Lakes Entrance scored its biggest win of an impressive season, easily eclipsing fellow premiership aspiration Meerlieu in round seven of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association at the Lakes Entrance Recreation Reserve last Saturday.
It was the Seagulls’ first victory over a top four side and sixth for the season, quickly erasing from the mind the season’s only aberration against ladder leader Lindenow South Glenaladale in the previous round.
After amassing a respectable 213 last week, the second-ranked Lakes took to the field knowing it would have to field well and hold its catches if it was to claim the scalp of the fourth-ranked Tussocks, who have a top order arsenal of stroke players which is the envy of most in the competition.
The Seagulls had a plan and they executed it perfectly, beginning with co-captain Jake LeMaitre claiming the dangerous Jay Peiris without scoring in the first over.
Reagan Kyle showed plenty of patience batting at three, making a classy 47 from 102 balls, but his exit at 3-77 spelled the end for the Tussocks, key personnel Connor Mitchell and Rohan Blandford departing to dismissals that they would be keen to have over again shortly after.
The last five wickets for Meerlieu added just 12 runs between them, spun out by the Seagulls spinners Sam Kincaid (4/33) and Josh Sackfield (5/15) for just 102, the talented Sackfield continuing his outstanding transformation with bat and ball in his second stint with Lakes Entrance, everything the Englishman touches in recent weeks turning to gold.
The Seagulls now are nipping at the heels of Lindenow South Glenaladale, who suffered a disappointing loss to Orbost last Saturday, while Meerlieu will quickly need to regroup and refocus with sides such as Wy Yung and Lucknow genuine improvers who may separate from the second pack and make a charge for the finals after the Christmas break.
