NICL – Round 1 & 2 Wrap

Men’s Round 1

Northcote Knights opened their account in the tournament with a comfortable 74 run win over their cross-centre rivals, Northcote Pirates. For the Knights, David Worthington top scored with 25 runs in a partnership of 48 with Cam Clayton that took the Knights to a total of 112. However, it was Phil Hiah who proved to be the difference for the Knights, contributing 25 runs and 3 wickets across the match.

North Geelong Supercats also proved too strong in their opening round encounter with the Melton Falcons, winning 115-62. Andrew Fergusson led the way for the Supercats with 15 runs and 4 wickets.

In the East Zone, Croydon Raiders defeated the Frankston Sharks 70-25. Justin Perkins was the standout player across both teams scoring 17 runs and taking 4 wickets, while both Travis Baker and Andrew Keane were solid contributors with 3 wickets apiece.

Cranbourne Kings also secured maximum points in their 128-74 win over Monash Tigers. Jake Fraser-McGurk was the standout performer for the Tigers with 25 runs and 2 wickets, but solid all-round contributions from Mitch Gregory, Jack Craig and David Dervan proved too much for the young Tigers outfit.

Women’s Round 1

In the East Zone, Monash Tigers secured their first win in the NICL with a dominant 129-58 win over Cranbourne. Jaide Anthony (18 runs, 2 wickets) and Stella Reid (17 runs, 3 wickets) played key roles in the victory with both bat and ball.

The Falcons also achieved maximum points in their 141-75 victory over the Northcote Knights. Leanne Netto (22 runs, 3 wickets) and Sam Heming (11 runs, 5 wickets) were the standout players for the Falcons in the win.

In the West, Melton defeated Springvale Scorpions by 23 runs in a close encounter. A final pair partnership of 33 between Addy Campion and Laura Shaw secured victory for Melton.

Northcote Pirates defeated the Kings 78-59 in the final match of the round.

Men’s Round 2

The match of the round saw the Hoppers Crossing Hurricanes defeat the North Geelong Supercats in a closely fought affair by 8 runs. Mitchell Sleeman was impressive for the Supercats scoring 20 runs and taking 3 wickets in a Player of the Match performance; but it was the Hurricanes depth of Braydan and Jonah Koch, as well as Nathan D’Antonio, that helped chase down the Supercats target of 76.

Melton Falcons secured their first win in the competition in a low scoring 33-20 victory over Northcote Pirates. Four wickets each to Grant McDonald and Dean Pirro restricted the Pirates to a sub-par total batting first. However, 4 wickets in the penultimate over from Eddie Wu threatened to steal the game back for the Pirates, before the Falcons held firm in the final over to take the points.

In the East, the Croydon Raiders remain undefeated after two matches accounting for Cranbourne Kings 60-41. Justin Perkins continued his strong start to the season with 3 wickets and 16 runs in a Player of the Match performance for the Raiders.

Frankston Sharks took maximum points in their defeat of Monash Tigers by 64 runs. An opening partnership of 31 between Clive and Brendan Rose set up the win for the Sharks.

Women’s Round 2

A 39-run partnership between Brodie Whitmore and Sandy Davies set up comfortable victory for the Kings over the Springvale Scorpions. Batting first the Scorpions put together a competitive total of 99, but it was no match for the Kings who took maximum points, winning by 36 runs.

Melton also secured their second win of the competition with a 49-run victory over Northcote.

In the East, the Springvale Seahawks comfortably passed the Knights total of 50 batting first, winning by 69 runs and taking all four skins, while the Falcons remain undefeated after accounting for the Kings 121-84.

For full fixtures and results – or to find out more about the Beastwear NICL – head to the www.nicl.com.au