Blake Elliot was great with bat and ball, and picked up a handy hat trick cleaning up Wodonga Raiders’ tail.
Corowa’s A Grade cricket team produced a “miracle” performance, claiming a thrilling one-wicket victory over the Wodonga Raiders in a match that will be remembered for years.
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In a heart-stopping finish, Hamish Starr and Nick Grant shared an unbeaten 49-run partnership for the final wicket, guiding Corowa home with just seven balls to spare.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Corowa came under early pressure.
On a flat Ball Park pitch that offered little to the bowlers, the Raiders raced to 55 in the first eight overs.
Mark Athanitis provided the breakthrough with a disciplined 10-over spell, finishing with 1/27.
Tyler Abley and skipper Callum Langlands contributed crucial wickets as the Raiders reached 153.
The highlight of the innings, however, belonged to Blake Elliott. After Nick Grant (2/58) claimed two late wickets, Elliott cleaned up the tail with a sensational hat-trick, bowling the Raiders out for 217 in the final over.
Elliott finished with impressive figures of 3/28.
Corowa’s chase began poorly with the early loss of Blake Keenes for 11, but Jesse Moloney quickly steadied the innings. Moloney was in sublime touch, blasting 55 off just 51 balls, including eight boundaries, to take the score to 93.
Speedster Nick Grant was influential Corowa’s incredible win both with bat and ball.
Jarred Lane added a solid 33, but his dismissal triggered a collapse.
Hampered by two costly run-outs, Corowa’s middle order fell from a strong position to 7/134.
When Lenny Power departed for 15, the score was 8/148, and the match seemed lost. Blake Elliott (18) and Hamish Starr then pushed the score to 171 before Elliott was dismissed with a spectacular diving catch.
With the score at 9/171, Corowa still needed 47 runs from 10 overs with just one wicket remaining.
What followed was pure brilliance. Nick Grant (8*) joined Hamish Starr at the crease, and the pair batted with remarkable composure, rotating the strike and chipping away at the total.
The tension peaked in the penultimate over, when Starr dispatched three boundaries and a two to seal an emphatic victory. He finished as the match hero, unbeaten on 49 off 39 balls.
The win sees Corowa head into the Christmas break with a balanced 5–5 record.
The Roos will return to action on January 10th against Albury at Bilson Park.
B Grade Struggles Against Wodonga Raiders
Corowa’s B Grade side faced a reality check this weekend, falling to a clinical Wodonga Raiders side at Baranduda Fields.
Electing to bat first, Corowa struggled to build partnerships.
Ethan Lane fell early for 15, followed by the unfortunate run-out of Angus Massey, leaving the team at 2/20. Daniel Athanitis offered resistance with 21, but his dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse, reducing Corowa to 5/66.
Jay Lavis (23) and Jack Eales (16) attempted to rebuild the innings, but when Lavis fell at 93, the lower order could not recover.
Corowa was eventually bowled out for 114 in the 32nd over.
The bowling attack started promisingly, with Lavis taking two early wickets to put the Raiders under pressure at 2/28. However, the Raiders recovered strongly, posting 112 to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory.
Jack Eales managed a late wicket, but it was too little, too late.
The B Grade team heads into the Christmas break with a chance to regroup, returning to action on Saturday, January 10th, when they host Albury at Ball Park.
North East Knights claim victory
The Victorious North East Knights (NEK) Under 16 Boys.
The North East Knights (NEK) Under 16 Boys team, featuring Corowa’s Lenny Power (VC), Eli Lavis and Austin Ross-Anderson, have been crowned Cricket Victoria Country Cup Champions after winning a close contest in the Grand Final, played in Hamilton on Thursday.
The NEK team went through the competition without dropping a game and in doing so became the North East Regions first ever Championship-winning Boys team in 25 years of competing at the previous Dowling Shield, Youth Premier League and now in the Country Cup.
Sponsor Acknowledgement
The Club thanks our sponsors for their support this season: A & A Auto, Davidson White Accountants, John Rhodes Bricklaying, Waldrons Fresh on River, Kilara Group, Rivalea, Terry White Chemist, O’Connors, Balldale Hotel, Federation Steel, Collins Transport, Greenacres Motel, Thrifty, Corowa Furnishing and Floors, Wiesners, VK Logic, Wodonga Pneumatics, Back on Track Physiotherapy, Corowa Curtain & Decor, Corowa Meats, TH Kitchens Joinery, KB Wilson Seeds & Corowa RSL Club.
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