WESTERN Zone’s three junior sides got their season underway in the best possible fashion by sweeping all their trial games against Gordon in Bathurst on Monday.
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Lithgow’s Tanvir Singh starred with both bat and ball for the under 16s as his side defeated their opponents by 34 runs.
The 15-year-old NSW All Schools representative came to the crease with his side struggling at 5-89 and played an excellent counter-attacking innings of 79 off just 46 deliveries.
Singh’s knock took the Western 16s to a respectable total of 207 after Bathurst’s Ben Mitchell compiled a well made 37 earlier in the innings.
The pair then gave Gordon hell with the ball as they finished with three wickets each off their ten overs.
Singh claimed 3-37 while Mitchell kept things tight at the other end (3-19). Hugh Middleton (3-21) was the other big contributor with the ball.
Gordon were eventually bowled out for 173 in the 42nd over.
The standout performance of the day across all age groups came in the under 14s from Bathurst junior Hamish Siegert at his home ground, All Saints’ College.
His unbeaten century (101) for the under 14s set up Western’s 47 run victory.
Along with Siegert’s century, Harry Bayliss (44) and George Cumming (41) helped Western’s under 14s to their sizeable 5-254 total.
The under 18s colts boys claimed a comfortable 109 run win at The Scots’ School but it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the oldest of the Western teams after they won the toss and chose to bat.
The hosts quickly found themselves in trouble when Nic Broes (1) and Mark Day (0) were removed within four overs.
With the score at 2-5 the remaining Western opener Sam Hall (37) helped to get the innings back under control.
The biggest contributions came from the middle order pairing of Tom Atlee (56) and Tom Nelson (43). The two Toms put on 47 for the fifth wicket to help Western gain the ascendancy.
Western’s tail showed plenty of fight. All the remaining batsmen were dismissed for double figures, seeing the hosts all out for 217 in the 49th over.
With the ball in hand Western never allowed Gordon to gain any rhythm.
When Gordon were reduced to 3-23 in the space of 15 overs Western were on the track for a big win.
Some middle order resistance from the visitors wasn’t going to save them. Gordon were bowled all out for 108 in the 44th over.
Ryan Peacock finished with Western’s best figures of 3-8.
Western under 18s manager Greg Nicholls said his team’s big effort in the field made up for a mixed day with the willow.
“I think it just came down to our guys bowling good lines. Luke Powell and Hamish Starr set us up really well from the start. Peakers obviously bowled really well for his three-fer,” he said.
“Everyone contributed. Corey McDean took a really good catch and was very clean behind the stumps. It’s good to see because ’keepers seem to be very sparse among Western Zone.”
Nicholls will take the win but was disappointed to see his side fall short of batting out their 50 overs.
“Young Sam Hall batted very well. Tom Atlee and Tom Nelson had a great partnership which kept our innings together,” he said.
“We should have got 250 but because we were down on wickets we couldn’t really afford to accelerate. Given that we were down on wickets early getting to 217 was good in that sense.”
Western now prepare for trials against St George and Penrith over the 3rd and 4th of October respectively.