Reigning premier, West Bairnsdale have moved up to third on the ladder, making a bold statement in round five of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association season, scoring a late in the day outright victory over Metung Swan Reach at the Swan Reach Recreation Reserve.
West are now part of a quartet of four sides that has moved two games clear inside the top four and despite the loss, the Swans still sit in sixth place, with a winnable match approaching this week against Paynesville.
Resuming at 2/84, chasing 140, West had little trouble knocking off the runs, but probably didn’t score at a run rate that suited them and their endeavour for maximum points.
Sam Stewart was the mainstay of the innings, making a classy 71, including seven well struck boundaries.
Brodie Anderson again pushed his case late in the innings for his upgrade to an impact player, making 31 from just 25 balls, including two monstrous maximums.
Wests’ skipper Ryan Halford declared their innings at 4/186, a lead of 46 with 52 overs remaining in the day’s play, at that stage outright points seemed unlikely.
Swan Reach was cruising along nicely at 1/46 in the 13th over, when Reece Carstairs was dismissed for 37 from just 46, things unravelled after that, the Swans dismissed for 73 in 45 overs.
Veteran Mark Hopgood battled hard, making 17 from 131 deliveries but he struggled to find allies to avert a West Bairnsdale outright win.
It didn’t help that Forhad Haque who has impressed with both bat and ball in the Swans elevation to premier cricket this season, was run out for a duck, after a mix up.
Jordan Hack (11 from 30) offered some resistance but unfortunately far too many of his teammates rolled over under the intense pressure of the Wests bowling attack lead by Chris Hammond (2/3), Brodie Anderson (3/14) and Patrick Halford (2/1).
Late in the day, West required 28 runs from seven overs, knocking the total off comfortably in the sixth over for the loss of just two wickets.
Wests delighted with their maximum points victory, in a two-day fixture that was full of entertainment.
