YOOGALI pace spearhead Mark Wade looks to be a shoe-in for top bowling honour this Griffith District first-grade season, after another masterful performance on Saturday against Hanwood at Hanwood Oval.
The first-innings victory has given Yoogali second spot on the ladder with just under two months until finals start, but it's Wade (pictured right) continual high standards with the ball that is the talking point of the competition.
Wade claimed his second seven-wicket haul this season as he put a wrecking ball through Hanwood's first innings, in claiming 7-20 off 11 overs.
His latest haul has taken his wicket tally to an astounding 42 at the tiny average of just 5.8 for the season, as he continues to drive Yoogali's surge towards the finals.
Needing to win to turn around their season's fortunes, Hanwood would have felt quietly confident of running down the 192 runs needed for first innings points.
While aware of what Wade can do on his day, Hanwood openers Brad Horner and Tom Shannon backed themselves to repeal anything the leader of the Yoogali attack threw at them.
But Wade was too good, sending Shannon packing for a duck with the score on just nine with a double breakthrough coming when the dangerous Brendan Hicken was dismissed for a duck.
Hornery (12) and Michael Crosato (21) were able to steady the innings for a period with the pair putting on 27 runs for the third wicket.
But Yoogali would not be denied for long and when Richard Watts (1-23) bowled Crosato it opened the floodgates for Wade again who claimed the next four wickets.
Hanwood began to start wondering if their was more than one Wade on the field as he also sparked a run out, with the experienced Jamie Whitworth dismissed on 14 late in the innings.
Largely to to Wade's withering burst with the ball, Hanwood was dismissed 116 runs short of their target, securing the first points for Yoogali, who could sense blood in the water and sent Hanwood back into bat.
But the home side's resolve the second time around was much better as they fought to stop the indignity of being beaten outright with Horner and Shannon putting on a 51-run opening stand as they stood up to the Yoogali attack.
Hornery tried one attacking shot too many when he was stumped by Ben Watts off the bowling of Blake Ritorto for 38, with another to the young Yoogali bowler as Shannon departed for 17.
Crosato continued his solid form in making 30, as he and Chris McGann helped Hanwood to be 94 before another collapse started, and it was not at Wade's doing.
In fact Wade did not capture a single wicket in Hanwood's second innings as a golden chance to secure his side 10-wicket match went begging.
But his teammates did more than enough damage as David Watts (3-5 off four) and captain Tom Webb (2-16) cleaned up the tail as the day finished Hanwood eight down for 127.
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