Peel Cricket Association: Singleton hand Halls Head third straight loss

The reigning premiers cruised to victory despite no individual player shining greatly on the scorecard, with consistent bowling followed by a spread of contributions with the bat leading them past Halls Head’s total of 117 on their way to a score of 8/212 themselves.

Halls Head started the game on the wrong foot when the loss of openers Michael Chappell and Andrew Tatterson left them in a 2/16 slump.

They were given a breath of life when Sam Pendlebury (29) and Jack Manual (28) teamed up for a 41-run stand, but a collapse in the tail saw them routed on 117 in the 41^st over.

Singleton’s Tim Hutchison kept his strong start to the season rolling claiming 2/13 from his seven overs with the ball, while David Morgan led all wicket-takers with 3/24.

The Irwinians managed to chase down the Halls Head total with seven wickets to spare, and continued on to bat out their 50 overs.

Opener Danny Woollard’s 24 ensured the side was off to a healthy-enough start, and even the loss of Hutchison on just 11 runs did little to derail their chase.

Jay Boyd led all scorers with a knock of 34, while Brad Ranford (30), Bryce Evans (29) and Mitchell Shellam (25) were solid with the blade.

The win buoys Singleton to the top of the ladder, as they share a 4-0 record with fellow 2016/17 grand finalists Waroona.

The two are the only unbeaten sides left in the competition after Mandurah suffered their first loss on the weekend, with less than a point keeping Singleton on top.

Mandurah suffered their first loss of the young season when Shoalwater Bay edged their way to a victory in a nail-biter on the Stan Twight East Turf.

Seals captain Sean Hetel starred with 71 runs as his side’s chase of Mandurah’s total of 137 went down to the wire with no wickets to spare.

Ben Drummond blasted a brilliant 80 runs opening for Mandurah, but regular wickets fell around him as Shoalwater’s James Stuart (4/27) and Grant Coles (3/15) took advantage with the ball.

The Seals saw much of the same in their innings, with Hetel’s 71 the driving force as their batsmen attempted to ward off a stunning bowling performance from Gehan Fernando (5/25).

Shoalwater snared the winning runs just in time before being dismissed on 138 in the 35^th over.

A blistering knock of 120 runs saw Matt Hill celebrate his 200^th match for South Mandurah in style as he led South Mandurah to their first win of the season.

The opener’s stunning century – teamed with an impressive 79 from Brad Holmes – saw Souths pile up the runs as they romped to a 9/295 total.

Hillman’s Mitchell Hind tallied 43 of his own as he did his best to rally them toward South Mandurah’s score, but Jesse Buck (3/19) led the bowling attack as they restricted the Hornets to just 138 runs.

Hill also managed to claim a wicket in game 200, finishing 1/26 with the ball.

Waroona made it four from four when they took down the White Knights, thanks to a dominant bowling effort, at Settlers Turf on Saturday.

Daniel Abel (3/9) led the way as Waroona’s bowling attack allowed just two Baldivis batsmen to reach double figures, keeping the White Knights to a score 90.

Openers Ben Wright (28) and Jayden Derosa (26) secured a strong start for the visitors in their chase.

Their efforts paved the way for Waroona to notch 113 runs, and take the victory, before being dismissed in the 37^th over.

Pinjarra held onto their top-four spot with a comfortable win over the Swans in Warnbro on Saturday.

Jake Foley posted a quick 53 runs from 46 deliveries, mixing with a bunch of strong contributions from the tail as Pinjarra recorded 192 before being dismissed in the dying stages of their innings.

While Foley led the way with the bat, it was Joseph Duxbury leading the way with the ball.

His five-wicket haul played a crucial role in limiting Warnbro to just 80 runs, and allowing Pinjarra to take their third-straight victory.