Year 8 Cricket – SSV Gippsland

In the Gippsland Semi-Final, we were pitted against Leongatha SC. After winning the toss, we chose to bowl on an overcast morning with a thick green outfield. All bowlers put in stellar performances, but Oakley Pearson 4/8 off 4 and skipper Cooper Lett (3/3 off 4) were the standouts. After 20 overs, we faced a target of 60 for a spot in the final. Jos Dimarco top-scored with a watchful 20 off 42, while Waltley Sutton, Jack Kelly and Oakley Pearson also contributed to get us over the line.

As the sun found its way through the clouds, we lost the toss and were sent into field against Marist-Sion Warragul in the Gippsland Final. Our Year 8s did a tremendous job inside the first twelve overs, restricting Warragul to 2/41. However, some smart batting by their #4 and #6 saw a 49-run stand for the 5th wicket which pushed Marist-Sion to 4/100 at the close of their innings. Cooper Lett picking up 2/14 off four overs, while Harry Stables (1/14 off 4), Oakley Pearson (0/19 off 4) and Ryan Phelan (0/23 off 4) were significant as well.

In reply, it was a steady build for CCS, as we reached 0/39 after 8 overs, with Jos Dimarco and Bailey Wright (21 off 36) leading the way. From there, we were asked to recover from a slight stumble that saw us lose 2/1. A third wicket stand of 52 between Jos Dimarco (35 off 45) and Oakley Pearson (25 off 23) looked to be a match-winner, before a run-out saw the momentum change hands again. From here we would lose a couple more wickets and in the end, a desperately close match by 2 runs.

Year 8 Team – Jay Diamond, Jos Dimarco, Cooper Lett, Waltley Sutton, Oakley Pearson, Bailey Wright, Angus Heywood, Jack Kelly, Tyson Dobson, Ryan Phelan, Harry Stables and Zac Felsbourg