Weekend of cricket to celebrate 50 year milestone
Wednesday October 28, 2009
The Cobar Cowboys senior representative cricket side had a first round win in the
Brewery Shield competition against Narromine at Ward Oval on Sunday.▪ Photo Caitlin Jones
The Cobar District Cricket Association commemorated their 50th anniversary in fine style over the weekend with a full program of cricket.
For the first time Twenty20 cricket under lights was played at Ward Oval on Friday night as part of the Festival of the Miner’s Ghost celebrations.
Two games of the regular senior competition were played at Ward Oval on Saturday and a Cobar win in the first round of the Brewery Shield competition topped off a big weekend of cricket.
The Brewery Shield game on Sunday was cut short due to rain, however the Cobar Cowboys had done enough to be able to claim the win against last year’s grand final opponents, Narromine.
After winning the Brewery Shield competition for the first time last season, Cobar went into Sunday’s game without regular players Craig Dillon, Matthew Nicholson and Jade Buckman.
The start of the match was delayed due to rain however when Cobar captain Phil Harley won the toss he had no hesitation in batting first.
Cobar’s opening batsmen Jake Harbison and Stuart Fraser started the match as if they were still playing the Twenty20 match on Friday night, scoring 26 runs before Fraser was out for four in only the third over.
This was a sign of what was to come as Doug North joined Harbison and they continued to plunder the Narromine bowling to all parts of the boundary (particularly over the fence).
North was out for 44 as Cobar went to the first drinks break at 2/135 off 17 overs at a good run rate of eight per over.
After the break Harbison, along with Harley 39, Stephen Nicholson (35) and Robbie Mitchell (27) continued the runs spree as Cobar were eventually all out in the 48th over for the huge score of 330.
The highlight of the Cobar score was the innings of Jake Harbison who was eventually dismissed for 110.
It was his first century in representative cricket and one to be remembered as he blended solid defence with great stroke play (seven sixes and eight fours) and did not give Narromine a realistic chance.
The Narromine bowlers toiled hard with Jordan Richardson taking 5/60 and Mark Munro 4/42.
Cobar’s score of 330 was the highest ever score made by a Cobar team in representative cricket and was also the highest ever score made on the turf wicket, ending an historic few days for the Cobar District Cricket Association’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
After the lunch break, Cobar took to the field under threatening skies knowing they needed to bowl 25 overs for the game to be declared a match.
The opening bowling attack of North (3/14 from six overs) and Wade Potter (0/20 off seven overs) was good line and length with Potter in particular dangerous with his quick pace.
Young spin bowler David Watson was brought on first change and took 2/30 from six overs which was a good effort as the Narromine batsmen were trying to attack him at every opportunity.
Damien Harbison also bowled good line and length taking 1/17 from seven overs and man of the match Jake Harbison chimed in with one wicket for nine runs.
After the first ball of the 29th over was bowled the heavens opened up sending the players scampering for cover as rain fell.
As Narromine’s innings had gone past the 25th over and they had only made a score of 7/79, needing a score of 193 on run rate, Cobar was declared the winner.
The first round of the state wide Country Plate knockout competition will be played this Sunday with Cobar drawn to play Bourke at Bourke.—contributed
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