Round 11 of the Barrier District Cricket League (BDCL) saw mid-week A-Grade fixtures played as the regular season now moves into the final four weeks.
At Alma Oval, North prevailed over South by 48 runs thanks to the big hitting of Ben Jurd and the bowling of Codie Howard.
North’s openers strode to the crease to begin the first innings. They were caught off guard by the bottom-placed South. Riley Bomford (10 off nine) and Tobias Hack (two off 12) departed early as the Bulldogs were down 2/16 early.
First drop Ben Jurd picked up where he left off before the Christmas and New Year break, scoring his second century of the season. This one coming from just 47 balls as he remained 100 not out at the completion of the innings that saw North finish 4/165 and Junaid Azam (2/26) the pick of the bowlers.
In reply, South found handy contributions from opener Paul Nicholas (27 off 14), Tristen Smith (42 off 25), and Binu Sebastian (30 off 22). However, four golden ducks didn’t help the side’s chase.
For North, Codie Howard picked up figures of 3/11 from 2.2 overs while Jaxon Cain (2/14) and Jordan Vella (2/33) got a couple of scalps each.
In the other game at Jubilee Oval, Central produced a four-wicket win against West. West put 83 runs on the board in the first innings, chased down inside 17 overs.
Robins opener Jordan Meehan (31 off 33) was the top-scorer for his side, leading the charge with help from Paddric Attard (20 off 16). Connor Turley (3/7 off two overs) was the best of the Magpie’s bowling stocks.
The run chase by Central saw a consistent rate of runs being scored. Guided by Sheldon Hall (35* off 27) right to the end, the Magpies got the job done. Peter Christos (2/10) was the only West bowler to take more than two wickets in the contest.
The BDCL A-Grade competition resumes on Saturday, February 3. It sees Central and South face off at Alma Oval, meanwhile Jubilee Oval will host a clash between West and North. Both matches start at 11am.
