Casino Cavaliers Settle Thrilling Victory in FNCCC Round 4 Showdown

On Day 2 the Casino RSM Cavaliers Cricket Club resumed at 0/0, chasing 215 runs set by Alstonville in Round 4 of the FNCCC 1^st grade competition.

With the Cauldron in pristine condition the stage was set for the young Cavaliers to step up against the spirited Alstonville attack.

It did not take long before the fireworks erupted with young Miller Scully (59 runs from 52 balls) quickly finding his mojo as he put the bowlers to the sword in a swashbuckling innings which had the crowd utterly entertained. As Scully went about plundering the attack he was well supported by Jed Mulcahy (41 runs from 86 balls) who quietly accumulated the runs in a well- constructed, patient innings.

When Scully was out in the 15^th over the Cavaliers were in the box seat at 1/77. Mulcahy was joined at the crease by Mitch Duddy (19 runs from 49 balls) and the guys continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Duddy looked in fine form and played one of the shots of the day, with a flat bat punch pull shot which rocketed to the boundary.

The Cavaliers were in a commanding position when Mulcahy was dismissed with the score at 2/124. But as is often the case Alstonville fought back, claiming a couple of cheap wickets to put themselves back into the contest at 4/125.

This brought together the classy combination of captain Damien Vidler (48no runs from 48 balls) and the in-form Olly Walker (35 runs from 71 balls). With Alstonville up and about in the field, Vidler and Walker went about steering the Cavaliers home through some high- quality cricket, pinching several cheeky singles as well as playing some classy shots.

Unfortunately, the 87- run partnership was ended when Walker was dismissed with just 4 runs required for victory.

The Cavaliers finished at 5/218 from 52 overs to take a confidence boosting victory in a clinical display.

Next week the Cavaliers are away playing against Tintenbar East Ballina in a 1-day fixture, which is always a tight contest.

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Is Harwood about to burst the Souths/Westlawn bubble?

By Tim Howard

The hour of reckoning has arrived for the leading two teams of the Clarence River Cricket Association first grade competition.

South Services/Westlawn have ridden their luck hard to the top of the table, but will be tested when they meet premiers Harwood, who have been clinical in dismantling all three opponents so far this season.

In the only play in first grade on Saturday, Tucabia fought off Harwood’s bid for outright points with the assistance of a late start, stubborn batting and a benign playing surface.

Resuming at 7/27 chasing 344 for a win, Tucabia had no chance result and resorted to the stonewalling to avoid an outright loss.

Wet weather made the ground unsuitable for play immediately and Tucabia’s batters dug in.

Led by the most stubborn of efforts from Derek Woods who batted for around 40 of those overs for 9no, Tucabia slowed the game to a crawl.

When they were dismissed for 47, gathered from 47.5 overs, there was time for just 15 overs in the second innings.

Woods kept the pads on and crawled to 8 before he fell lbw to leg spinner Jacob McMahon, who had earlier snared his second five-wicket haul for the season with the sensational figures of 5/4 from 13.5 overs.

Harwood’s opponents on Saturday, Souths/Westlawn have enjoyed outrageous good fortune so far.

In round 1 they were 8/62 chasing Lawrence’s total of 162 when rain stopped play, forcing a draw.

Next game they collapsed for 80 chasing Coutts Crossing’s 112, then pulled out a second innings miracle to get outright points.

Their bowlers routed Coutts for 31 and they staggered to 5/64 to get the chocolates.

Last game was Souths/Westlawn’s most convincing effort, dismissing GDSC Easts for 74 and racing to 5/152 at stumps.

But their luck still held as midweek storms washed limited Harwood to a first innings win and washed out Lawrence and Coutts Crossing.

Harwood has needed no such luck.

Veteran seamer Nathan Blanch beats the edge when Souths and Harwood met a little over a year ago. On Saturday they clash as the top two teams in the competition for season 2024-25.

They amassed 8d/254 against Coutts in round 1 and were two wickets away from an outright when time ran out.

In game two it was nearly the same story, but this time they cracked 300 in their first innings despite a top order slump.

On the face of it, Harwood go into Saturday’s game at the neutral venue of Ulmarra Showground as unbackable favourites.

Their first drop Coby Tabor has scored two centuries in three games and Harwood has another centurion in Troy Turner.

Ace all rounder and skipper Ben McMahon has chipped in with runs and wickets, showing enough form to suggest a big one is not far away.

And brother Jacob has been devastating with his leg breaks, snaring 17 wickets including a match winning 7/15 against Coutts.

Will the sharp point of Harwood’s bowling and batting burst the Souths/Westlawn bubble?

On paper you would say Harwood have too many big guns, but that analysis ignores the importance of self-belief and momentum.

While luck has helped them, Souths/Westlawn have established some momentum.

They turned a lucky escape into outright points in game two and there was a ruthless feel to the way they crushed Easts after bowling them out cheaply in the first innings.

With opening bowler Adrian Boyd back on the paddock and Nathan Blanch and Dylan Cleaver in the bowling attack, they can be dangerous if things go their way.

