The Highlands District Cricket Association men's competitions got off to a belated start this weekend, after heavy rain saw round one called off.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Though many matches in round two were also drawn or cancelled outright, several managed to find their way to a conclusion.
Saturday's highlight game was, without question, the fixture between the Robertson Burrawang Colts and Hill Top Northern Villages at Lackey Park in the First Grade competition, largely due to an outstanding all-round performance from Alex Debs.
After the Colts won the toss and sent Hill Top in to bat, Debs entered the fray at number four with the score at 2-30.
Wickets continued to tumble as Hill Top slumped to 4-50, when Josh Whitfield came to the crease.
There began a 122-run partnership as Debs (76 not out) and Whitfield (58) pushed their side to within sight of a respectable total.
After Whitfield was dismissed with the score on 5-172, Debs continued the onslaught to propel Hill Top to 6-199 from 37 overs. The best of the Colts' bowlers was Charles Whatman, whose 4-36 contributed to the early collapse.
In response, Robertson never managed to get its innings going after Debs opened the bowling and took 5-18.
From just shy of 30 overs, the Colts were dismissed for 99, exactly 100 runs short of Hill Top, despite a spirited rearguard of 38 from Sean Young, who batted at number eight.
While the derby between Bowral and the Bowral Blues was drawn after just 17 overs of play, the last First Grade fixture featuring the Robertson Burrawang Bulls and Wingello Tigers at Chater Oval was completed.
Robertson won the toss and sent the Tigers in to bat, which at first seemed like it had backfired as Wingello batted solidly thanks to Dale Wellington's 43 at the top of the order.
However, seven single-digit scores from the rest of the batters, including three ducks, caused a collapse from 4-102 to 124 all out.
Mason King was the chief destroyer for the Bulls, with a haul of 5-26.
In the second innings, consistent contributions from Robertson's middle order allowed the chasing side to get across the line with just one wicket remaining.
Trent Woods (3-15), Wellington (3-24), and Matt Pike (2-34) were the standouts for the Tigers with ball in hand, but their efforts were not quite enough to secure victory.
Second Grade featured just one completed game as Robertson (8-187) defeated Mittagong (6-184) by two wickets.
Similarly, all but one of the Third Grade matches were drawn, with Moss Vale (4-198) the lone victor over Mittagong (166).
While you're with us...
Did you know Southern Highland News is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.