DIVISION 3 ECHUCA REPORT – MARCH 2022
Vintage Wombats Echuca 2022
Our competitive Division 3 side played four matches at the Echuca Carnival, winning the first 3 to earn the right to play in the Grand Final on the last day.
Unfortunately, we lost the big one to a strong Iona batting side but remained competitive to the end. Team highlights included the individual contributions made by all players at different stages of the four-day competition and our ability to recover from difficult positions - a real team effort.
Terry Bound took the most wickets (8/43) while Kim Bernardi led the batting with 81 runs. Johnny Gritzalis was again outstanding in the field, running and saving many runs in the deep over the four days.
Match 1: Vintage Wombats v Barkly Street, Maribyrnong
Skipper Robin Lutze won the toss and opted to send in the opposition.
Our bowling tightened after 12 came from the first over. Jack White took a magnificent overhead catch at mid-off, but it came at a considerable cost. He landed awkwardly, breaking his arm, which prematurely ended his tournament after just six overs.
We recovered from the shock of this early loss to take wickets steadily. Terry Bound was the outstanding bowler taking 4/10 from his six. (Man of the Match).
Our reply to their 107 saw us cruise to victory at 3/112 with good contributions off 30 balls from Tony Tree (25), Kim Pearce (22), and Kim Bernardi (21).
Match 2: Vintage Wombats v Goulburn Murray
We won the toss and bowled again.
Our standout bowler on the day was Kim Pearce with 3/26.
Terry Bound (1/13), Kim Bernardi (1/10) provided economic support, and Rob Hannan bowled tightly over the four days without luck. Goulburn Murray was all out for 135.
Our response started poorly, with both openers gone with the score at only 10. We recovered from 3/35 to finish with 6/137. Another great team effort with solid batting from Terry Bound (23), Robin Lutze (21), Rod Cross (19), Kim Pearce (Man of the Match), and Gary Hayes (both 18) all contributed to secure the win.
Match 3: Vintage Wombats v Geelong White
We went into this match needing a win to finish top of the division and secure a spot in the Grand Final. Another outstanding all-round performance by our bowlers saw Geelong held to 130 off their 40 0vers.
Every bowler played their part led by Terry Bound (2/10), Gary Hayes (1/19), and Kim Pearce (1/23) off their six overs.
We cruised to 4/95 at 20 over drinks thanks to a swashbuckling 40 by Kim Bernardi (40 off his 30 balls). We then lost a wicket immediately after the break, followed by something of a procession to slump to 8/123. Opener George Eden returned to the crease after retiring earlier to finish on 16no to secure the victory and top spot.
Match 4: Grand Final v Iona
We lost the toss for the first time, put in to bat, and were soon in trouble, losing both openers at 2/9. Our recovery was led by Gary Hayes (25), Robin Lutze (17), and Kim Pearce (16). We slowed towards the end of our innings but still managed a competitive 138, our highest tournament score.
We started well with some tight bowling, but at 20-over drinks, the opposition had raced to 1/83 after some big hitting. A couple of quick wickets after drinks helped, but Iona continued to score freely to pass our score with four overs to spare. The best of our bowlers were Richard Lower (1/12) off his six, Terry Bound (1/10), and Man of the Match Kim Bernardi (1/18).
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