By Les Hutchings
Kilsyth’s First XI played at Alan Smith Oval, Pinks Reserve in a two-day match against North Ringwood in Round 6 of the Trollope Shield competition. North Ringwood won the toss and elected to bat on a hot day with the temperature expected to reach 34C. North started well with a 53 run opening partnership, which came to an end in the 16th over when Thomas Robinson was bowled by Andy Solomons for 26 off 48 balls (5 fours). A second wicket partnership of 67 between Nathaniel I’Anson and Aaron Leis took the score to 120 when Solomons bowled I’Anson for 71 off 118 balls (11 fours), in the second last over before tea. At tea, North Ringwood were 2/121 off 42 overs with Aaron Leis on 22 not out, and Captain Luke McPhie yet to score.
After the tea break, North Ringwood progressed to 188 when McPhie was caught and bowled by Mackenzie Scott-Thomas for 37 off 44 balls (5 fours) in the 56th over. In his next over, Scott-Thomas had Aaron Leis adjudged lbw for 52 off 126 balls (7 fours), and North were 4/189 after 58 overs. North Ringwood continued to build the score and the 200 came up in the 61st over. It was 5/221 in the 66th over when Charlie Moore was trapped in front of his stumps by Andy Solomons for 18 off 23 balls. At the 70 over mark, North Ringwood had progressed to 5/232. With 10 overs remaining, they were looking to increase the run rate even more. The sixth wicket fell on 260, when Lachlan O’Donnell was well caught by Pasan Ganegoda from a skied catch to mid-on off the bowling of left arm spinner Uvindu Wimaladharma. The last wicket to fall was that of Ryan Peter-Budge, stumped by Captain Marcus Adams for 42 off 65 balls, off the bowling of Mackenzie Scott-Thomas with the score now 7/268 in the 78th over. In the end, North Ringwood finished on 7/294cc off their allotted 80 overs with Corey Rennison 17 not out off 9 balls, and Mitch Skinner 14 not out off 10 balls. All North’s batsmen reached double figures in a consistent batting display throughout the day. Kilsyth’s bowlers toiled hard in the hot conditions. Wimaladharma was outstanding, sending down 30 overs 6 maidens and finishing with 1/73. The other wicket takers were Andy Solomons 3/53 off 14 overs (2 maidens) and Mackenzie Sott-Thomas 3/84 off 19 overs (4 maidens). Opening bowler Kamal Kuruppu kept it tight early, sending down 5 overs 1 maiden 0/5 in his first spell. He bowled a second spell after tea and at one stage had 0/11 off 8 excellent overs, only to finish with 0/27 off 9 overs when North Ringwood set about increasing the run rate. Kilsyth have their work cut out next week, but the target is not beyond their capability.
The Second XI also played North Ringwood, at their temporary home for the season at Barngeong Reserve. Kilsyth won the toss and batted. Unfortunately, the Redbacks were all out for 149 in 63.2 overs. Top scorers for Kilsyth were Will Beard 35 off 87 balls, his father Dan Beard, 24 not out off 78 balls, Dylan Smith 16 off 44 balls, Daniel Caton 15 off 17 balls, and Joel Harris 14 off 26 balls. The outstanding bowler for North Ringwood was Nicholas Rule, who captured 5/50 off 28 overs (8 maidens). He was well supported by David Maddox, 3/49 off 19 overs (4 maidens), and Liam Sweeney 2/13 off 5.2 overs (2 maidens). North Ringwood batted for 16 overs and at stumps were 0/54 with Daniel Roe, 37 not out (7 fours), and Glenn Ibbott 17 not out (2 fours).
The Third XI played away against Lusatia Park at the picturesque Wickhams Road Reserve. Kilsyth won the toss and batted first but were all out for 171 in 53.1 overs. The highlight of the innings was a dashing 56 from Club stalwart Andrew Woolhouse, who faced 66 balls and hit 8 fours. During his innings, Andrew became the second player to pass 9000 senior runs for Kilsyth Cricket Club. The late Roy Baldwin is the Club’s leading run scorer with 10,328 (his records are incomplete). Kilsyth’s Mark Wells scored 26 off 52 balls, Ryan Tooth 23 off 61 balls, Trent Potter 18 off 19 balls and Matthew Young 16 off 31 balls. At stumps, Lusatia Park were in a strong position being 1/130 off 25 overs. Matthew Burgess with 1/22 off 4 overs, was the sole wicket taker. Kilsyth’s Justin Smith played his 250th senior game for the Club in this match.
