The first post-Christmas round of the 2021/22 cricket season took place on Saturday, albeit with some last-minute changes and washouts due to the thunderstorms late last week.
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All of the Highlands District Cricket Association's First Grade matches were cancelled due to the wet weather, while all of the Second Grade matches were moved to secondary grounds.
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The highlight game of the round was played between first-ranked Hill Top Northern Villages and the fourth-ranked Wingello Tigers at Bill O'Reilly Oval.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Wingello quickly stumbled as Hill Top's opening bowlers, Lucas Carpenter (1-26) and Tim Townsend (1-31) each picked up an early scalp.
At 2-18 and then 3-36, the Tigers were on the ropes before a fourth-wicket partnership between Leigh O'Connor (38) and Shane Robson (49) resurrected the innings.
The pair had put on 43 together when O'Connor fell, caught off the bowling of Jock Heinrich (1-17).
He was replaced by Jacob Clarke (30 not out) who proceeded to put on another 60 runs with Robson before the latter was also dismissed.
The innings was finished off by Ben Bromfield (20 not out) who, along with Clarke, saw Wingello to a total of 6-172.
In reply, Hill Top got off to a positive start early, until both opening batters were dismissed with the score on 34. While unfortunate, it did mark the beginning of a swashbuckling 103-run fourth-wicket partnership between Mathew Conquest (41) and Adam Jeffery (51).
Between them, the pair hit six fours and seven sixes before Conquest was dismissed with the score at 137. Steve Baines (32 not out) then strode to the wicket for a quickfire innings of his own, which effectively saw out the chase.
Although Jeffery was dismissed just four runs shy of the target, it did not impact the result as Hill Top reached the total with six wickets and more than seven overs remaining.
Robson was the pick of the bowlers for Wingello, with a haul of 2-38 from his seven overs, while Jeffrey and Aman Khan picked up one apiece.
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In other games this round, Robertson Burrawang (7-244) defeated Moss Vale (114) by 130 runs, Mittagong (152) beat the Bowral Blues (27), and Bundanoon (111) felled Bowral (102) in a squeaker of a game.
The standout performances of the round were Flynn Corby's 85 with the bat, and Eldhose Mathew's haul of 5-9.
Third Grade and Stage 3A junior cricket fixtures are set to return this Saturday, January 15. The rest of the junior divisions will get back into action on January 29, with the Tina Macpherson Cup will resume on February 2.
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