By David Nagel
THE West Gippsland Warriors (9/168dec) kicked off their 2012 Country Week campaign in impressive style on Monday with a comfortable win over Kyabram (122 and 2/29) at Central Reserve, Waverley.
The Warriors are aiming to win Division Two this week to enter the top flight of country cricket next year.
Warriors skipper Aaron Avery won the toss and sent Kyabram into bat on a pitch that had been covered all weekend and would improve as the day unfolded. Avery threw the ball to his Tooradin team mates Callum O’Hare and Lukas Hoogenboom and a gruelling week of cricket was under way.
The two quicks got the side off to a great start, keeping the scoring at under one run per over but not getting the breakthrough until O’Hare clipped the top of middle stump, leaving the score at 1/7. O’Hare then found an edge in the 15th over which gave keeper Tom Hussey the simplest of catches, the score now 2/26.
The Warriors had the run-rate under control throughout Kyabram’s innings but it wasn’t until the introduction of spin-twins Dwayne Doig and Sugeesha Dinushan that the wickets began to tumble. Kyabram’s Alex Young was looking dangerous and at 3/92 the run-rate was improving but Doig put a halt to that with a brilliant caught and bowled. From there Doig and Dinushan took over.
The pair ripped the heart out of the Kyabram mid to lower order claiming four wickets for just 10 runs. Doig’s right-arm mix of pace and flight had the opposition in a spin while Dinushan’s darty left-armers were the perfect foil for the Country Week stalwart.
Kyabram’s last wicket fell on 122 in the 50th over with Doig (4/22 off 10), Dinushan (2/16 off 10) and O’Hare (2/16 off 10) the pick of the bowlers.
The Warriors smallish run-chase didn’t start well but was soon on track as Hussey (43), AJ Walker (31), Dom Paynter (23) and O’Hare (19) all found form for the week ahead. With bonus points an issue the Warriors declared and snared two wickets before the close of play.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Remaining Draw
Wednesday – Warriors v Bairnsdale @ Endeavour Hills.
Thursday – Warriors v Benalla @ Bill Lawry Oval, Northcote.
