Veteran Rob Barron in 2012. Barron picked up 3 wickets on the weekend. Caleb Piper led the way with 4 wickets.
The Coolac Cricket Club have maintained their grip on second position in Elders Cup cricket with one round to play before finals after a six wicket win over local rivals Gundagai the week end. Coming in at three after the openers fell cheaply, Caleb Lindley-Kell put together by far the best knock for Gundagai, making 35 not out off 100 deliveries, anchoring his side’s innings.
However, with no other scores of above 17 for the home side, that left slim pickings for the scorers as Gundagai were bowled out for a total of just 86. Caleb Piper led the way with the ball, taking 4/16 off 7 overs, while Robert Barron also picked up 3/20 off 6 in a strong complementary performance.
In reply, Coolac faltered early as well, with Piper (1) and Duane Shawcross (3) each falling for single figure scores, before number three Angus Stapleton followed for just 12.
The ship was steadied however by number four Tim Graham, who posted a team high 37, complemented by some starts in the lower order to see the Coolac side bank the victory in just 17 overs.
Speaking to the Times following the win, Graham said that while his side’s strong bowling performance was a highlight of the day, it was aided by a mix up the night before.
“Unluckily, the sprinklers came on on Friday night I think so the pitch was a little bit bowler friendly I guess you’d say, so that’s probably why it was a low scoring match,” he said. “It was [still] a good win.”
However, despite the surface being friendly to those with ball in hand, Graham said it was still pleasing to see such a strong effort from the bowling unit as the pointy end of the campaign approaches.
“It’s probably something that’s good heading into finals,” he said.
“It’s always pleasing to bowl people at a low score.
“Our young bowling attack is bowling well, they’re all doing a good job.”
As for the side’s chances of taking home the silverware this season, Graham said he has faith in the squad, which has put itself in a strong position.
“We will be competitive, [there’s] not a long way to go but still a few games to go and few semi-finals to get through,” he said.
“Yeah, I think if we play well on the days, we’ve got a good team to compete pretty heavily.”
Meanwhile, in other results over the weekend, Wyangle (3/106) had a seven wicket win over the Mankadders (10/105), and Tumut Plains rolled the Adelong Donkeys for just 39, before chasing down the total in 12.5 overs for the loss of one wicket.
-Tallon Smith
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