Harvey-Benger Cricket Club celebrates end of ordinary season with second and fourth grade minor premierships

Harvey-Benger Cricket Club has had a fantastic end to the ordinary season, with both main teams coming home with wins. The second grade side wrapped up the minor premiership with a win on the weekend in the last game of the regular season over Hay Park. Harvey-Benger won the toss and elected to bat on their home deck in the heat with openers Haydn Jones and Joe Cambrea racing to 34 off the 20 balls before Jones was run out for 27. Two more quick wickets fell (Cambrea 16 and Minton 2) leaving Harvey-Benger three for 48 off 7 overs. The middle order all got starts but the home team kept losing constant wickets struggling to seven for 108 off 20 overs. However the experienced tail enders of Roelofsz (22), Fimmano (12no off 67) and Fucile (13 off 35) helped push the total to 175 off 45 overs. In reply, Roelofsz dismissed Birch (0) in the first over but Hay Park regrouped and were cruising until Harley Italiano snared two run outs, reducing the Redbacks to four for 61. When Brady Oxford caught the dangerous Daniel Sheppard off the bowling of Matt Cooke, Haypark were struggling at five for 74. The in-form James Harradine was joined at the crease by Regan Smith and the pair put on 65 runs until Zak Italiano (6/33) dismissed Smith for 23. Italiano with the wind in his back, bowled the home side to victory taking the last five wickets for one run as Hay Park lost five for six, falling 30 runs short. Harvey-Benger second grade host the Colts are in the first semi-final this Saturday with the winner going straight to the grand final. The fourth grade extended their unbeaten run to eight matches entering the finals, with a four-wicket victory away against the second placed Hay Park. After losing the toss and finding themselves in the field, the visiting Harvey-Benger bowlers kept things tight early. The luckless Murray Italiano (0/17 from 8 overs) was key in applying pressure on the Hay Park batters. This pressure eventually told as Kye McCreery (2/13 from 6 overs) found the breakthrough, clean bowling George Papas for 27. Hay Park were cautious in their approach on a difficult pitch. The home team were slowly building towards a total before a brilliant piece of fielding by wicketkeeper Darren Bozanich created a run out from a backhand flick. Some good death bowling, including two wickets to Jorryn Fucile, restricted Hay Park to 130 runs from their allotted 40 overs. In reply, the Harvey-Benger opening bats were patient in waiting for the bad ball and then capitalising on those mistakes. Johnny Crognale (44) and captain Rowan Morrison (26) saw the score to 71 before Crognale was run out. The fall of Morrison just after the drinks break precipitated a mini collapse for the visitors as they fell to 5/88. The impressive McCreery (15) then combined with Jarod Maughan (20 not out) to steady the ship and ensure Harvey-Benger reached the total with 5 overs to spare. Harvey-Benger’s fourth grade also secured the minor premiership and will play at home this weekend for the chance to host the grand final.