Will Burke lets rip with one of his leg spinners against Oakhill. Umpire Geoff Hoy keeps an eye on proceedings. Burke took 3-32 . Photo: Robert Chappel 050313RCB04
A 32-RUN unbroken eighth wicket stand by Josh Mathias and Matthew Vile kicked Castle Hill’s Oakhill College to a two wicket win over Tamworth’s Calrossy Anglican College at Riverside 7, at Tamworth yesterday. The win put them into a City and Country Schools Knockout Final against Kinross College in Sydney later this month.
Mathias (30no) and Vile (2no) came together with Oakhill staring at defeat at 8-74 and a fired up Hamish Batley.
However the pair played sensibly to edge their way towards a narrow but deserving victory.
Earlier Vile had claimed 3-21 from his seven overs as Calrossy fell for 102.
Co-captains Layne Berry (38) and Hamish Batley (22no) were the only Calrossy batsmen to reach double figures while Oakhill allrounder Nathan Smith starred by claiming a hat trick and finish with 3-14.
Will Bestford (2-19) and Andrew Smith (2-24) also bowled with success and skipper Alex Pagano (0-22) bowled tight in his 10 overs.
Pagano(17) and James Partridge (32) looked to be rescuing the side after Josh Lamb (2-5) and Batley (2-39) had ripped through Oakhill’s top order and left them 3-7.
Then Batley snared Pagano and when leg-spinner Will Burke (3-32) grabbed Partridge’s wicket Oakhill was 6-67.
That became 8-74 as Burke claimed two more victims before Mathias and Vile combined to steer the side into a March 26 KO Final against Kinross at Sydney University Oval.
“The small totals are always the hardest to chase,” Oakhill coach Martin Gillogly told The Leader after the narrow win.
“One ball can change the whole game. Calrossy did drop a couple of catches too but their fight and spirit was outstanding. We expected that when we came up here.”
He said Hamish Batley and Layne Berry batted well and gave their side a defendable total.
“Alex Pagano and then James Partridge batted well,” he said.
“And Josh Mathias took the pressure off and kept it cool. He was under immense pressure but held out. And Nathan’s performance to take a hat trick in his sixth over in a big semi-final was also special.”
