AN undermanned Wagin have continued their undefeated start to the 2009/10 cricket season with a crushing 78-run victory over a hapless Pingelly outfit on Saturday.
After winning the toss and electing the bat, under the guidance of stand-in captain Kevin Foale, Wagin looked to be on top from the outset in scoring 200 before restricting Pingelly to 122 in reply to record their fifth consecutive victory of the season.
The win was punctuated in value by the absence of captain Brenden Hall due to a virus and opening bowler Dwight Kellow, but the squad stood up for a great win in their absence.
The batting innings got off to an explosive start for Wagin when Jordan Scardetta smashed 15 runs from the second over to start the ball rolling.
The opener looked in good form alongside Mark Haverkort but the bowler exacted revenge in his next over when he got a swinging delivery to clip the top of off stump to remove the in-form Scardetta for 17.
Kevin Foale then strolled to the crease and continued the fast start for the visitors, hitting his way to a quick-fire 13 before he was bowled with Wagin at 2 for 45.
On a pitch which was a little slow, batsmen struggled to continue on to bigger scores once they got established and, after getting bright starts, both Blair Hutton and Mark Haverkort fell for 19 and 21 respectively and when Kim Davidson fell for just two, Wagin’s promising start had faltered to 5 for 82.
Scott Davidson and Greg Stephens then set about righting the Wagin ship and put on 32 runs for the sixth wicket before Stephens, too, fell after a promising start for 10.
A steady precession of wickets fell after the Stephens wicket, with Davidson falling for 35 and Gerard Hegarty and Andrew Gath being dismissed without scoring to leave Wagin at a mediocre score of 9 for 147.
Eighteen-year-old Ryan Scardetta, in just his second career game of cricket, walked out to join Stuart Johansson in the middle and try to salvage a defendable score for Wagin.
The pair lived dangerously early but began to see the ball well and ticked the scoreboard over regularly, frustrating the Pingelly bowlers in the process.
Both batsmen were happy rotating the strike and both played their role superbly in a 53-run final wicket stand before Scardetta was bowled for 17 in the 41st over, leaving Wagin with a total of 200 to defend.
Stuart Johansson was the best of the batsmen with 37 not out, while Scott Davidson scored 35 and there were handy contributions from the rest of the team.
Shane Bliss and Scott Davidson opened the bowling for Wagin and got the innings off to a solid start, building pressure from both ends.
The need to score runs eventually got the better of Pingelly opener Parsons, who attempted to straight-drive Davidson only to see veteran Gerard Hegarty run and take a great catch to have the first Pingelly wicket fall at 22.
His opening partner Hughes was lucky to escape an lbw appeal on the next delivery but his luck ran out on 13 when he was adjudged lbw from Davidson’s bowling.
Kim Davidson then took a spectacular catch off the bowling of Bliss to have Cunningham removed for a duck and when Greg Stephens caught L Parsons out for 21 and the Pingelly batsmen struggling at 4 for 51.
Jetta and J Hall then began to steady the middle order and despite Kim Davidson picking up the wicket of Jetta for 26, Pingelly still looked comfortable at drinks with the score at 5 for 115, with 86 required to win from the last 18 overs.
But after the drinks break it all fell apart for Pingelly, with Jordan Scardetta and Blair Hutton combining to destroy the Pingelly lower order.
Scardetta struck in the first over after the break, after having two top edges go to the boundary he took a sharp return catch off his own bowling to dismiss Langdon for seven.
In the following over Hutton continued the rout, with captain Kevin Foale taking a running catch to dismiss M Hall for one then Ryan Scardetta continued his great game when he took a good running catch to dismiss J Hall for 22.
Jordan Scardetta then wrapped it up with two wickets from his next two overs to finish with figures of 3 for 12 and have Pingelly all out for 122, handing Wagin an emphatic win with a bonus point.
Standout performances came from Stuart Johansson and Scott Davidson with the bat and from Shane Bliss and Jordan Scardetta with the ball, but it was a great team performance in the absence of key players that ensured a vital win for Wagin.
With five wins from five starts to start the season, as well as securing three bonus points, Wagin sit clearly atop the ladder after nearly half the season’s matches played.
Next week sees a general bye from competition matches for the association in favour of a fundraising Twenty/20 tournament to be played in Narrogin, with all proceeds raised going towards the Upper Great Southern’s 2010 Country Week campaign.
The next competition match is against Wickepin in Wickepin on Saturday, November 28.
For details about the Twenty/20 tournament contact Brenden Hall on 0417 952 593 or Dwight Kellow on 0418 612 109.
SCOREBOARDS
WAGIN
J Scardetta b L Parsons 17
M Haverkort c J Hall b L Parsons 21
K Foale b B Cunningham 13
B Hutton c B Cunningham b M Jetta 19
S Davidson c B Langdon b M Parsons 35
K Davidson b M Stone 2
G Stephens c B Langdon b M Stone 10
S Johansson not out 37
G Hegarty b J Hall 0
A Gath c B Langdon b J Hall 0
R Scardetta b B Cunningham 17
Sundries (1b, 25w, 4nb) 30
TOTAL all out for 200
FOW: 26, 45, 68, 78, 82, 114, 137, 147, 147, 200.
Bowling: B Cunningham 6.4-1-2-25, L Parsons 5-0-1-37, M Stone 8-0-3-31, M Jetta 7-0-1-22, J Hall 6-0-2-32, M Parsons 6-0-1-36, B Langdon 2-0-0-16.
Overs: 40.4
PINGELLY
M Hughes lbw S Davidson 13
M Parsons c G Hegarty b S Davidson 8
L Parsons c G Stephens b S Bliss 21
B Cunningham c K Davidson b S Bliss 0
M Jetta c A Gath b K Davidson 26
J Hall c R Scardetta b B Hutton 22
B Langdon c and b J Scardetta 7
M Hall c K Foale b B Hutton 1
M Stone b J Scardetta 2
A Melvin c S Bliss b J Scardetta 0
J Hughes not out 0
Sundries (2b, 4lb, 13w, 3nb) 22
TOTAL all out for 122
FOW: 22, 44, 50, 51, 94, 115, 115, 121, 121, 122.
Bowling: S Bliss 8-1-2-25, S Davidson 8-0-2-36, G Stephens 4-0-0-21, K Davidson 3-0-1-10, B Hutton 4-0-2-13, J Scardetta 3.2-1-3-12.
Overs: 31.2
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