Easts scrambles to win over Harwood

By Tim Howard

GDSC Easts batters held their nerve to fnish over the top of Harwood in the CRCA/LCCA combined frst grade cricket match at Harwood Oval on Saturday.

Harwood batted frst after Easts skipper David Bruton-Duroux sent the home team in after winning the toss.

But the hosts squandered the chance to set an imposing score after opener Ashley Moss, 50 and No. 3 Maison Simmons, 40 had put together a solid partnership.

Their dismissal sparked a clatter of wickets with Bruton-Duroux claiming a couple of quick wickets with his left-arm spinners.

Two run outs later in the innings didn’t help matters.

Duncan Fisher’s brisk 20no from 23 balls was Harwood’s best effort in the lower half of the order as well as a generous 33 from extras including 23 wides and two no balls.

A feature of the scorecard in the Harwood innings was the prevalence of the name Lobsey in the dismissals.

Seven times the name Lobsey appeared as a bowler, catcher or part of a run out as dad Matt and his two sons Gus and Theodore imposed themselves on the game.

The Easts run chase was in trouble early as Harwood’s opening bowler Colby Vallete 2/8 made early breakthroughs.

But opener Chris Chamberlain, 45 from 71 balls, kept his head as wickets tumbled.

No. 6 Matt Lobsey changed the complexion of the game 42 from 37 balls and Gus Lobsey, 13no was at the crease when Easts passed the Harwood total.

The extras total of 23 was the third highest total of the innings.

As well as Vallette’s miserly performance, Cameron Ryan 2/17 and Fisher, 2/35 each picked up a brace.

At Ellem Oval Tucabia Copmanhurst dominated Iluka in a low-scoring game that barely exceeded 44 overs.

Iluka chose to bat frst after winning the toss and was in trouble straight away when Andrew Ellis claimed three quick wickets.

Dan Cootes followed with three of his own leaving the innings in deep trouble.

Only a blistering 32 from 31 balls from No. 8

Jonno McEwen propelled the innings to 85 in 25 overs.

Ellis fnished with the remarkable fgures of 5/7 and Cootes picked up 3/27.

Tucabia were merciless in the run chase, reaching the Iluka total in the 19th over for the loss of two wickets.

Ellis backed up his bowling effort with a patient 26 but it was

Matt Dougherty who fnished the game off with a bang, clubbing 28no, including six boundaries, in a 13-ball cameo, taking Tucabia to a winning total of 2/87.

The game at Yamba Oval between Yamba and Lawrence was also swift and low scoring.

Lawrence sent the home team in after winning the toss and quickly ran through the top order.

Nick Smart hit a couple of sixes in a quick fre 20 and James Feaver with 12 from 11 hit out, but when they fell with score at36 and 38, the Lawrence bowling reasserted itself..

Francis Stanton with a patient 20no from 41 balls tried to stem the wicket loss, but was helpless as Ben Shaw ran through the batters at the other end.

Shaw fnished with 6/25 from his eight overs in a dominant display.

Lawrence made short work of the chase with opener Ben Hill, 43no and skipper Nathan Ensbey, 17no headlining the 1/81 run chase in just 15.2 overs. Nathan Williams took the only wicket to fall.

The premier league game between Harwood and Brothers was decided last week, when Brothers forfeited the game.

There were no scores submitted from the other frst grade game between Coutts Crossing and Maclean United at Lower Fisher Turf.

In the CRCA premier league games beginning on Saturday, at Ellem Oval, Aussie Hotel Coutts Crossing play GDSC Easts and at Ulmarra Showground Tucabia Copmanhurst hosts Lawrence. Both games are two day fxtures.