Geraldton cricket round 8: Wanderers charge ahead with 78-run win over Sportsmans

Wanderers firmed as flag favourites with victory over Sportsmans in Saturday’s Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League at GBSC Park. Sporties made only 80 after captain Riley Barham won the toss and batted. They took five wickets before their small target was overrun. Mitch Thompson (3-7) was superb and set the stage with the wickets of Barham, Aaron McAuliffe and Darcy Ingle in his second, third and fifth overs. Sportsmans slid to 7-35 with Justin Clarkson (2-7) and Gus Heberle (3-31) also making inroads. There was a brief rally as Will Isbister (31 off 20 balls), on debut, hit two sixes and two fours off Gus Heberle but he was bowled by Liam Clarkson (2-7). Wanderers was 3-8 in the reply after Jarrad Jupp (3-40) shifted Damien King and Henry Anderson while Brad Mailer had Clayton Bruce-Cherry held by Harrison Steel. Wanderers steadied with 34 runs from a patient Ian Oglesby (25 off 106 balls) and captain Kade Gillingham (18). Gillingham fell to McAuliffe (2-16) who also gave Ryan Baumgarten a second catch when he removed Oglesby. Elliot Delaney (38) drove Wandies home, smudging Jupp’s neat figures with four fours and two twos in an over but Jupp bowled him in his next over. Runs from Liam Clarkson (16) took Wanderers to 158. At Mazzuchelli Oval, Bluff Point beat Chapman Valley-Northampton. Bluff Point’s Jay O’Brien won the toss and batted, his team made 164 thanks initially to Mitch McAuliffe (30), who relished a rare top of the order outing. He added 53 with Aaron Thomas (37 off 22 balls), who will hopefully play more matches, and 49 with debutant Brett Robinson (43). Zak Williamson (3-15) had good numbers with support from Jack Dawson (2-43) and Brad Boyer (2-11). CVN lost early wickets in the chase with Axis Hutchinson bowled by Carl Shilling (2-22) and Stuart Gaby out to James Morrison (3-29). Dawson helped Williamson (39) add 26 before Dawson was out leg before wicket to Shilling, but Williamson added 54 with captain Nigel Routledge (23). Then CVN lost Williamson to Morrison and Routledge was caught and bowled by O’Brien (2-28). CVN was 6-101 when Hayden Dawson was caught by O’Brien off Morrison. Mitch Marsh (16) played some shots but CVN was 9-122 after McAuliffe had Marsh caught by Shilling and Lachlan Teakle was caught by Morrison. Boyer (23) hit out and put on 22 with Declan Clayton but O’Brien recalled Antonio Paradella who bowled Boyer to end the innings at 146. Sporties had a two-run win over CVN in Friday’s Young Motors T20 Series. Sporties, thanks to Ethan Johnson (22 not out) recovered from 6-45 to post 9-87. Teakle took 3-11. CVN came close to winning and off the last ball needed six to win and Hayden Dawson got bat on it but not enough.