The Fourth XI played at home on Roy Baldwin Oval, Pinks Reserve against North Ringwood in a two-day split innings match. Kilsyth won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring 4/150 in the first split of 36 overs. The top scorer for the Redbacks was Anthony Cook, who scored a brilliant 76 off 87 balls (13 fours), before being, unfortunately, run out. The other batsmen to get going were Shane Smith, 28 off 39 balls (5 fours) and Matt Harper 26 not out off 40 balls. Shaun Goodwin was the other not out batsman on 8. There were two run outs in Kilsyth’s innings and the wicket takers for North Ringwood were Stephen Parsons, 1/15 off 6 overs (1 maiden), and Rodney Stuart 1/16 off 4 overs. In reply, North Ringwood were 2/110 at stumps after their 36 overs, and next week, North will continue their innings in another split of 36 overs. For North Ringwood, Captain Colin Rule made 33 off 73 balls (6 fours), whilst Stephen Parsons was 26 not out off 51 balls (5 fours), and Isaac Parsons 25 not out off 69 balls (4 fours). Wicket takers for Kilsyth were Tait Harper 1/15 off 5 overs (1 maiden), and Mark Rollings, 1/19 off 5 overs (1 maiden). Kilsyth ended the first day with a slight advantage.
The Fifth XI, who played Templeton at Elizabeth Bridge Reserve, Kilsyth, won the toss and elected to bat. After losing an early wicket on 16, Kilsyth were 1/70 at drinks after 18 overs. The second wicket did not fall until the score had reached 183. There were three half century retirees: Geoff Kennedy 50*, Rhys Kearney 54* (his first senior half century), and Ryan Kaal 50*, enabling the Redbacks to post a good score of 6/218cc off their allotted 36 overs. However, Templeton chased down the target in the last over, finishing on 5/220 off 35.1 overs. Kilsyth were unable to stop Templeton’s momentum at any stage, with them being in control and scoring at six an over for the entire innings. Chief run getters for Templeton were Jack Bartlett and Luke Moore, both 50 retired not out, whilst Giuseppi Stratti 37, Arun Nair 22 and Arjun Arun Nair 19 not out, all contributed towards the win. There were five individual wicket takers for Kilsyth: Hayden Monds 1/9 off 4 overs, John Wilson 1/25 off 4 overs, Rhys Kearney 1/22 off 3 overs, Captain Tyron Paspa 1/21 off 4 overs and Ryan Kaal 1/24 off 4 overs. Tyron Paspa also took two catches whilst wicket keeping for part of the innings.
On Sunday, Kilsyth Women’s First XI played Blackburn at Morton Park, Blackburn in a T-20 match. The Redbacks won the toss and decided to bat first. Kilsyth lost their first wicket at 20 in the fourth over and second wicket at 76 in the 11th over, when Belinda Hutchings was bowled by Joanne Fox for 30 (2 fours). At that stage, Kilsyth Captain Ashleigh Katoa was 28 not out, and she went on to retire on 50 not out (9 fours). Avanthi Jayawickrema was the third wicket to fall on 138 in the 20th over, after making a rapid 28 off 20 balls (4 fours). So, Kilsyth posted 3/138cc after their allotted 20 overs. Blackburn’s wicket takers were Sophie Agnew 1/10 off 2 overs, Joanne Fox 1/11 off 3 overs, and Alyssa Rowe 1/18 off 4 overs. In reply, Blackburn lost early wickets: 1/12, 2/37, and 3/37 after 8 overs. A 73 run fourth wicket partnership between Lisa Agnew and Bella Fox lifted the score to 3/110 after 19 overs and they finished on 4/113cc from their 20 overs. Top scorers for Blackburn were Bella Fox 44 not out off 47 balls (6 fours), Lisa Agnew 26 off 39 balls (2 fours), and opener Alyssa Rowe, run out by Belinda Hutchings for 15 off 22 balls (3 fours). For Kilsyth, Courtney Anderson took 1/12 off 4 overs, Sarah Gibb 1/16 off 4 overs and Avanthi Jayawickrema 1/28 off 4 overs. It was the second consecutive win for the Women after losing 3 of their first 4 games.
