General News
24 November, 2021
Rebels down Knights in thriller
HEYTESBURY Rebels skipper Joel Moriarty has praised Tom Hunt for a match-defining spell which resulted in his side’s first win of the South West Cricket season.
HEYTESBURY Rebels skipper Joel Moriarty has praised Tom Hunt for a match-defining spell which resulted in his side’s first win of the South West Cricket season.
The Rebels departed the Cobden Recreation Reserve with a two-run victory over Cobden, with the two sides playing out a thriller.
A wicket on the first ball of the final over ultimately stopped Cobden in its tracks, with the Knights needing three runs to win off the last six balls after overcoming a slow start.
Skipper Johno Benallack (54) and Simon Murfett (27) had lifted Cobden from 2/4 to 6/126, but the pair could not stop a rampant Hunt (3/29) and Chris Vogels (5/33) combination.
The pair shared the last seven wickets of the Knights innings, with the latter dismissing Matthew Clarke to win the contest.
Earlier, the Rebels had posted 7/158 from its 50 overs on the back of 57 from Moriarty.
The skipper was thrilled to walk away with the points in the end, adding Hunt’s spell changed the game’s complexion.
“It was a close game in the end and death bowling, mostly from Tom Hunt got us over the line,” Moriarty said.
“We were probably a bit short with the bat but with bowling being our strength we were definitely confident we could defend it.
“Our slower bowlers bowled really well and Tom bowled 10 overs straight and his spell was game-changing to be honest.
“Johno was the danger but Tom was impossible to get away and the run-rate kept climbing.”
Having lost its season opener by 11 runs to Pomborneit, Moriarty said his side showed some improvement with the bat in its victory but admitted the Rebels got off scot-free.
A second loss could have put the Rebels behind the eight-ball, but he is confident the club can build on the narrow victory.
“It definitely would have been deflating (if we had have lost) but we would have had no one to blame but ourselves,” Moriarty said.
“Our batting was a little bit better and there’s still some improvement to go but no matter which way they (these games) go, you love playing in these pressure situations.
“Even though it’s very early on, it was a finals-like game and there were chances there for both teams to win it.”
In the other results across the division, the Bulls defeated Woorndoo by five wickets, Noorat recorded a 44 run win over Terang and Mortlake beat Camperdown by nine wickets.
The Rebels are now turning its attention to facing Camperdown at Timboon Recreation Reserve this Saturday.
Moriarty said his team would not underestimate the Lakers despite their early losses.
“All teams on paper at the start of the year looked like it would be a pretty even competition across the board, probably more so this year than in other years,” he said.
“In every game you’re going to need to produce your best performance otherwise you have every chance to lose.”
Bookaar hosts Cobden, Mortlake welcomes Terang and Noorat takes on Woorndoo in the other matches this weekend.