Echuca notches first win against Leitchville-Gunbower

Echuca won the toss and elected to bat first with openers Brendan Moyle and Curtis Townrow getting off to nice start, developing a 49-run first-wicket stand before Townrow was caught by Lewis Stubbs off Jed Bereton’s bowling for 42.

James Grixti came to the crease at first drop and combined with Brendan Moyle for another strong partnership, putting on 54 before Grixti was beaten all ends up by Simon Tatt for 23.

Moyle was next to depart just three overs later, getting caught off Blake Gibson’s bowling, Echuca’s early anchor now back in the sheds for 36.

With two new batsmen at the crease, Echuca had to work hard to continue from a strong start, with Kobyn James and Aidan Young combining for 22 before Young was bowled by Gibson for three.

New batsman Nick Dolan didn’t last long before he departed for a single run after Tatt struck the stumps again.

Charlie Hinks looked promising before he hit a shot into captain Joshua O’Shea’s safe pair of hands off James Keath’s bowling for four.

While Echuca was suffering from a minor batting collapse down one end, Kobyn James was getting it done at the other.

His steady hand and patience produced a vital 41 for his side before he was ultimately bowled through the gate, Keath once again providing the goods for L-G.

There’s a reason why Echuca is the three-time defending champion, and it mainly comes down to its ability to bat deep.

Eighth and ninth batsmen Lachlan Hogan and Simon Maddox managed to see out the remaining overs of Echuca’s innings and remained unbeaten on 19 and seven, respectively.

The men in green set a solid total of 196 for L-G to chase for victory.

L-G’s chase started out promisingly when Jaspar Wilson-Keir and Billy Hawken put on 31 in their opening stand, but that was brought to a swift end following a nice catch by Nathan Elliott off Simon Maddox bowling to send Hawken packing for 18.

First drop Jed Bereton was unable to get off the mark and departed after three balls for a duck, Simon Maddox striking double in the same over thanks to Brendan Moyle’s slick work in the field.

Riley Keath was able to produce a speedy 19 runs with Wilson-Kear holding steady down the other end before he was bowled by a Charlie Hinks’s beauty.

L-G co-captain James Keath collected six runs of 14 balls but fell to Kale Edwards from a Curtis Townrow catch.

Marcus Stubbs didn’t add anything to L-G’s tally, surviving just five balls before a stellar fielding effort by Nathan Elliott resulted in him being run out for a duck.

Opener and innings anchor Wilson-Keir was next to depart at the start of the 31st over, his 110-ball innings coming to an end for 33 courtesy of Curtis Townrow holding on to his second catch of the innings.

Despite being 6-92 and 104 runs from victory with 14 overs to play, L-G wasn't going to roll over and give in to Echuca.

The combination of Jason Keath and Simon Tatt dug their heels in to keep L-G competitive through the latter part of the second innings.

The pair developed an almost game-saving 63-run partnership for the seventh wicket, taking L-G’s total to 155 before Keath was trapped in front by Hinks and left the crease for 24.

As is so often the case in cricket, wickets come in pairs and Simon Tatt was next to go that same over, falling prey to Hinks off a Grixti catch for 35, L-G’s chances of a successful chase leaving the ground with him.

Elliott picked up the wicket of Lewis Stubbs relatively easily, bowling him for a single run off two balls, while Blake Gibson and co-captain Joshua O’Shea batted out the remaining overs, finishing their innings at 9-169.

All things considered, it was a good effort for Leitchville-Gunbower who, on another day against a different opponent, would have emerged victorious but was unable to top the pedigree of the defending champions.

Leitchville-Gunbower will have the luxury of having its second game of the season at home against Echuca South, while Echuca will look to get over the top of Nondies-Cohuna at Victoria Park.