Cobram, the reigning A-grade premiers, enjoyed a stellar season to clinch the minor premiership, and as a result faced fourth-placed Deniliquin at the weekend in the first semi-final at Cobram Recreation Reserve.
And just as they have done throughout the home and away fixtures, the Tigers stood up to take control of the contest, swinging the momentum against the fast-starting Rhinos to hold sway at the end of the day’s play.
It was Deniliquin that won the toss and opted to bat, and while the visitors made a handy start through openers Tom McCallum and Brad Todd, Cobram’s bowling lineup wasn’t denied for long, with Adam De Cicco snaring the wicket of Todd to leave the Rhinos at 1-33, while Jimmy Daniel swooped soon after to remove McCallum, as Deniliquin slumped to 2-43.
While it looked as though the Tigers would continue their relentless wicket-taking, Harry Hillier and Rhinos skipper Griegan French bucked the trend, adding a huge 77-run partnership for the third wicket, which Shaun Downie eventually broke by removing Hillier, as Deniliquin powered to 3-120.
But the Rhinos didn’t stop there, with new batter Andrew Hogan also chipping in handily, contributing to a 54-run stand alongside French for the fourth wicket, which, by the time Daniel managed to break by removing French (64), saw the visitor all the way to 4-174.
You can’t keep the Tigers out of the contest forever, though, and what followed was a monumental bowling effort that saw Cobram snare 7-50 to flip the contest back in its favour.
Downie (2-78) added a second as Deniliquin slumped to 5-179, which became 6-180 as Daniel (3-51) snared his third, before De Cicco (3-41) and Tyron Baden (2-31) each claimed two wickets to skittle the tail, as the Rhinos collapsed from 3-174 to all out for 224 in a stunning display of bowling by Cobram.
The Tigers faced 30 overs before stumps as they made a start on chasing the 225 runs needed for the win, and while they reached 85 by the end of play, it came at the cost of two wickets, with Rhino Rory Bartlett dismissing both Bodey Webb (11) and Hugh Hyde (15), to remain a sniff of victory.
Cobram will resume this Saturday at 2-85 with Daniel Ellis and Downie unbeaten on 39 and 12, respectively, needing 140 for the win, while Deniliquin requires eight wickets before they do so.
Over at Nathalia Recreation Reserve, Barooga reached stumps 65 runs away from victory after 14 wickets fell on a wild day against Nathalia, as both sides’ bowlers made the most of friendly conditions.
Nathalia won the toss and opted to bat, a decision it would have been regretting as it found itself down 4-16 following a whirlwind opening salvo from the Hawks, which saw skipper Riyaad Henry snare three cheap wickets and Codi Bowden the other, as the visitors established themselves on top early.
Luke Quinn (35) and Emile Haratbar (45) put together a 79-run stand for the home side to drag them within touching distance of 100 and give Nathalia a fighting chance, however, they both perished before crossing the triple-figure threshold, as Henry added a fourth and Kohen Haddrell (1-12) snared his first to leave Nathalia in dire trouble at 6-97.
A 34-run stand between Ash Quinn and Gus Frostick looked promising for the home side, guiding them beyond 130 runs before a run out spelled the end of Frostick, leaving Nathalia at 7-131, while Riley Gow (2-28) cleaned up the tail with two wickets, alongside Henry who claimed his fifth to finish with figures of 5-41, as the Hawks dominated to bowl Nathalia out for 155.
But Barooga suddenly found that the going wasn’t so easy as the Hawks commenced the chase with a 40-over stint before stumps, suffering an early collapse to be down 4-35 as Ash Quinn snared 3-26 early.
But Ethan Bovalina and Hugh Sutton steadied the ship, guiding Barooga to 91 without further loss at stumps, and will resume this Saturday on 28 and 35, respectively, as they look to guide the Hawks to a grand final berth.
