WINS in cricket don’t come much better than when you defend a low total, and Nyah did precisely that on Saturday, triumphing over Woorinen despite being rolled for 126.
With such a powerful batting line-up, the chase should have been a simple one for the Tigers, but the Demons are the form side of the competition and have that winning mentality every club craves.
Joel Walsh was once again the star with the ball.
Last week Walsh destroyed Wandella, taking 6/54 – but that didn’t even come close to his incredible performance at the weekend.
His 6/14 from 15.4 overs was one of the best bowling performances the competition has seen for a very long time.
Walsh bowled unchanged through the whole innings and was well backed up by fellow opener Drew Lloyd (2/42 off 13), who picked up early wickets.
The big blow was Cooper Fox – Walsh nicked off the Tigers’ big-hitting opener for a duck to start the rot that would leave the Tigers 6/26.
No batting collapse is complete without a runout, and Demons skipper Ben Shadbolt managed to get his opposite number in Tigers captain Jason Mangiameli (2) with a impressive piece of fielding.
It could have been far worse for the Tigers, but the tail showed some fight before being rolled for 72.
That loss was the Tigers’ sixth in a row.
To this point, many had expected them to bounce back at some stage with the quality littered throughout their side, but now the form line can’t be ignored and a lot will have to change if they’re to make a late charge for the top four.
Earlier, the Tigers at least put in one of their best bowling performances of the season, restricting arguably the best batting line-up in the SHDCA to 126.
Missing their two-strike weapons in Gurmander Singh and Robert Rush, there are definitely positives to take out of the day for the Tigers.
Mangiameli (2/29 off 12) trapped Charlie Boulton (8) in front early before securing the prized scalp of Walsh next ball.
Toby O’Grady (31) was the only batsman throughout the day who’d be going home pleased.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Demons’ form couldn’t be more different.
They have won their last nine games and aside from St Mary’s Tyntynder, it’s hard to see anyone getting close to them in 2022/23.
St Mary’s Tyntynder v RSL
FANS of St Mary’s should be excited.
A massive 119-run win over RSL at the weekend, a Kookaburra Cup grand final on their home ground on Thursday and the return of gun bat Jonty Chaproniere from Port Adelaide’s second-grade side has them on top of the world.
Playing their first game since the resumption, the Saints looked sluggish early against a Blues side who already had two games under their belt.
Blues opening bowler Cameron Cook (4/53 off 14 overs) had the Blues dreaming they could cause a memorable upset when he dismissed Jake Foster and Bailey Codling for ducks in the first over.
Jack Shannahan (4) and Corey Daniels (0) quickly followed to leave the Saints 4/39.
The return of Chaproniere didn’t come a moment too soon – with wickets tumbling around him, the star bat played a brilliant counter-attacking innings of 59 from 47 balls.
The middle and lower order of Austin McKerrow (29), Riley Daniels (25) and Jared Halligan (31) provided ample support to drag the Saints to 9/187.
Against the Blues, that total would usually look just below par – however, this Blues side was decimated with outs, which included three of their usual top four in Ryan Hinton, Brenton Caldwell and Stuart Patterson.
Ben Hallam (29) was the remaining pillar and the Blues skipper tried his hardest but failed to find any help.
Three ducks in a top six that didn’t have anyone reach double figures besides Hallam was indicative of the strength of the Blues’ line-up.
The Saints’ bowling was tight as usual, with captain Nathaniel Holmes-Brown (2/10 off nine overs), Corey Daniels (3/25 off six) and young star Charlie King (2/10 off six) the pick of the bowlers.
Focus now turns to the Kookaburra Cup final on Thursday against Wandella for the Saints, where they’ll enter as firm favourites.
The Blues travel down to face the Bombers this weekend.
Ultima TUF v Swan Hill
ULTIMA TUF has made it three on the trot since Christmas, winning comfortably against Swan Hill.
Missing opening bowlers Jordan King and Josh Waldron, the Roos would be very proud of their bowling effort, which saw them roll the Swans for 105.
Cassidy Sibley was excellent with the ball for the second week in a row, taking 4/28 off his 14 overs.
Kyle Symons (3/11 off six) also had a day out with the ball before guiding his side over the line, making 32 not out with the bat.
Missing Andrew Clark and Sebastian Linssen and with Alan Hatcher injured, the bowling strength at the Swans’ disposal was never going to be enough to defeat an in-form Roos line-up.
Mitchell Seton-Stewart boosted his average with a well-made 36 not out.
Ian Schodde (1/29 off six) and Jacob Hatcher (1/27 off five) were the only wicket-takers for the Swans.
The Roos eased home with 25 overs to spare.
While bigger challenges are on the horizon for the Roos, the win means they are entrenched in the top four.
For the Swans, a promising-looking season before Christmas has fallen to the wayside since coming back, and they’ll be desperate to get a couple of their all-rounders back.
