Thumping win for Harwood ahead of semi-finals

By Tim Howard

Harwood has prepared itself for the Clarence River Cricket Association first grade semi-finals with a thumping 143-run win over Tucabia Copmanhurst at Harwood Oval.

Resuming at 1/60 in reply to Tucabia’s meagre 109, Harwood passed that mark two-wickets down and proceeded to use the rest of the innings as batting practice for its top order, racking up 7/252 before the rain came to end play.

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Opener Maison Simmons was unlucky to miss a half century, dismissed on 49 after an innings that mixed stoic defence with belligerence.

While he soaked up 137 balls for his 49, his innings included three sixes and a couple of fours that lit up long periods of defence.

The rest of the order cashed in on the opportunity, with captain and leading run getter Ben McMahon keeping his form intact with 47 to second top score.

Coby Tabor, 38, was one of three of Harwood’s middle order to make useful contributions. Evan Lewis and Josh Lane each score 34 and the other batters made double figures in a good hit out ahead of the finals.

Rain probably robbed premiers GDSC Easts of a morale-boosting win against the high flying Lawrence outfit at Lower Fisher Turf.

Chasing Easts 209 Lawrence were 5/128 and would not have considered themselves out of the game with skipper Nathan Ensbey 29no and the explosive Doug Harris 19no when rain stopped play.

Easts spinners David Duroux and Andrew Kinnane had secured four of the five wickets and had made scoring difficult.

GDSC Easts have recruited Brothers player Andrew Kinnane, picture bowling at Ellem Oval, after the Brethren dropped out of the competition earlier this season. He rewarded them with a couple of wickets on Saturday.

Earlier Mark Ensbey had top scored with 37.

Duroux was the pick of the Easts bowlers with 2/18 from 13 overs of left-arm orthodox spinners.

Kinnane’s off-breaks were also effective snaring 2/26. Luke Hayman picked up the other wicket to fall.

Rain ruined the third game of the round with Souths Westlawn 4/131 chasing 216 against Coutts Crossing.

A first innings win for Coutts would have given them enough points to take a semi-final berth.

Resuming at 6/143 and with 11 overs to bat Coutts made the most of their opportunities to finish on 216.

Noel O’Connell did a lot of the damage with a pugnacious 41 to boost the score above 200.

Souths Westlawn chased vigorously in the 28 overs they had to bat and felt they had a chance to pull off a win when rain stopped play.

Brenden Cotten was 55 not out when players left the field due to bad light and lightning strikes. Then rain set in ending any possibility of further play.

Souths player Anthony Dickson said the weather ruined a good afternoon of cricket.

“We were going for it,” he said. “Cotto was still there and we had plenty of batting to come. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Saturday’s semi-finals pits the top two on the table, Harwood and Lawrence against each other at Harwood Oval.

The elimination final will be a contest between GDSC Easts and Tucabia at Ellem Oval.

Both games will be played over the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend.

Playing times have altered with Saturday’s play beginning at 12.30pm and on Sunday play begins at 10.25am.

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