Wanderers way too good

The final of the Ray Stoddart Twenty20 competition between ladder leaders Wanderers Cricket Club and Port Hedland Cricket Club was played before a large crowd at the Kevin Scott Oval last Saturday under lights.

Wanderers captain Josh Standen won the toss and elected to bat first, with Wayne Stokes (15) and Michael Mobilia featuring in a rapid-fire 21-run opening stand in the opening three overs before Port skipper Glenn Robertson dismissed Stokes and his replacement Chris Wichura in the fourth over, leaving the Wanderers at 2-24.

Enter Davey Thomason.

For the next 16 overs, Thomason and Mobilia plundered the Port bowlers at better than 10 runs an over, rattling up an unbeaten 165-run partnership to take the Wanderers to 2-189 at the innings break. Mobilia's unbeaten 66 took his T20 season aggregate to 304 runs and his average to 152.

Player of the match Thomason had previously scored just 56 runs over four innings, averaging just 14.

He finished this game on 94 not out from 56 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes, including one that landed on the Wanangkura Stadium roof.

Port’s reply was as shaky as the Wanderers’ opening, with Chris Briody and Jarrad O’Dea dismissed in the fourth over, victims of Ryan Steel (2-25).

Kobus Wessels (14) and Arran Hamilton (41) steadied the innings with a third-wicket stand of 47, with Ryan Ibbotson (38no) joining Hamilton to put on 43 runs for the fourth wicket. The dismissal of Hamilton and Robertson (3) had the Port chase stalled late in the innings at 5-116 — two stumpings in Standen's second over had the scoreline at 7-119, with Ibbotson running out of experienced batsmen and overs in which to score the 70 runs required.

Port ended their innings on 7-133. Senior cricket now goes into recess for the Christmasbreak and senior country week in January. The country week team fundraising raffle for a fishing rod combo was won by Sam Mason.

The in2cricket juniors were able to show off their skills under lights between the two innings, to the obvious delight of the players and their parents.

Stage two (hard ball) cricket continues at Kevin Scott Oval today under lights.