Peel cricketers chase Country Cup premiership with WA side

The three local Peel stars helped buoy the WA side to a grand final berth when they played vital roles in a victory over the Busselton-Margaret River Cricket Association in round three of the competition on Sunday.

Hutchison, who is captaining the squad, conjured a five-wicket haul and teamed up with Abel (who snared four of his own) to collect nine of Busselton-Margaret River’s 10 wickets.

The duo was destructive with the ball in hand, dismantling their opponent’s run chase to finish comfortable 129-run winners.

It was a bounce-back victory for the WA boys, who went down to Bunbury in round two of the competition after notching a win over Albany in round one.

Their overall record of two wins, one loss was enough to lock down a spot in the final against Bunbury, presenting them with a chance to redeem their only loss on the campaign.

“We’ve played some really good cricket over the first three matches but obviously came up short against Bunbury in round two, so hopefully we can turn things around and post a win,” Hutchison said.

“There’s some really good cricketers in the invitational squad and it’s a good chance to play a high standard of cricket, so to win the whole thing would be great.”

The 2018 installment of the Country Cup has reverted back to the 50-over format after playing T20 games the past few years, in an effort to rejuvenate the carnival.

Hutchison said it provided an opportunity for local cricketers to make their case for Country XI selection.

“Competition’s like the Country Cup can be a good avenue for players to compete in a higher level of the game,” he said.

“Hopefully it can grow from this and really open doors for some talented cricketers.”

WA Invitational will hit the turf for their final against Bunbury on Sunday, December 2.