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Premier Cricket: highlights from around the grounds on day 1, round 7

Matt ZisEastern Reporter

Claremont-Nedlands v Gosnells

Claremont-Nedlands and Gosnells are evenly placed after a tight first day of action on Saturday at Cresswell Park.

The decision to bat after winning the toss looked to bite Gosnells on the backside immediately, as Tigers bowler Christopher Simpson knocked over openers Timothy Hale and Ben Green for four and six respectively.

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However, at 2-15, Luke McNamee and Matthew Leipold swung the momentum back in Gosnells’ favour, producing a handy 42-run partnership.

Although the Gosnells batsmen appeared to be finding their collective feet, the loss of McNamee at 3-57 by Tim David triggered an almighty batting collapse.

Simpson picked up where David left off, destroying Gosnells’ middle order, taking the next four wickets in the space of six runs in an amazing spell of bowling.

With Gosnells’ tail exposed, David Roberts played a superb role at the back end of the innings, guiding his side to a defendable 148 after scoring 60 runs himself after coming in at number 7.

Simpson was simply outstanding with the ball for the Tigers, finishing the innings with 6-19 off of 13 overs.

With a short target to chase down for a first-innings victory and plenty of time left in the day, the Tigers immediately got to work.

However, the run chase didn’t quite go as planned early on, losing Jacob Whiteaker and Nicholas Hobson in quick succession.

At 2-33, Tim David joined Jamie Crawley at the crease and produced a 33-run partnership before Matthew Leipold struck with the ball.

The Gosnells skipper took out David and Brad Hope in the space of 10 runs as the Tigers uncharacteristically crumbled under the pressure.

Jackson Edmonstone was dismissed soon after, as the Tigers ended the day on 5-83 and needing to find some runs on day 2, which commences next Saturday at 11.40am at Cresswell Park.

Fremantle v Mount Lawley

Fremantle has already sewn up a first-innings victory on day 1 after a dominant display against Mount Lawley on Saturday at Stevens Reserve.

The Hawks got off to a great start after being sent in to bat, with openers James Newnham and Gurkeerat Pabla scoring 54 runs in a solid opening partnership.

However, the match turned south in the blink of an eye for the Hawks, as Fremantle’s bowlers asserted their dominance on the match.

After Pabla was dismissed at 1-54, Mount Lawley’s top order fell in a heap, losing its next four wickets for 17 runs.

At 5-76, a small fightback from Ethan Petta and Jack Kavanagh looked to add some positivity to the Hawks’ innings, but Fremantle had all the answers, taking five wickets in the space of nine runs, bowling Mount Lawley out for a paltry 104 runs.

Thomas Abell, Ross Macauley and Liam Dallimore did the damage with the ball, taking seven wickets between them in a powerful performance.

With a short target in front of them, Fremantle’s batsmen barely raised a sweat, finishing the innings with a declaration at 2-108. Sam Whiteman finished the day unbeaten on 38 runs from 27 balls.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Stevens Reserve.

Melville v Perth

Melville look to be in the box seat against Perth, following a productive first day on Saturday at Tompkins Park.

After being sent in to bat, Perth found itself in trouble early after losing Tom Casey in the opening overs of the match.

However, at 1-7, experienced campaigners Jacob Snadden and Luke Jury found a way to steady the ship and swing the momentum back.

The pair added 64 runs to the total during their second-wicket partnership, before Snadden was dismissed by Thomas Kerr-Sheppard after scoring a quick-fire half-century.

Melville fought its way back into the match through Kerr-Sheppard and Blake Reed, who took out Dain Moreton and Tom Scollay in quick succession.

At 4-97, Jury finally found a partner in Sean Roberts, with the pair boosting the total to 143 after a hard-fought 46-run partnership.

The loss of Roberts did nothing to slow Jury down, as he and new batsman at the crease Jordan Mast continued to pilot the fightback for the Demons.

The prolific pair added 70 runs to the total before Mast became Reed’s second victim of the day.

At 6-213, the Demons struggled to keep the momentum going, with wickets tumbling and Jury not able to get back on strike.

Kerr Sheppard and Reed ripped through the final four wickets in the space of 10 runs, bowling the Demons out for 229 and claiming four wickets each in a dominant display.

Jury was tremendous with the bat, notching up 87 runs during his four-and-a-half hour stay at the crease.

With plenty of time left in the day, Melville’s response could not have gotten off to a worse start, losing Brad Turner on the second ball of the innings.

The loss of Turner could have easily made the Storm drop their bundle, but Reed and Terry stepped up with a tremendous 79-run partnership to set up an interesting second day of action next Saturday.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Tomkins Park.

Midland-Guildford v Bayswater-Morley

Bayswater-Morley have dominated day 1 with the bat at Lilac Hill on Saturday, tallying a whopping 6-320 off the back of a tremendous century to Mitchell Todd.

The Bears burst out of the blocks through Aaron Todd and Manuel Hunwick, who produced a solid 64-run opening partnership and set the tone for the day.

The loss of Hunwick at 1-64 did nothing to deter the Bears, with Mitchell Todd joining Aaron at the crease to produce a whopping 103-run second-wicket stand.

Midland-Guildford finally managed to make some inroads into the Bears attack, with Ashley Mucciarone knocking over Aaron Todd after a terrific knock of 85, and Zac Howard removing Robert Guy.

However, the fightback was short-lived, as Mitchell Todd continued to bludgeon the ball to all parts of the ground.

