Hat-trick blow for Mariners

Only the previously winless second grade side could stop a Mt Lawley Round 11 WACA league sweep, while the colts bowed out of the competition with a six wicket loss to Fremantle.

The first grade bowled first at Breckler Park and Mt Lawley measured their way to 6-237. The fielders stayed sharp with three run outs and Chris Loveridge kept the Hawks in check late in the innings with 2-43.

Just like they did for the Perth Scorchers two days earlier at the WACA, Craig Simmons and Sam Whiteman propelled the innings to have the Mariners sailing at 2-155.

Mt Lawley’s Paul Davis, a former Western Warrior, removed Simmons for 50 in a hat-trick to turn the see-sawing contest back in his team’s direction. He claimed fellow Bunbury product Whiteman (54) nine runs later to leave the tail with the task of getting a further 74 runs.

The Mariners fell for 219, despite Jacob Rodgers (29) showing admirable fight for the second week in a row with bat and ball. The 18-run loss is the team’s third in a row since Christmas and now two games away from the six, will need to win all four games left as well as hoping for some luck on the way home.

Rockingham-Mandurah’s seconds broke through in style by smashing Mt Lawley to the tune of 115 runs at Lark Hill. The home team’s 5-234 came about by healthy contributions from Callum Austen (84) and prodigal son Ben Wright (74). The Hawks were extinguished for 119 as Elliot Lyons took 3-12 and Aaron Burrage 2-9 in a glimpse of the young team’s upside.

Mt Lawley took the Mariners’ spot inside the third grade top six by cruising away with the ten points, courtesy of an eight wicket thumping. Rockingham-Mandurah were wiped out for 117 in the 45-over match and Mt Lawley easily secured the victory with 15 overs to play.

The fourths came out on the wrong end of a tight affair with Mt Lawley’s 9-202 just seven runs to the good of the Mariners. Matthew France ended with the pick of the figures taking 4-33 while Alan Read took 2-20.

Tyron Miley paced the reply with his second successive half century, making 58, and Richard Dawkins’ 37 gave the team hope but Rockingham-Mandurah ran out of petrol at 195.

The colts elimination final against Fremantle at Lark Hill the following day started positively with captain John Murphy (46 from 45), Elliot Lyons (39) and Jake Eardley-Wilmot (29) getting going at the top of the order. The innings petered out at 9-206 but the Mariners had the Port on the back foot in their chase to be 4-/64.

Young Scorcher Ashton Turner, still eligible for colts, turned it on to carry Fremantle on his back with 144 not out, including nine sixes. Daniel Lambert (2-31) and Leon Coombs (1-23) were the wicket-takers in the club’s only loss of the season.

Despite the under-17s’ 16-run loss to Mt Lawley, it wasn’t all glum faces for the Mariners as the under-15s can thank Patrick Italiano’s third half century for their seventh win of the season in the 30- over contest at Lark Hill.

Italiano’s 73no. came with six fours and a six as he batted through with assistance from Griffin Polglaze (33) and a late cameo by Adam France (25no) in the Mariners’ 3-147.

As has become the side’s hallmark the bowling unit worked for each other, none of the six bowlers went at the required rate to keep Mt Lawley at bay at 8-107. Wesley Steele (2-17), Danial Sudden (2-18) and Jaxon Standing (2-22) feasted on the spoils in another great displayin the junior side’s premiership defence.

Mariners clash with Melville in a return to two-day cricket on Saturday.