General News
8 February, 2022
Horsham take home Western Waves premiership
Horsham has been crowned the inaugural Western Waves Over 40s Premiers after an exciting game against South West.
Submitted by Horsham Cricket Association
HORSHAM has been crowned the inaugural Western Waves Over 40s Premiers after an exciting game against South West.
The Western Waves KFC Festival of Cricket Final for Over 40s was held on Sunday at Melville Oval in Hamilton between Horsham and South West.
Horsham, led by David Puls, won the toss on a wicket that looked like it could play a few tricks and elected to bat.
Horsham was in early trouble when both openers, Dan Seymour and Trevor Polkinghorne were back in the shed with a score of 17.
Former team-mates, Justin Combe and Rowan Scott set about rebuilding the innings with some patient batting.
Scott Thompson managed to get the key breakthrough of Scott and when Martyn Knight was dismissed for 10, Horsham was in trouble at four for 59.
The Horsham Cricket Association vice-president Travis Hair joined Combe and together the pair set the innings up for the northerners.
Hair was brutal on the slower bowlers, using his sweep shot to reach the boundary on a pitch that wasn’t conducive to driving the ball.
Combe continued on his way past 50 as the pair put on 70 for the fifth wicket.
Some late hitting from Bard Sproule combined with some good running between the wickets saw the run rate lift and Horsham finished with seven for 167 from their 40 overs.
Justin Combe was the star with the bat, finishing with 73 from 114 balls to anchor the innings.
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Simon Murfett was the pick of the South West bowlers, picking up three for 19 from his eight overs.
The South West run chase got off to a cautious start, with Vines and Prince waiting for any loose balls with low risk.
The introduction of Gavin Young into the attack paid dividends for Horsham, with his swing and nagging line and length causing problems for the batters.
The Rup/Minyip player picked up three quick wickets and could’ve had more if not for dropped catches from the men in blue.
South West lost four for 22 to swing the game in the favour of Horsham and from there, the increasing required run-rate combined with tight bowling built pressure on South West.
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Puls, Hair and Scott continued to pick up wickets, with South West bowled out on the last ball for 141, giving Horsham a win by 26 runs and being crowned the inaugural Western Waves Over 40s Premiers.
The game was played in good spirits with all players celebrating the day together for a well-earned drink.
The concept looks to have a future, with both sides eager to play more games next summer.