Harvey-Benger Cricket Club finish 2022/23 season on a high with fourth grade winning BDCA championship

Harvey-Benger’s fourth grade team finished the 2022/23 season on a high with a dominant six-wicket victory over Eaton in the Bunbury and Districts Cricket Association grand final at the Harvey Recreation Ground on Saturday.

Eaton won the toss and had some indecision before electing to bat on a tricky wicket. It would prove to be a good toss to lose for Harvey-Benger as they were able to take advantage of the bowling friendly conditions.

Opening bowlers Murray Italiano (2-8 from eight overs) and Jorryn Fucile (0-15 from five overs) started well, bowling tight areas that didn’t allow the Eaton batters to score easily.

Eaton crawled to 2-39 at the 20-over drinks break, but with wickets in hand had a potential platform to launch from.

After the break, Harvey-Benger talisman Johnny Crognale then went to work.

In a man-of-match performance, Crognale showed his mastery of spin bowling to take 3-10 from eight overs, including the vital wicket of Eaton captain Travis Johnson for 23.

The home side kept applying the pressure and forced wickets to fall with regularity.

Kye McCreery (3-24), David Cooper (1-8) and Jarod Maughan (1-2) shared in the wickets as Eaton collapsed to be all out for 69.

In reply, the Harvey-Benger batting innings started cautiously as Harvey-Benger openers Johnny Crognale and captain Rowan Morrison assessed the pitch.

Eaton were loud in the field and the noise increased when Johnny Crognale was run out trying to get back for a quick second run.

Powerful striker Nigel Hill was next to fall, hitting a couple of crisp boundaries before mis-timing a pull shot on 16 runs. This brought Jarod Maughan to the crease, who together with Morrison set about building a partnership.

The pair played with little risk, picking off ones and twos while waiting for the bad ball to put away. Their 23-run partnership effectively killed the game, seeing the score through to 52 before Morrison edged to the keeper trying to leave the ball for 21.

Maughan, ably assisted by first year player Blain McCavanagh, would ultimately hit the winning runs with a crushing boundary in the 27th over. The in-form player finished on 23 not out to top score for the innings.

The victory makes Harvey-Benger back-to-back fourth grade premiers, and also premiers in three of the past four seasons.

The season will wrap up this coming Saturday with the club presentation night at The Boundary facility at the Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre.