Dragons stop Bulls’ charge

Bacchus Marsh captain Ian Spiteri led his side to a 1-1 record in the T20 Shield. (Damian Visentini)

 

Bacchus Marsh has a 1-1 record after two T20 Shield Premier Division matches in the Gisborne District Cricket Association.

The Bulls kicked off their campaign two weeks ago with a hard-fought win against local rival Sunbury.

After being set 99 for victory, Bacchus Marsh took the slow and steady approach, bringing up the win with one over to spare.

Ben Robertson was the star with the bat, hitting 29, while Alex Porter and Liam Taylor both made solid contributions.

The Bulls’ success was halted in their second hit-out though, when they went down to Gisborne last week.

After making a competitive 4-112 with the bat, it was up to the Bulls’ bowlers to finish the job.

However, Gisborne duo Tahir Afridi and Simon Harman had other ideas, combining for 80 runs to lift the Dragons to a five-wicket win.

Bacchus Marsh will take on Sunbury United in its next T20 hit-out tonight at Langama Park from 5.45pm.

Meanwhile in the District Division, it was a mixed bag for St Anthonys, which also holds a 1-1 record. They went down in the opening match of the series against East Sunbury, but bounced back in a big way against Blackwood.

Top-order batsman Andrew Finn was outstanding for the Saints, smashing 80 in an innings that included five fours and seven sixes.

Ryan Dobbie then clubbed seven boundaries on his way to 44. The Saints went on to make 9-201, and won the match by 26 runs.