIDE BAY 9-113 (Nathaniel Bailey 27no, Matthew Parker 10no). Game 2: WIDE BAY 4-140 (Dylan Heycox 55no, Brodie Loveridge 26, Matthew Butters 5.4-0-36-2) d DARLING DOWNS & SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND 9-138 (Sam O’Neill 38, Joseph Shaw 35, Logan Woodward 5-0-20-3, Harry Johnson 5-1-18-1, Dylan Heycox 5-0-21-1, Jack Sullivan 3-0-23-1).
Sunday: WIDE BAY 137 (Brodie Loveridge 31, Dylan Heycox 22, Logan Woodward 22no, Harry Sippel 10-0-32-5, Tom Longhurst 8.1-1-28-3) d SUNSHINE COAST 117 (Tom Longhurst 39, Nathaniel Bailey 8.4-2-24-5, Logan Woodward 10-4-14-2, Harry Johnson 6-0-21-1, Dylan Heycox 10-2-29-1).
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