Souths/Westlawn’s batting is notoriously brittle and it often feels like the fall of a key wicket can start an avalanche.

They’ve escaped punishment so far this season, but Harwood is unlikely to be as generous.

In other games Lawrence takes on Easts at Lower Fisher Turf hoping their luck returns.

After missing out against Souths/Westlawn in game one, they smacked Tucabia by nearly 100 runs in game 2.

But last weekend’s rain robbed them of solid shot at first innings points against Coutts.

At Ellem Oval Tucabia and Coutts have a chance to regroup after mixed starts to the season.

Tucabia started with a win against Easts but have been shaky ever since.

Coutts are winless, but were close against Souths and have put together a few good sessions with bat and ball, without being consistent.

Tucabia must erase the trauma of the last game against Harwood when their bowlers and batters were brutally exposed.

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Harwood monsters Tucabia with bat and ball

By Tim Howard

It’s doubtful anyone involved in Clarence Valley cricket has seen a team as brutally dismantled as were Tucabia Copmanhurst at the hands of Harwood on Saturday.

In a few balls over 53 overs Harwood Oval witnessed a torture session as the home side eviscerated the Tucabia bowling attack, scoring 7dec/343.

With the ball Harwood strapped the Tucabia batting lineup to the rack and turned the screws to have them 7/27 at stumps.

The star of the innings was first drop Coby Tabor, who scored his second century of the season, smashing 153 from 94 balls – that’s a strike rate of 162.75 – with 19 fours and five sixes.

Tabor was not the only one to tee off.

Skipper Ben McMahon pounded 42 from 29 balls and Josh Lane went better than a run a ball with 35 from 29.

Second top score was opening bat Maison Simmons, whose 62 came from a relatively sedate 101 deliveries, with eight boundaries.

Bizarrely century maker from the previous game, Troy Turner, fell for a golden duck, bowled by Matt Pigg on the last ball of the innings.

To be fair, Tucabia’s attack was threadbare with veteran speedster Brad Chard and exciting newcomer Myles Adamson both absent for day one.

But Harwood were ruthless exploiting that advantage and only one of the eight bowlers tried went for less than a run a ball.

Tim Bultitude’s canny finger spinners fared best, taking 3/67 from 15 overs and Matt Pigg took 2/38 from 4.4 overs with his wickets coming from final two balls of the innings.

Harwood skipper Ben McMahon’s declaration denied him a shot at a hat trick and given the scores, it’s unlikely he’ll get one next week.

Harwood’s bowlers were as ruthless as their batters.

In just 16.2 overs they routed the Tucabia line up with leg spinner Jacob McMahon gutting the middle order.

Brought on close to stumps he snared 3/1 in 2.2 overs and his brother Ben picked up two as Tucabia lost five wickets in a chaotic end to the day’s play that included three ducks.

Only Pigg, 10, reached double figures. Veteran Derek Woods is not out on 2, having faced 28 balls – the most of any Tucabia batter.

GDSC opening bowler Shannon Connor put in a marathon spell for his team at Lower Fisher Turf, Grafton, but it could not stop his team conceding first innings points on day 1 of the game.

Ellem Oval. Grafton, hosted a more typical day of first grade cricket with visitors Lawrence batting for most of the day to score 180 against a determined Coutts Crossing attack.

The visitors batted for 68.1 overs for their runs in the face of tight bowling.

No.4 Doug Harris was the best for Lawrence with 43 and skipper Nathan Ensbey, making a rare return to the opening spot, was next best with 41.

A couple of cameo 20s from Chris Townson, 21 and Nathan Williams, 23, helped Lawrence to a competitive, but not commanding total.

Dylan Lucas was easily the pick of the Coutts’ bowlers, taking 4/26 from 15 frugal overs.

Fellow opening bowler Hayden Woods was also handy, snaring 3/22 from the same number of over.

Andrew McLachlan got a couple and Jamie Firth finished with a 100% record, taking a wicket with the only ball he bowled.

Coutts weathered a nasty couple of overs to finish at 0/9.

Competition leaders Souths/Westlawn have dominated the first day of its game with GDSC Easts at Lower Fisher Turf in Grafton to secure first innings points.

South/Westlawn welcomed opening bowler Adrian Boyd back to the crease and he responded in devastating fashion, taking 5/22 in 13 overs.

Another newcomer, Scott Avard, picked up 3/18 and Dylan Cleaver took 2/8.

Shannon Connor’s 19 was the best of a dismal Easts’ effort where extras with 13, was the next best score in a total of 74.

Souths/Westlawn marched to first innings points in emphatic fashion.

Openers, Cleaver 36, and Brenden Cotten, 31, piled on a 53-run opening stand.

The second wicket, Brendan Dunn, 10, fell just three short of taking first innings points.

Cotten was third out with the score on 103 and the fourth wicket fell at 142 when Eli Jones was run out for 17.

Pigg and Forwell will be back at the crease on Saturday with the scoreline reading 4/152.

Top score for the innings, Joe Pigg, is 49no and Max Forwell will resume on 2no as Souths/Westlawn hunt for outright points next week.

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