A momentous first grade five-for and a stunning opening knock has revived Ginninderra's title hopes in the ACT Premier Cricket two-day competition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Sydney-bound after this season, batsman Owen Chivers put Ginninderra in a strong position with a masterful 161 not-out in the first innings, as Nicholas Allen (68), Ethan Fitzpatrick (45) and all-rounder Thomas Hogan (43) chipped in to boost their total to 5/329 declared.
Eastlake had a mountain to climb from there and Hogan stepped up in a big way with the ball in hand to turn the screws.
The Ginninderra junior's impressive 5/22 was his first senior five-for, and combined with Jak Wilcox's 3/37, Eastlake's chances quickly faded.
"With a relatively young side it was good to get the boys some confidence to keep us in contention for finals," Wilcox said after the win on the weekend.
"It was a massive effort from Owen. He's a class player and with him headed to Sydney with his partner after this season we wanted to see him do well.
"And for Tom it was a fantastic effort from him. I just love the kid. He lives and breathes cricket and he'll do anything for you.
"He's got a massive future ahead of him which is exciting for our club and also cricket in the ACT."
![ANU's Felix Bennett scored a century. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong ANU's Felix Bennett scored a century. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/a9f0a9d5-5eff-470b-9a5c-acdbdc750aa5.jpg/r0_106_5300_3086_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ginninderra currently sit in the middle of the table in the two-day format, but back themselves to still have a crack at the title with some more strong performances.
"We haven't played our best cricket, but I feel if we can string together some good games at the end of the year... we did it a couple of years ago winning the Douglas Cup," Wilcox said.
"When you make finals, all of a sudden you can actually make a run for it.
"It's just a different game come the finals."
At Chisholm Oval, ANU opener Felix Bennett scored a century to put the visitors in a commanding position as they went on to beat Tuggeranong with their first innings total and no time left in the two-day competition to bat again.
In other results, Weston Creek Molonglo beat Western District by 137 runs, while Queanbeyan's bowling attack ripped through North Canberra Gungahlin to have their opponents all out in the first innings for just 64 runs and firmly on the back foot.
Tyler van Luin (5/21) and Zac Beveridge (4/13) were dominant in the first innings and Queanbeyan's batsman did just enough to get the job done.
AT A GLANCE
Queanbeyan 8d/178, 0/14 bt North Canberra Gungahlin 10/64, 10/124
ANU 10/291 bt Tuggeranong 10/197, 10/204
Weston Creek Molonglo 10/387 bt Western District 10/250
Ginninderra 5d/329 bt Eastlake 10/171, 2/80