Sport
14 March, 2025
Juniors valiant in defeat
Despite a brave bowling and fielding effort and a bright batting start from Gilgandra, perennial pacesetters RSL Colts were eventually too strong for Gilgandra Thunder in the Dubbo District Junior Cricket Association 12A grand final at Dubbo’s Lady Cutler Fields on Saturday, March 8.
RSL Colts won the toss, elected to bat and made 3-174 off 28 overs before restricting Gilgandra Thunder to 91 runs for an 83-run victory.
It was the second successive season that RSL Colts had defeated Gilgandra Thunder in the DDJCA 12A decider.
However, Gilgandra Thunder was happy with their effort with ball and in the field, given RSL Colts had scored 190 runs or more in three matches this season, including 3-224 the last time they played Gilgandra.
Jesse Irwin (40), Jack Vaile (28) and Thomas Marchant (28) all made good scores and retired not out for RSL Colts.
Gilgandra Thunder’s Lachlan Fisher (1-14) and Lucy Zell (1-16) bowled good four-over spells while Mitchell Beaton (1-14 off two overs) was Gilgandra Thunder’s other wicket-taker.
Gilgandra tried hard with the bat and were 1-52 at one stage, but eventually fell short being dismissed in 20 overs. Gilgandra Thunder 12A coach Randall Medd said RSL Colts’ accurate bowling was crucial, with the Dubbo side bowling six Gilgandra players from the eight wickets RSL Colts collected.
“We started well and had them worried for a period,” Randall said. “But RSL Colts are a side where you play can one false shot and get out bowled. There is no margin for error”
The coach said he was happy with Gilgandra’s performance.
“I thought overall we played quite well,” he said. “In the field we were good and our batting started positively.”
Fisher (32 not out) had a great all-round match for Gilgandra while Oscar Medd (17), Oliver Peart (11) and Beaton (11) also made decent contributions with bat. Oscar Medd was dismissed off a full toss just six balls shy of having faced his 30 balls to retire while Peart (23 balls) and Beaton (19 balls) also occupied the crease well.
If any of Medd, Peart and Beaton had survived for 30 balls to retire, it would have meant that if Gilgandra lost all their wickets, which they eventually did, they would have been able to come back in and bat with Fisher.
