Cobar through to VB Country Plate finals
Wednesday November 19, 2008
The Cobar senior cricket representative team is now through to the VB Country Plate finals after their win over Wellington on Sunday.
The Cobar side travelled to Warren on Sunday for a match that doubled up as rounds of the state wide VB Country Plate knockout and the Macquarie Valley Brewery Shield competitions.
The match commenced an hour after the scheduled starting time due to an apparent double booking of the oval with the Far West Regional Development rugby league.
The oval was not marked with the competition requirements of inner and outer circles for fielding restrictions nor boundary markers and it was obvious from the first over of the match that the wicket had been under prepared for such an important game.
Wellington’s captain Jason Ryan won the toss and batted first and, after a good opening partnership of 40, Ryan was bowled by a ‘mully grubber’ from Doug North.
Cobar’s experienced bowling attack of Stewart Fraser (five wickets for 24 from five overs), Phil Harley (3/27 from 10 overs) and North (2/27 from 10 overs) proved too hard for the remaining Wellington batsmen.
They seemed intent on counteracting the uneven bounce by wanting to smash every ball over the boundary.
Cobar’s opening batsmen Craig Dillon and Jake Harbison made a quick-fire start to the run chase with a partnership of 65 from nine overs before Dillon was dismissed for 26.
North the joined Harbison and together they took the total to 86 before North was dismissed for 11.
Harley and Harbison scored the remaining runs to coast to victory.
They did so in just 15 overs for the loss
of only two wickets with Harbison remaining not out 40 and Harley not out 0.
Cobar will now play in the VB Country Plate finals carnival at Cootamundra and Temora at the end of December at which the final eight teams in the state will play off.
All players are looking forward to the opportunity of continuing Cobar’s recent good record in the competition having won in 2006 and being beaten in the semi finals in 2007 and 2005.
Cobar’s next representative match will be at home in the Brewery Shield against Dubbo next month with Cobar needing to win to guarantee a place in that competition’s semi finals.—contributed
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