Postle delivers hat-trick

A FIVE-WICKET bag that included his first-ever hat-trick has seen Wedderburn veteran Adam Postle strengthen the Band’s claim to premiership favouritism.

Postle claimed key wickets of top-scoring Boort Yando skipper Jarrod Hodoras and opener Gould before returning to finish his seven-over allocation when the Boort tail was wiped out. Zanker, Austin Malone and Metcalfe were sent back to the pavilion in rapid succession and without adding to the scoreboard.

Postle’s brilliant final spell had Boort all out for 126.

Wickets had been eluding Postle since the Christmas break despite returning some of the most economical figures with the ball for Wedderburn.

Saturday was breakthrough day with wickets joining figures of two maidens and conceding just 17 runs.

And for good measure, Postle also took a catch in the field. It was Postle’s day and an ominous warning to other clubs in the competition ahead of the finals series.

His first wicket of Gould when Boort was on 31 was backed up moments later by Fergus Bear being caught by Luke Holt off a

Dash into Woods before fatal fall

BRIDGEWATER tried somersaults at the crease, sweeps and big hits as they attempted to stem the bowling attack of Kingower on Saturday.

A dash back to the bowler’s end by Darcy Wood proved his only piece of action with the bat, soon after clean bowled by Tom Nunn.

The wickets of Murphy and skipper Harry McKinley had already fallen and Bridgewater was on 28 runs.

Tom McKinley proved harder to move as he solidly swept and hooked to a match-high 40 before bowled by Ben Rose.

Tom Staniforth tried to make an impresseion with big-hitting moves but no sooner had he found an opening than he was caught off square leg by Stewart.

Will Deason was running the field well for Kingower and Jayden Leach took a key wicket of opener Murphy while Kyle Simpson’s five-wicket hail wiped out Bridgewater’s mid-order and tail.

The Kingower trio then systematically set about overhauling a very modest 74-run target.

While Matt Rowe was dismissed early and Braydon Walsh was caught and bowled by Harry McKinley for an uncharacteristic eight runs, the other three were steady.

Deason finished with 23 while Leach was unbeaten on 24 and Simpson also unfazed on 17 when Kingower declared with four overs to spare.

Wood would be the best of Bridgewater’s bowlers in a difficult afternoon. His six overs delivered Rowe’s scalp and included a maiden.

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BRIDGEWATER

Will Holt delivery. Luke ended the innings with three catches behind the stumps.

Hodoras would yet again prove the mainstay of Boort’s innings before another Luke Holt catch off a well-placed Postle ball.

Despite a very shakey start that saw opener Brad Holt bowled by Cockerell for a duck, Shelton and Luke Holt took control at the crease - Shelton posting an unbeaten 69 while Holt was caught and bowled by Bear four short of a half-century.

The return of Bear to Boort’s lineup was a boost to the side’s strength but not enough to overly trouble the buoyed Wedder- burn who have hopes to cracking a premiership next month.

The bowling pair of Hodoras and Cockerell was once more the mainstay of Boort’s field attack.

Cockerell also claimed the wicket of Kirk during his brief spell supporting Shelton with the bat.

Wedderburn had overtaken the target set by Boort when it declared at 3-132.

Saturday’s win was Wedderburn’s ninth for the season after a patchy start last October that saw four losses in early rounds.

Wedderburn is now a game and half clear at the top of the ladder.