To describe it as merely following on from his excellent first innings does little justice ― he set a massive standard and exceeded it with aplomb as Tatura’s offence crumbled a second time.
Before being presented the opportunity, Waaia’s batters took off from the commanding position in which they ended day one, with openers Jordan Cleeland and Brayden Carey’s 124-run partnership beating either of Tatura’s innings totals.
THE GAME
Waaia 4-200 dec (Jordan Cleeland 94, Brayden Carey 59, Blake Armstrong 2-41) and 0-12 (Reinhardt Engler 11*) d Tatura 89 (Jayden Armstrong 22, Xavier Hutchison 22, Jesse Trower 5-20, Connor Brown 3-27) and 121 (Blake Armstrong 24, Jayden Armstrong 23, Nicholas Watt 23, Jesse Trower 7-52) by 10 wickets
STAR PLAYER
Jesse Trower (Waaia): Twelve wickets should surely do it, you would think. Not content with decimating his foes once, Trower backed up and carried the second innings of work with a spell few will match in this year’s Haisman Shield.
Cleeland might have felt dissatisfied all the same, however, after falling to the bowling of Darcy Brewer six runs shy of a century.
Nonetheless, the Bombers’ declaration at 4-200 set Tatura the target of 111 to keep a long-decided game alive and Trower soon put the clamps on once more.
Little resistance was encountered until the two Armstrongs, Blake and captain Jayden, started to steer Tatura in the right direction.
Trower kept on trucking, though, getting the important breakthroughs on Blake before Nicholas Watt.
The rest was academic as Reinhardt Engler, sent packing for a second-ball duck the first time around, put paid to that disappointment.
Engler would chase the paltry victory target of 11 in style with a boundary and a walk-off six five balls into the innings.
The question now becomes who, if anyone, might have Waaia’s number over either one or two days, with Northerners next in line to try their luck.
The Bombers, sitting pretty alone at 5-0, will make the trip to Tallygaroopna and will do well to be wary of their hosts, who have valiantly battled back from a despair-filled first three weeks to earn considerable credibility.
Tatura, now 10th at 2-4, will find the going little easier than it has been, though, as it gets set for a fortnight of cricket at home to Nagambie.
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