Both Blackheath-Dimboola senior cricket teams fell short in their last home and away games for the season, but will still go into the semi-finals next weekend with confidence.
B Grade
In a nail-biting finish the B grade Bulls fell just 9 runs short of Colt’s total when their two day game concluded at the Recreation Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
Having been set a target of 155 for a win on the first day, the Bulls set about chasing this down on the second day with the highest score for the innings made by Mick McGough who fell just one short of a half century.
Although this was not the ideal result to take the team into the finals, they still finished in second place, just over one win behind ladder leaders Colts, and are in good form.
Next Saturday and Sunday Blackheath-Dimboola will take on Bullants on the turf wicket at Dudley Cornell Park in Horsham in one semi-final, with the other being between Colts and Lubeck-Murtoa at Sunnyside.
Horsham Cricket Association - B Grade Final Ladder
| | | Points | Percentage
| | 1 | Colts | 67.5 | 1.76
| | 2 | Blackheath-Dimboola | 60.5 | 1.32
| | 3 | Bullants | 58.5 | 1.80
| | 4 | Lubeck-Murtoa | 52.0 | 1.46
| | 5 | Quantong | 33.0 | 0.83
| | 6 | Horsham Saints | 31.5 | 0.59
| | 7 | Jung Tigers | 13.5 | 0.60
| | 8 | West Wimmera Warriors | 7.5 | 0.51
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C Grade
For their last game before the finals the B grade Bulls took on Homers on the Dimboola Memorial Secondary College oval in a game that would not affect either’s position in the finals.
Homers took the opportunity to bat first on a ground with a lush outfield which presented more scoring opportunities over the boundary than within the field.
Two players retired after reaching 50 and the only other batsmen to reach double figures were dismissed for 46 and 18, giving a total of 208 for the loss of 5 wickets.
The leading local bowler was Archie Watt with two wickets whilst three of his team mated took one each.
In reply the Blackheath-Dimboola openers set a brisk pace early in the innings, with Chris Hauselburger retiring on 52, and James Barry making 43 and Luke Hutchinson contributing 32. Unfortunately the wickets also fell at regular intervals and when the last one fell they were still 45 short of the target.
Hauselburger (above) returned to the crease at the end of the innings and was dismissed for a game high of 59.
Despite this result the Bulls finished in third place on the ladder and will take on the same opponent in the semi-finals next Saturday on the Horsham College Dimboola Road oval.
The other semi-final will see Rupanyup-Minyip meet Colts at Laharum.
Horsham Cricket Association - C Grade Final Ladder
| | | Points | Percentage
| | 1 | Rupanyup-Minyip | 93.0 | 2.40
| | 2 | Homers | 88.5 | 2.19
| | 3 | Blackheath-Dimboola | 63.0 | 1.01
| | 4 | Colts | 51.0 | 0.82
| | 5 | Laharum | 45.0 | 0.62
| | 6 | Horsham Saints | 36.0 | 0.80
| | 7 | Jung Tigers | 31.5 | 0.52
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For those who cannot make it to Horsham to support the local teams, some top cricket can be viewed at the Dimboola Recreation Reserve on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons when the A grade semi-final between Horsham Saints and Jung Tigers will be played.
Horsham Cricket Association - B Grade
Colts 154
Blackheath-Dimboola 145 - Resumed at 0 for 2 (H Young 1*, T McGough 0*)
Horsham Cricket Association - C Grade
Homers Innings
| A Hopper | retired not out | | 50
| | B Hallam | | b. M Polycarpou | 18
| | J Hooper | ct. A Watt | b. J Laverty | 46
| | B Hopper | ct. J Laverty | b. A Watt | 9
| | S Rintoule | | b. A Watt | 1
| | B Burke | retired not out | | 55
| | R Kemp | ct. & | b. M Barry | 7
| | D McCann | not out | | 4
| | J Kemp | not out | | 0
| | Sundries | | | 18
| | TOTAL | | 5 for 208
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Blackheath-Dimboola Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | C Hauselberger | 6 | 0 | 28 | 0
| | J Laverty | 6 | 0 | 32 | 1
| | P Merrett | 6 | 0 | 33 | 0
| | A Watt | 6 | 1 | 16 | 2
| | M Polycarpou | 6 | 1 | 33 | 1
| | M Barry | 5 | 0 | 34 | 1
| | L Hutchinson | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0
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Blackheath-Dimboola Innings
| C Hauselberger | ct. P Mills | b. R Kemp | 59
| | P Merrett | | b. S Rintoule | 7
| | A Watt | ct. J Hoffmann | b. R Kemp | 1
| | J Barry | ct. W Drummond | b. J Hopper | 43
| | L Hutchinson | | b. J Hoffmann | 32
| | M Polycarpou | ct. & | b. R Kemp | 6
| | J Laverty | ct. D McCann | b. R Kemp | 0
| | M Barry | | b. R Kemp | 1
| | L Krelle | not out | | 2
| | B Nicholson | ct. A Hopper | b. D McCann | 0
| | M Henderson | absent | | 0
| | Sundries | | | 12
| | TOTAL | | 163
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Homers Bowling
| | O | M | R | W
| | S Rintoule | 6 | 1 | 22 | 0
| | A Hopper | 6 | 1 | 19 | 1
| | J Hopper | 5 | 0 | 24 | 1
| | B Hopper | 4 | 0 | 14 | 2
| | R Kemp | 5.1 | 0 | 15 | 0
| | B Hallam | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0
| | J Hoffmann | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1
| | J Kemp | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2
| | D McCann | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3
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