Round 7 of the Senior Men’s Monaro District Cricket One Day competition was always going to be hit and miss with significant storm activity in the region throughout Saturday.
Just one game was completed unaffected by rain with the Coffey’s v Jindabyne match abandoned after just 15 overs at Rotary Oval, Jindabyne 1/70.
Andy Castle was the only wicket, run out by Hunter Caldwell for a score of 4, Jindabyne 1/12 early on. Issac Dawson showed discipline compiling 39* from 54 balls and combining well with Luke Saare (13*) when play was halted.
Just 30 minutes south of Cooma, Dalgety hosted Rhythm in a match surprisingly unaffected by weather.
Dalgety secured a much needed win over the travelling side to cement their spot in the top four.
Rhythm won the toss and elected to bat, Damien Asanovski (36) opened the batting with Jack Watt the pair getting the visitors off to a great start before Watt fell for 18, the score 1/36.
The wicket of Watt brought the in-form Kasun Basnagoda (29) to the crease, who continued to play disciplined and patient cricket as wickets fell around him.
Kel Macnab top scored for Rhythm with a crucial knock of 38 to steer his side to a respectable total of 164 from 35.5 overs.
PHOTO: Macnab on the front foot for Rhythm CREDIT: Grant Ross
Pick of the Dalgety bowlers was Simon Freebody with 2/19 from 8 overs, but the workload was shared around, Aaron Fenton claiming 2/28 from 6 overs, and Noland Holland 1/28 from 8 overs was very economical.
In response, Dalgety were never in doubt, at 1/24 the home side lost Nolan Holland for 5, which saw John Stanford (45) join Ned Williams 71*.
Williams dispatched seven 4’s and five 6’s from his 67 ball master class at the Dalgety Show Ground and making quick work of the Rhythm bowlers.
PHOTO: Ned Williams soars to 71 not out in a much needed win for Dalgety.
Dalgety player Grant Ross said “It was an emphatic win for the club, highlighted by Ned’s knock, and some great bowling from Simon, and Nolan.”
The best of the Rhythm bowlers was Damien Asanovski who managed an impressive 1/16 from his 5 overs and in a side that was put to the sword, yet again proved to be hard to get away.
Bombala hosted Berridale and in a repeat of last week, the home team was victorious again.
Both teams agreed to start the match earlier to avoid the forecasted rain to no avail as the match was ultimately decided by Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS).
Bombala won the toss and decided to bat, Jason Cikos displayed a combination of power and prowess for his score of 28.
Hugh Kater (3) was caught behind early to the bowling of Berridale’s Jack Dunn, who claimed 2-47 from 8 overs.
Cikos was joined by Michael Sullivan (13), who also looked in good touch before spooning one back to bowler.
Bombala then lost Cikos, Brodie, and Joey Sullivan in quick succession, reeling at 5-68, it looked like Bombala would be all out for under 100.
However, Oliver Chapman was the glue that bound the Bombala innings together, grafting a fantastic knock of 50* and working the ball into space before opening his shoulders in the latter overs.
With storm clouds brewing, Berridale were keen to score quickly, The haste leading to the early wicket of the very dangerous and in-form Thomas King for 2.
Zac McKenzie (42) and D. McCarey (19) dealt with anything loose and put Berridale well ahead on run rate. However, The Oliver Chapman Show was not over, as he picked up McCarey caught and bowled in his first over.
Chapman (3-13 from 8 overs, together with M. Sullivan (3-10 from 8 overs), bowled tight lines with plenty of varying speed to put a stranglehold on Berridale’s advance.
With Berridale 8-86 in the 23rd over, the umpires rightly called bad light, and soon after, the heavens opened on the Bombala Showground.
Next week’s fixtures are looking very important in the context of premiership race. Berridale host ladder leaders Coffey’s in a first v third affair.
Cooma Titans host Bombala, and Jindabyne travel to Dalgety in a second v fourth contest, Rhythm have the week off.