Diggers have closed the gap on second-placed Coro after a great display of middle order batting during their game against Leagues under lights on Saturday night.
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After winning the toss and electing to bat, Diggers made a positive start through Dom Brown and Ben Watts as they got their side to 21. However, two quick wickets fell as Leagues captain Paul Plummer dismissed Watts (8) while recruit Brett Hazelman picked up Brown (14).
The two wickets did little to slow Diggers momentum as Theo, and Tom Valeri came together to get their side to 50 before Tom (7) fell to the bowling of Raj Singh (1/22).
It was the hard-working Diggers middle order which put there side into a competitive position as Jason Hampel and Valeri kept the score ticking over before Valeri (41) fell to the bowling of Liam Greenaway (1/40) with the score on 78 with 22.2 overs bowled.
The fall of Valeri brought the ever-reliable Trevor Richards to the crease, and in combination with Hampel, they were able to get Diggers towards a defendable total.
A miscommunication between Hampel and Richards brought their partnership to a close as Ryan Greenaway was able to provide an accurate throw to run Hampel (35) out but the damage had already been done with Diggers sitting on 5/143 with seven overs remaining.
Richards kept the score ticking along as he got past the half-century milestone before he was finally dismissed for 62 after a 40-run stand with Craig Lugton (15) before Diggers reached the end of their 40 overs on 6/189.
Leagues were able to make a strong start in their reply as Liam Greenaway and Logan Matheson was able to lay a foundation for their side to build on. When Matheson (30) fell to the bowling of Watts issues started occurring for the Panthers side which revolved around spinner Nicola Harbison.
Andrew Madden (0) wasn’t able to trouble the scorers as he was caught by Theo Valeri off the bowling of Harbison while Jimmy Binks (1) also fell to the bowling of Harbison to see Leagues reduced to 3/73.
Greenaway was joined by Reece Matheson, and the pair looked to be building well before a rain interruption disrupted the momentum the pair had built as Greenaway was caught at point off the bowling of Dom Brown (1/24).
The Panthers were unable to forge any meaningful partnerships in the middle order as Harbison (4/27) picked up another two wickets before Luke Peruzzi found himself on a hat-trick when he removed Plummer and Raj Singh in successive deliveries.
When Matheson (48) was run out, it spelt the end for Leagues as they were bowled out for 146 to give Diggers a 43-run win.