Towns beat Bluff Point in narrow win at The Rec in Geraldton men’s cricket, Sportsmans beat CVN

Towns pipped Bluff Point in a Geraldton Bendigo Bank Cricket League thriller at The Rec on Saturday, winning by three runs.

The Pointers find ways to lose while Towns again showed they know how to defend low scores.

“It was a fighting win but wouldn’t want it that close every week,” Towns captain Sam Crouch said.

Crouch won the toss and batted but Brett Marendaz (3-19) was superb and with Matt Russell had Towns 4-45.

Brady Collins (41 off 50 balls) and Jai Russell (7 off 60) played differently but added 31 before Jay O’Brien (3-15) shifted Collins. Russell was caught behind by Brendan Millar off Carl Shilling but had added 20 with Crouch who found 38 more with Kodi Giltrow (19) to take Towns to 143. In the chase, Bluff Point were 2-20 in the 12th over after Collins had Aaron Thomas held by Tom Forsyth. Millar (22) was stumped by Jeremy Bedford off Giltrow but had added 29 with O’Brien (38).

Theo Curtis (16) helped add 46 before he fell to Russell (2-26) but with O’Brien solid, Bluff Point reached 4-107. Then came a key moment when Crouch (2-28) had O’Brien snared by Collins.

Russell then had Carl Shilling brilliantly caught off a deep midwicket steepler by Callum Marquis. Gerard Marquis and Bedford ran out Russell and suddenly the Pointers were 7-114.

Jayden Pinto and Aaron Joss added 18 before Pinto was stumped and it was soon over with two more run outs, leaving Bluff Point three runs short with seven balls remaining.

At Nabawa, Sportsmans beat Chapman Valley/Northampton.

The highlight was Clint Yeates’ glorious 102 not out (74 balls). His 22nd ton featured a six and 16 fours.

Sportsmans’ Riley Barham sent CVN in and thanks mostly to Hayden Dawson (31) and Ashley Campbell (29) they made 131.

Yeates, Ben O’Brien, Ethan Johnson and Dan Welsh (2-18) took two wickets each.

Openers Nic Rafanelli (34) and Graeme Barndon (34) put on 57 for Sporties’ but CVN took six wickets before the game was lost whereupon six of Yeates’ next seven scoring shots were fours.

He added 75 with Johnson and an unbeaten 41 with Kip Allen. Sportsmans made 7-245.

Sportsmans also beat CVN in Friday’s T20. CVN batted first and made 6-108.

Jack Dawson (36) shone with more runs from Bobby Gibson (20), Hayden Dawson (18) and James Billing (17 not out). Jarrod Jupp (2-28) and Yeates (2-15) bowled well.

Welsh (24) and Flynn Dillon (29) propelled Sporties to 1-78 in the 13th over. Successive Gibson wickets gave CVN hope but Jaimon Alone (17 not out) took Sportsmans to 5-120.