WDCA Batting line-up fails to fire finalTHE Wangaratta and District Cricket Association was unable to reproduce its Melbourne Country Week heroics from two years ago yesterday, going down to South West in the 2009 Division 3 decider at Kew. Despite comfortably beating yesterday’s opponents in the first round of the tournament, Wangaratta had to settle for second best as South West swept to a four-wicket victory. After winning the toss and batting, the WDCA could muster only 9-167 and South West had little trouble reaching the target, finishing with 6-168 after 36 overs. Lakypira Perera top-scored for Wangaratta with 44, while Jeremy Wilson chipped-in with 36. Star batsman Luke O’Keefe said the side was disappointed to lose, especially considering Wangaratta had beaten South West previously. “We were certainly hoping to win it and we’re disappointed,” he said. “We had a really good team in this week but we didn’t get the job done. “We beat South West in the first round but unfortunately things didn’t go our way today. “But overall, we had a pretty successful Country Week.” O’Keefe said the Wangaratta total was well short of par on a good pitch and fast outfield. “It definitely was a bit short of what we wanted and then one of their batsmen smashed 90 off about 60 balls, and took the game away from us,” he said. The loss means Wangaratta, who won the division 3 title in 2008, will remain in the same division next year, with only the winning association gaining promotion. Benalla will also remain in division 3 after finishing fifth this season, while Cricket Albury-Wodonga will compete in division 4 after coming third this week. - Two former Border sports stars produced man-of-the-match efforts for their new associations yesterday. Former Cricket Albury-Wodonga and Wangaratta keeper-batsman Darren Petersen was named man-of-the-match for Bendigo as it took out the Provincial title against Kyabram, while ex-Border cricket gun Jason MacFarlane received the same honour for Traralgon as it beat Bairnsdale in the division 2 final. BY - NIALL SEEWANG. 20th Feb, 2010. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WDCA - 2008 - Melbourne Country Week - Division 3 - PREMIERS Division 3 - Wangaratta v Yarra Valley at the Preston City Oval
Wangaratta won the toss and sent Yarra Valley in to bat.
After 25 overs, Yarra Valley were 3 for 67 with Daniel Vihm for Wangaratta having taken 2 for 8 from 7 overs.
At lunch, Yarra Valley 9 for 140 cc from the 50 overs - J.Ashdown 5 for 19 from 10 overs.
After 27 overs in their first innings,Wangaratta were 3 for 93.
Wangaratta have won the title in Division 3 for 2008. Wangaratta 3 for 143 from 35 overs - A.Ryan 70 n.o., L.Morgan 44 n.o. defeated Yarra Valley 9 for 140 cc - J.Ashdown 5 for 19, D.Vihm 2 for 12.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WDCA Ready for action ! 08/02/08 CARRYING the hopes of the league, Wayne Ashton and his WDCA representative side are feeling confident as they head to Melbourne on Sunday to compete in country week. And Ashton said that this is one of the strongest sides he has led into the competition. Having reached the final last year, the side will be hoping to go one further and bring the title of country week side of the year back to Wangaratta. "I think it is one of the stronger squads I have led," he said while preparing for the week’s competition. "Everyone is strong and we have plenty of batting and bowling. "And we have a couple of ‘keepers which we haven’t had in the past." Ashton has said that thanks to the depth of his side, and subject to form, that a rotation system will help to keep his side fresh throughout. "That would be the ideal situation," he said. "Four days is a lot of cricket."But it will depend on how we are doing."Our first two games we are up against sides who traditionally are strong teams. "We will have to concentrate on those first two days and see how we go." Clearing the hurdle of the first two days will be a task made all the easier thanks to the talent and experience at Ashton’s disposal. A veteran of representative cricket himself, he has been captain of the WDCA side for the past three country weeks. What is more, he will be able to call on the experience of Justin Solimo, Kent Braden and Aiden Ryan, all of whom have had a taste of country week cricket. Written by - BEN ROBSON. 
| ( For the whole story look in this newspaper ) |
The VCCL has released the 2008 Melbourne Country Week Draw which starts on Monday, 11th February. The WDCA are once again in Division 3, after finishing runners up to Yarra Valley in Division 3 last year when the final was played in Benalla due to the drought. With Wednesday's game this year, due to be played in Brunswick on the 13th February, this looks very much like an ideal location to have the annual WDCA Reunion Day in Melbourne. Click on the file just below to view the Melbourne Country Week Draw.  Melb Country Week Draw'08.pdf (12.46 KB Fri Jan 25 13:30:37 2008)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Campaign falters...............13 runs prove a major hurdle WANGARATTA stumbled in its quest to win the division 3 crown of Country Week yesterday with an agonising 13-run loss to Yarra Valley at the Gardens Oval, Benalla. The host association couldn’t reproduce its opening day heroics when a final wicket partnership set it on the path to a successful campaign. Last pairing Rod Lane and Paul Smithwick came together with the score at 7-179 and Wangaratta still needing 28 runs to achieve victory after Yarra Valley was dismissed for 206. Seasoned campaigner Lane and competition newcomer Smithwick, who returned brilliant figures of 6-16 earlier in the week, inched their way to the victory target before the Rovers United all-rounder edged a ball through to keeper Kevin Bomford to hand Yarra Valley a tense victory. Earlier, Lane and Tim Wood provided Wangaratta with a chance of victory by snaring two wickets each in the Yarra Valley innings highlighted by a knock of 39 from the blade of Mark Stolarcyk. Lane bowled tightly to return 2-23 off 10 overs for Wangaratta in his first outing of the campaign. The Wangaratta run chase started poorly when it slipped to 2-14 with Mick Walker the early destroyer before finishing with 3-46 from 10 overs. Wangaratta was in further trouble at 4-49, but Brenton Surrey and Justin Solimo began a fightback. They pieced together a 71-run partnership with Surrey leading the charge with six fours and a towering six over the square leg boundary. Surrey departed for a hard-hitting half-century when he was caught on the long on boundary and in a double blow for Wangaratta, Solimo was on his way two runs later. Solimo was caught out of his crease as Bomford whipped the bails off from the bowling of Cam Darwall (2-23). Darwall also claimed the wicket of Aydan Ryan for 22 after he and captain Wayne Ashton resurrected Wangaratta’s chances again. They took the score to 145 before Ashton and Tim Wood lifted Wangaratta to 179. But the pair fell on the same score, leaving Lane and Smithwick with the job of keeping Wangaratta alive. Wangaratta will remain in division 3 next season. By - DAVID JOHNSTON. 24th Feb, 2007. | |
2007 Melbourne Country Week Division 3 - Results 2007 Melbourne Country Week / Division 3 Ladder | Yarra Valley | 5 | 46 | 1,221 | 51 | 818 | 5 | 0 | 1.655 | 22.41 | 82.41 | | Wangaratta | 4 | 39 | 915 | 39 | 803 | 2 | 2 | 1.139 | 33.39 | 57.39 | | Ferntree Gully 2 | 4 | 30 | 876 | 35 | 664 | 2 | 1 | 1.539 | 15.76 | 45.76 | | Maryborough | 3 | 17 | 337 | 25 | 420 | 1 | 1 | 1.18 | 26.18 | 44.18 | | Benalla | 3 | 33 | 549 | 29 | 554 | 1 | 2 | 0.871 | 28.62 | 40.62 | | Seymour | 4 | 38 | 774 | 39 | 983 | 1 | 3 | 0.808 | 15.54 | 27.54 | | Gisborne | 3 | 35 | 266 | 20 | 696 | 0 | 3 | 0.218 | 23.59 | 23.59 |
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