South Mandurah moved within striking distance of a top four berth when a cohesive effort led them to a victory over Pinjarra in round 12 of the Peel Cricket Association season on Saturday.
The Falcons were buoyed by several outstanding individual performances with both the bat and ball as they dealt Pinjarra their fourth consecutive loss, bringing the two sides to an even 6-6 record with the Tigers clutching to fourth spot by a slim two points.
Batting first, Pinjarra was off to a strong start with the in-form Jacob Gittos finding the boundary seven times (one maximum) to bash out 43 from 48 deliveries.
Half centuries to both Chris Zadow (57) and Luke Gorman (53) would reaffirm the Tigers in the match before both fell victim to a brilliant two-over spell from Souths’ Scott Atkin.
The bowler finished with a destructive 3/10 from his 12 deliveries, only to be bested by teammate Jesse Buck who claimed 4/25 from his 10 overs.
Still, recording a score of 9/219 gave Pinjarra a chance to defend.
But the Tigers’ search for an early wicket was futile, as Liam Kerr (25), Brad Holmes (54), Matt Hill (44) and Nicholas Scholl (41) all gave healthy contributions as the first four in the Falcons’ order.
Michael Holmes produced a game-high 64 to put the icing on the cake of Souths’ sixth win of the season.
The Falcons have now won four straight games to rampage into the finals contention picture, three of which have come against top four opponents.
They will once again face off against a contending team when they take on Mandurah at Meadow Springs in round 13.
Pinjarra on the other hand will be out to snap their four-game skid when they square off against the Hillman Hornets.
Mandurah defeat Halls Head
A sublime 90 runs from Anuj Dal gave Mandurah all the breathing space they needed to fend off a determined Halls Head and claim their eighth win of the year on Saturday.
Dal’s 90 helped overcome the early loss of a pair of wickets, teaming with a 53 from Matt Jenkinson to lead Mandurah to 8/224 from their 50 overs.
Chris Phelps led the way in Halls Head’s chase with 49 off 57, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win for the team as they fell short on 191.
Halls Head will look to turn the tide when they hit the road to play Shoalwater Bay next round.
Shoalwater Bay defeat White Knights Baldivis
James Stuart’s stingy bowling and Sean Hetel’s knock of 62 led Shoalwater Bay to a win over Baldivis over the weekend.
Stuart was a restrictive force tallying the figures of 2/10 from an eight-over spell (which included four maidens), and his efforts played a key role in limiting the White Knights to 146 runs despite a half century from Adam Bremner.
Baldivis looked threatening in their defence thanks to a stunning spell from Kyle Ralph, who dismantled Shoalwater to finish on 6/19 from 10 overs.
But Hetel’s 62 and Stuart’s 45 saw Shoalwater edge to 160 runs to take the win.
Waroona defeat Hillman
A pair of unbeaten centuries from Ben Wright and Nic Rep saw Waroona power their way to an emphatic win over Hillman.
Wright (121 not out) and Rep (102 not out) helped Waroona flex its muscles to a whopping 2/267 from their 50 overs, before the squad’s bowling outfit made short work of the Hornets’ order.
Mitchell Smith starred with 3/22 off 10 overs as he sparked a run that saw Hillman ousted on 110.
The victory keeps Waroona in first place.
Singleton defeat Warnbro
A prodigious bowling effort spearheaded by Chris Loveridge saw Singleton steamroll the Swans in round 12.
Loveridge’s other-worldly figures of 6/12 from eight overs sparked complete domination from the Irwinians, as they took Warnbro’s batting line-up apart and kept them to just 59 runs before dismissing them in the 33rd over.
Bradley Ranford almost topped the Swans’ score himself with 55 runs, taking Singleton’s top score as they cruised to victory with a score of 231.
Warnbro’s schedule won’t get any easier next week, as they face the top-placed Waroona.