Sport
11 March, 2026
Finals continue for Knights
COBDEN is through to preliminary final weekend of the Colac-South West premier cricket competition after winning an elimination final on Saturday and a semi-final on Sunday.
Batting first at SA Wright Oval against Alvie in Saturday’s elimination final, the Knights were bowled out for 188 in 48.1 overs.
The Knights slumped to 4/37 before captain Johno Benallack top scored with 46 from 69 balls and was well supported by the Cobden lower order.
Jamaican import Brandon Goodhall hit 31 from 32 balls, Lachie Boyle made 19 from 23, with Matt Harkin and Darcy Meade putting on 25 for the last wicket.
“We got a couple of small partnerships going after being in trouble early, and big Brandon just smacked a few at the end and got the total up there, along with Harko and Darcy Meade,” Benallack said.
“The last two wickets put on 64 which boosted the total from that 120 odd to 180 odd which was really good.”
But 188 wasn’t looking enough as Alvie raced to 0/96 in 16 overs.
“Sam Parker and Jensen Monaghan just kept smacking us everywhere, we probably bowled a bit short early on.”
Paul Pekin then dismissed both openers to spark a collapse.
Ten wickets fell for just 72 runs as Alvie was bowled out for 168 in 41.3 overs.
“It was a good fightback,” Benallack said.
“Once we took the pace out of the ball it made it harder for them to score; we could set fields to just give them two an over, it sort of slowed them right back and once we took the first couple of wickets, it just flowed on from there.”
Cobden got off to a great start in Sunday’s semi-final at SA Wright Oval, reducing Bookaar to 5/33 by the 12th over.
“We got a wicket in the first over, which put them on the back foot straight away.
“Our opening bowlers, it was like they needed the 10 overs the day before to warm up, but on Sunday they were on point from ball one.”
Bookaar’s lower order kicked into gear, with the Pelicans rallying to post 225, all out in the 50th over.
Opening bowlers Paul Pekin and Parker Walsh took seven wickets between them.
The Knight’s run chase was led by opener Campbell Walsh.
“Poor Campbell has been under a lot of pressure the last probably two months.
“He's just been a bit down, hadn’t really made runs for a while, on Sunday he fought through it and batted really well.”
Walsh top scored with 70 from 117 balls, hitting six boundaries.
“He took the brunt of Fraser’s (Bookaar’s Fraser Lucas) opening spell.
“He was bowling pretty quick, Campbell just kept knocking it around and got himself into a bit of form again, which was really good.”
The run chase was tight all the way through, Cobden eventually passing Bookaar’s score in the 49th over for the loss of eight wickets.
“It got heaps easier once the ball softened a bit.
“We probably let it get a little bit tight with wickets in hand, I suppose, but to finish with an over spare was heaps better than having it going down to the last couple of balls.”
Benallack himself was the other main contributor, with 45 from 65 balls.
“Obviously Bookaar has had a really good season, so we were probably going in as underdogs and we just played like we had nothing to lose pretty much.”
Cobden, now the last remaining south west team in the finals, will play in a preliminary final this Saturday against Birregurra at Colac’s Eastern Reserve, with the other preliminary final at the Cobden Community Bank Recreation Reserve between Stoneyford and Colac.
The season is over for Cobden’s division two and division three teams after both had semi-final losses on Saturday.
The division two Knights, batting first against Bookaar at the Timboon Recreation Reserve, were bowled out 180 in 37 overs.
Jack Hutt top scored with 74 from 78 balls, with seven fours and a six.
Bookaar raced to 1/134 from 17.5 overs before rain halted play - the Pelicans declared winners under the Duckworth/Lewis method.
In another rain affected game, Cobden’s division three team was defeated by Heytesbury-Princetown at Ecklin.
The Storm posted 3/157 from 30.2 overs batting first.
In reply the Knight were all out for 104 in 19.5 overs.
Jacob Pekin top scored with 25 from 16 balls, with captain Peter Merrett making 24 from 30.
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