At 3-182, Ross Loiacono then joined Todd at the crease and helped boost the total past 300.

The prolific pair produced a devastating 125-run fourth-wicket partnership to sink the hopes of Midland-Guildford.

Mitchell Todd’s day eventually came to an end at 4-307, after scoring an amazingly hard-fought 127 runs from 206 balls.

The Bears added just five more runs before the end of the day, ending the innings on 6-320 after batting out the full 90 overs.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Lilac Hill.

Rockingham-Mandurah v Scarborough

Rockingham-Mandurah and Scarborough are evenly poised after day 1, with the Mariners posting a handy total of 248 on Saturday at Lark Hill.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Mariners top order found their range early, with Tyler Robertson and Vincent Poller scoring 46 runs to open the innings.

As Robertson was dismissed at 1-46, James Bracey hit the crease in fine touch and immediately anchored the first half of the innings for the Mariners.

While partners came and went for Bracey, he remained strong in defence and continued to clock up the runs.

With the help of Dane Ugle and Damien Burrage, Bracey boosted the score to 183 before he was dismissed, finishing with a well-earnt 87 runs from 129 balls.

At 5-183, the Mariners struggled with the ferocity of Scarborough’s bowling attack, with Liam Stevens and Lachlan Tyler ripping apart the exposed tail.

The pair finished the day with three wickets each, as Scarborough bowled the Mariners out for 248 after a see-sawing day.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Lark Hill.

Subiaco Floreat v South Perth

Subiaco Floreat have dominated South Perth on day 1 at Floreat Park, securing a first-innings win by the end of the day’s play after a tremendous bowling performance on Saturday.

Sending South Perth in to bat first turned out to be a masterstroke from the Lions’ brains trust, with Andrew Hall and Lucas Martin combining beautifully to take the first four wickets of the match, leaving South Perth shell shocked at 4-39.

With the game seemingly on the line early, South Perth managed to find some fight, with Brooke Guest and Chris Chellew producing a much-needed 57-run fifth-wicket stand.

However, the loss of Chellew at 5-96 proved to be a death blow for South Perth, as it lost its final five wickets for 21 runs in extraordinary fashion.

Joshua Parker dominated the back end of the innings, taking 4-8 off his 10 overs, helping the Lions to bowl out South Perth for a disappointing total of 117.

Martin also ended the innings with four wickets after starting brightly with the ball.

The one shining light for South Perth was Brooke Guest, who finished the innings unbeaten on 63 runs (six fours and one six) from 122 deliveries and scored more than half of his team’s entire total.

The Lions chased down the total with ease, largely due to Callum How (60 from 82) and Aaron Lilly (37 not out) scoring the bulk of the runs.

The Lions eventually declared at 4-153, having secured the first-innings win and setting up an interesting second day of play.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Floreat Park.

University v Willetton

Willetton and Cameron Bancroft have dominated day 1 of the action against University at James Oval, with the opener producing a remarkable century to put the Dragons in the box seat on Saturday.

After being sent in to bat, Willetton shot out of the gate with a 50-run partnership to Bancroft and Iszak Milentis, setting a solid foundation for the following batsmen.

However, it didn’t quite go to plan for the Dragons, after the loss of Milentis at 1-50 saw Will Rhodes and James Godfrey follow suit quicker than desired, as the Dragons fell to 3-77.

Bancroft continued to anchor the innings for the Dragons, as Prad Gunaratne and Brennan Wilson came and went one after the other, leaving Willetton awkwardly placed at 5-115.

With the match evenly poised, Bancroft finally found himself a partner in Blair Walsh.

The dynamic duo added 73 runs to the total during their sixth-wicket partnership, boosting the score to 188 before Walsh was dismissed by Corey Rocchiccioli, who took his third wicket for the match.

Alex Hepburn then joined Bancroft at the crease and did not miss a beat, with the pair adding a further 85 runs during their superb late-innings partnership.

At 7-273, Bancroft lasted just nine more runs, as his day was finally ended by Sean Stuart.

Bancroft’s innings was huge, finishing with 154 runs from 240 balls, which included 13 fours and three sixes, as he produced his best individual score of his season so far.

Willetton ambled to the finishing line, ending the day on 9-291 after batting out the full 90 overs.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at James Oval.

Wanneroo v Joondalup

Wanneroo and Joondalup are locked in a tight battle, following a tense first day of action on Saturday at Kingsway Sports Ground.

After being sent in to bat, Joondalup found itself in trouble early, losing 3-62 with Caiden Eaton taking two of the first three wickets.

However, a huge fourth-wicket partnership worth 69 runs to Jake Zsilinszky and Jaron Morgan looked to salvage the sloppy start.

The loss of Zsilinszky at 4-131 did nothing to slow Morgan down, as he added a further 30 runs to the total with Zak Birchall, before finding himself out for 81 after a superb bit of bowling and fielding from Matthew Spoors.

The loss of Morgan at 5-171 derailed the Centurions innings, losing its final five wickets for just 30 runs.

Spoors was terrific in his four overs, taking an insane 4-6 as Joondalup were bowled out for 201.

With a small amount of time left in the day, the Roos hit the crease in an attempt to knock off some of the run chase.

From the 14 overs faced, the Roos managed to score 1-33 before the end of the day’s play.

Day 2 of the action continues on Saturday at 11.40am at Kingsway Sports Ground.