It was a flawless weekend of cricket from Upwey-Tecoma, with all six sides posting important victories that kept them in hunt for finals action.
The First XI travelled to The Basin, buoyed by the inclusion of current Netherlands captain Scott Edwards. Tiger skipper Jackson Waters won the toss and elected to field in warm, overcast conditions.
Wickets proved hard to come by early in the piece however some tight bowling ensured the Bear batters were kept in check. A double breakthrough from Liam Dunning, a wicket either side of the drinks break, provided the catalyst for a stunning Basin collapse.
From 0/76, the Bears slumped to 145 all out in the final over. Dunning was the pick of the bowlers with 2/15, while Cam Wheeler finished with 3/23 and Jules Whetstone chipped in with 2/11.
The Tiger chase started strongly, with Edwards showing his class and scoring freely. He was dismissed for an entertaining 52 of 40 balls, including four sixes. Waters (40*) and Whetstone (26*) were rarely troubled in the chase, reaching the target with 10 overs to spare.
The Women’s XI hosted Mountain Gate on a cool Sunday evening, winning a high scoring affair by 27 runs. Teagen Beattie made a triumphant return to cricket, slamming an unbeaten 50 off 29 balls to help the Tigers reach 3-141 off their 20 overs. Alex Bantock was best with the ball, capturing 2/24.
The Second XI were eager for a win at home to The Basin after consecutive losses had loosened their grip on a finals berth. Batting first, the Tigers compiled 4-255 on the back of a sterling 85 from the in-form Chris Jewell, with Hunter Greenall and Jordan Tailby also notching half centuries. The Bears fell well short in their chase, all out for 168. The pick of the bowlers was Greenall with 3/22.
The Third XI accounted for Knoxfield by 35 runs at Silvan. Upwey-Tecoma scored 5-191, led superbly by openers James Dobbie-Hayward (96) and Bon Sullivan (53). Knoxfield finished on 9-156, with opening bowlers Aidan Beattie (3/25) and Noah Weston (3/15) doing the damage.
The Fourth XI were away to Knoxfield, claiming a big win to keep them in touch with the top four. In his first game for the club, Ben Fanelli clipped up a terrific 67, but it was young gun Cam Gilbert that stole the show with a brutal 83 off 66 balls, helping the TIgers reach 5-246. Knoxfield could only manage 3-215 in reply, with the wickets shared around.
The Under 16’s scored a thrilling victory by the barest of margins over Monbulk at home. Batting first, the Tigers scored a healthy 7-159. Captain Oskar Taylor posted a half century, well supported by Rees Humphrey with 42. Monbulk fought hard until the very end, finishing 1 run short on 3-158.
