NOT EVEN a double hat-trick to Clinton Midgley was enough for Rup-Minyip as Laharum produced the season’s biggest upset.
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The two sides have sat at opposite ends of the ladder all season but Laharum’s top order did enough to outplay the out-of-form away team.
An 88-run opening partnership between Josh Mahoney and Damien Bunworth took advantage of Rup-Minyip starting the game two short in the field.
The removal of Mahoney for 40 by Leigh Funcke only slowed momentum temporarily.
Jeremy Tyler made 23 in a 48-run second-wicket partnership and Bunworth was eventually removed by Ryan Metelmann for 76 with the team’s score on 3-165.
Captain Dan Griffiths, 22, and the experienced Mal Adams, 26 not out, continued to tick the score over despite Midgley’s double hat-trick causing Laharum to drop from 4-194 to 8-194.
It was Midgley’s first hat-trick.
“I just managed to get four balls on the stumps,” he said.
“Sometimes that is all you have to do.”
He said after bowling the first two, he was confident when he appealed for LBW against Brett Ervin to claim the hat-trick.
The fourth wicket was a result of the ball ricocheting off Ash Marra’s pads and onto the stumps.
“I did not get too excited at the time,” he said.
“It is something I will look back on a bit further down the line.”
Rup-Minyip required 214 and Midgley’s heroics did not extend to his batting when he was the first of his side’s wickets to fall with 23 on the board.
Opening partner Dan Clark did not last much longer, but a 46-run partnership between Matt Downer, 74, and Travis Hair, 23, brought Rup-Minyip back into the game.
Downer and Funcke, 31, then put on their own 61-run partnership before it was broken by Jermey Tyler, 2-57, and Laharum took control of the game again.
Bunworth added figures of 4-40 to his runs as Rup-Minyip made 9-187.
Shaky batting by Horsham Saints was rectified by a strong bowling and fielding effort to see the side home against Blackheath-Dimboola Bulls.
Matt Combe’s 81 was the backbone of the innings but he lacked support as Justtin Combe, 25, and Tony Caccaviello, 21, were the only other batsmen to make double figures.
Elliot Braithwaite, 3-19, did the early damage for the Bulls before Sam Polack, 3-13, picked up later wickets as the Saints were bowled out for 163.
Saints captain Caccaviello turned to the Combe brothers to open the attack.
Matt, 2-14, struck in the first over by removing Trent McGough before Justtin, 2-22, managed to snare the key wicket of Lachie Watts in the second.
Wickets continued to fall with Hamish Exell’s 37 providing the main resistance before Zac Hamerson, 3-6, had him caught on the boundary.
The Bulls were eventually bowled out for 98 in the 40th over.
Homers sit top after defeating Jung.
Homers batted first and was bowled out for just over 200 as David Puls picked up 4-22. Jung could not recover from 3-6 despite an unbeaten 48 from Steven Leith and fell short.