PRESTON Valley turned out a near-flawless performance in the opening round of the DBCA 2009-10 season, cruising to a 149-run victory over Bridgetown at Egan Park on Saturday afternoon.
On a fine but windy day, Bridgetown won the toss and sent the home side in to bat on a perfectly prepared pitch that played true for most of the day.
Opening bowler Morgan Price provided the first breakthrough for Bridgetown after snaring the prized wicket of Ben Howlett; however the joy was short-lived as Andrew Clifford (33) and star all-rounder Chris Atthowe combined in a 51-run partnership for the second wicket.
Luke Asplin then teamed up with Atthowe and the boundaries started to become more frequent. In a confidence-boosting knock, Asplin (53) smashed eight fours to bring up his half-century; and was well supported by Atthowe in a 111-run stand for the third wicket.
Shortly after, Atthowe upped the ante, smashing seven fours and three massive sixes over mid-wicket.However it took a blinder of a catch by Brad Tassos in the deep to remove him, falling agonisingly short of a first up century, for 99 runs.
With less than 10 overs remaining, cameos by Nathan Smith (12), Shaun Gardiner (23) and Scott Tynan (38no) pushed the score past 280, as Preston finished six down for 282 after their allotted 45 overs.
After a long day in the field, the best bowlers for Bridgetown were Morgan Price (2/45) and Cam Hibberd (2/50).
In reply, Bridgetown’s campaign took an early blow, after a fully-fit Nathan Smith had skipper Darren Tassos trapped in front in the third over.
The deadly Smith was back to his sharpest, giving away little scoring opportunities for the Bridgetown top-order, and in doing so snared the next two wickets for minimum runs.
The ever-reliable Matt Tassos continued to battle away and sparked a middle order revival, teaming up with Doug Troode to take the score past 60 at the drinks break. The pair continued to work hard however after a flurry of successful boundaries, Troode nicked one behind off Scott Tynan for 24, ending a 59-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
With the target seeming further out of reach, Tassos was eventually caught by a diving Nathan Smith off a skied shot, falling short of a well-deserved half century for 46.
Aside from Morgan Price (14no), the tail fell victim to Wayne “the destroyer” Clifford, who claimed two successive wickets to be on a hat-trick in his one and only over. Bridgetown was eventually bowled out for 133 in the 41st over.
The best bowlers for Preston were Nathan Smith (3/12) and Wayne Clifford (2/1).
GREENBUSHES-BALINGUP< p>V BOYUP BROOK
IN the other match for the opening round, Boyup Brook flexed its collective muscle to comfortably dispose of minnows Greenbushes-Balingup by a massive 205-runs at Greenbushes Oval.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Greenbushes-Balingup made a steady start with 15 on the board before a batting collapse saw the side lose three consecutive wickets, including a fantastic slips catch taken by Toby Lloyd.
The Greenbushes tail provided some resistance with Bill Cavazzi (12), who enjoyed the opportunity to bat with a runner, and youngster Jacob Van Bavel (22), who batted with maturity well above his years before running out of partners. His side was bowled out for 88 in the 34th over.
In a dominating performance, Ty Bancroft (4/18) and newcomer Andre Vlock (2/5) took out the bowling honours for Boyup Brook.
In reply, Boyup lost an early wicket but recovered strongly to pass the target in the 24th over.
Ben Mead left nothing to chance with his aggressive batting style, and provided some entertainment by landing a massive six on the roof of the Greenbushes pavilion. He passed his half-century in style and in the process smashed nine boundaries and three sixes on his way to an impressive 93.
With the game well and truly in the bag, skipper Tristan Mead (50) threw the bat around to amass four boundaries and one six. However a magnificent slips catch taken by Paul Hillis ended his innings shortly after he reaching his half-century.
Tail order cameos by Travis Read (29) and Toby Lloyd (29) pushed the score past 290. Jacob Van Bavel capped off a stellar debut by correctly judging a skied ball by Reid to complete the Boyup Brook innings on 293.
The best bowlers for Greenbushes-Balingup were Kai Hicks (3/35), Jacob Van Bavel (3/48) and Chad Richardson (3/61).
DBCA LADDER
1, Boyup Brook, match 1, total 26.72.
2, Preston Valley, 1, 26.28.
3, Balingup-Greenbushes, 1, 8.52.
4, Bridgetown, 1, 8.32.
5, Donnybrook, 1, 0.00.
COUNTRY CUP
Statewide 20/20
THE Donnybrook-Blackwood Cricket Association will prepare to tackle Perth club Forrestfield in the statewide 20/20 competition next Sunday, November 1.
The 20/20 competition, administered by the WACA, replaces the standard one-day (50-over) format played in the past.
The association will be represented by players across all five teams; with a trip to Perth on the line if the team is successful to advance to the next round.
The match starts at noon at Egan Park. All are welcome to come and support the association.
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