Rockingham-Mandurah is sitting pretty on the top of the ladder after eight rounds of the Western Australian Premier Cricket competition with a 116-run first innings demolition of Bayswater-Morley.
Leon Coombs smashed the Bears’ batting and the record books with the best ever innings and match figures by a Mariner in Premier Cricket.
Resuming at Hillcrest Reserve on 7/53, the hosts had no answer to the Rockingham-Mandurah opening bowler.
He cleaned up the final three wickets for the sensational figures of 8/25 from 20.2 overs, 11 of which were maidens.
This eclipsed the best figures of Ryan Done (8/78 vs Midland-Guildford in 2011/12) and Craig Simmons (8/107 vs Melville in 2012/13).
Dismissing Bayswater-Morley for 72, skipper Simmons had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on.
Maximum points were in play with more than 20 overs to go as the Bears slumped to 4/62.
A two-hour partnership got them to the safety of stumps at 4/160.
Coombs’ second innings work of 2/16 gave him match figures of 10/41 from 31.2 impressive overs, the first Mariner in the club’s 19 seasons of first grade cricket to snare 10 wickets in a match.
The club will be well satisfied with its work before the Christmas break, as three grades from four took out victories to catapult Rockingham-Mandurah to the top of the club championship.
The Twenty20 season will take place over the coming weeks before the club looks to build on its position of strength on January 5 against South Perth.
