By Rob Boxell
Yarra Junction U12 vs Montrose
Yarra Junction won the toss and elected to bowl first and this decision was immediately rewarded as Tyson Oates got a wicket first ball of the game to put pressure on Montrose.
Montrose regrouped and batted very well, respecting the good balls and proving stubborn to get out. The returning Noah Joseph was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 2/3 which included a double wicket maiden the last over of the innings to restrict Montrose to 3/54 off 23 overs.
Oates and Jordy Thornton opened the batting and set off in a positive manner before Oates bowled for 16. Luke Dark soon followed run out after some fantastic fielding from Montrose. Thornton and Charlie Guerin batted well together before both retired. Wil Joseph, Al Mason, Aiden Fogerty and Noah Joseph all came in and retired thanks to some sensible and mature batting stemming from good calling, rotating the strike and waiting for the loose delivery.
Daniel Lefel came in and scored a career-high 10 before falling to a great catch behind the stumps. This brought Thornton and Guerin back in and they carried on from where they left off with Thornton finishing 33* and Guerin with a career-high 28*.
Junction closed out the 23 overs 3/166 and took the win.
Yarra Junction 3/166 (J Thornton 33*, C Guerin 28*) def Montrose (N Joseph 2/3)
3rd XI vs Wandin
After a rough few weeks, the 3rd XI was looking to turn things around and make a bid for finals. A less than ideal start when four selected players were late withdrawals, forcing Yara Junction to pick injured veterans and debuting a couple of under-12s. A loss of the toss saw the threes go out in the field in very muggy conditions. Skipper Rob Boxell and Tyler Reed open the bowling, with Boxell snaring an early wicket. Things got more difficult when Boxell injured his shoulder attempting a catch. Reed finished with a wicket on the final ball of his spell to have figures of 1 for 26.
Although wickets were falling regularly, the junction bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs with Wandin reaching a score of 242. Highlights came with 11-year-old Luke Dark having a trundle and picking up a wicket in his first-ever senior match.
Set an unlikely target to win, Boxell and Aaron Stewart set their sights on chasing the large total from the outset, but Boxell was run out in the 3rd over with the score on 21. Stewart saw himself to double figures before also being run out and Reed reached 7 when he guided the ball down gully’s throat. The biggest shining light was Sean Vanderhyde, who’s 48 not out more than double his previous best score and saved the 3rds from being disgraced with the bat.
Yarra Junction 10/93 (S Vanderhyde 48*) def by Wandin 7/242 (G Peake 2/54)
2nd XI vs Powelltown
Travelling to take on old rivals Powelltown, the visitors were sent into bat first. Openers Matt Hammond and Marcel Kocher saw the 2s off to a great start before Kocher was dismissed 21. Hammond continued on with a few mini-partnerships before he was caught for an impressive 75. Tyson Gaskett and Rylan Bomford were both able to chip in with 26 and 24 respectively before cameos from Glenn Thompson and Rhys Matthews saw Yarra Junction to a total of 6/187.
Normally that would be a very defendable total, but the firepower of the Powelly top order proved too much as they comfortably passed the target in the 32nd over. Only Gaskett was able to pick up any wickets, returning figures of 2/52.
This loss leaves the 2nd XI two matches out of the top 4 with four games to go.
Yarra Junction 8/187 (M Hammond 75, T Gaskett 26, R Bomford 24, M Kocher 21) def by Powelltown 2/194 (T Gaskett 2/52)
1st XI vs Chirnside Park
Hosting Chirnside Park at home, there was cause for celebration before a ball was even bowled with captain Kevin Bomford playing his 200th first XI match, a huge milestone for the club. Having to bowl first Junction were off to a flyer with Chirnside quickly falling to 3/13 with Jordan Poynton and Dan Crewe taking early wickets. A partnership formed for Chirnside before Travis Nightingale was able to snare back-to-back wickets, sending the visitors to 5/94. The last five wickets fell in reasonably quick succession, as Glenn Poynton and Bomford ran through the tail, knocking over Chirnside for 141.
Having to bat for an hour proved difficult for the home side, as they slumped to 3/27 overnight. With still a very achievable total chase, Junction has plenty of batting to see themselves over the line and keep their hopes for finals alive.Yarra Junction 3/27 vs Chirnside Park 10/141 (K Bomford 3/22, T Nightingale 2/23, J Porynton 2/32, G Poynton 2/36)
