HAWKESBURY Cricket Club’s first grade team suffered a tough home loss at the weekend, going down to the lowly Western Suburbs.
The Hawks lost in the first innings of the two-day match, with both days played at the weekend.
Western Suburbs batted for 92 overs, battling the intense heat at Bensons Lane on Saturday, to declare at 9-303.
Hawkesbury batted for 83 overs, but fell well short of the total as the team was all out for 227.
Western Suburbs won the toss and went in to bat, and the top order did a good job of wearing down the Hawkesbury attack.
Opener bowler Pat Lawrence was forced to bowl 18 overs in the innings, while Josh Clarke bowled 23, as captain Jay Dyball bowled himself for 17.
Dyball’s toil lead to three wickets, while Clarke bagged two.
Clarke was not so lucky with the bat when it was Hawkesbury’s turn to bat, as the opener was out on the first ball of the innings.
Brent Atherton held down the fort with new number three bat Harry Ridgewell, and the pair put on 61 runs before Atherton fell.
Ridgewell and Dale McKay came together, and added another 62, before Ridgewell then McKay fell in quick succession, with both falling just short of a half century.
Jordan Gauci and Aamir Jamal were out in the 20s, and wicket keeper Corey Lowe made 32, but they all fell to the Western Suburbs attack, exposing Hawkesbury’s tail, which Western Suburbs made short work of.
Third grade also lost, but second, fourth and fifth all delivered wins for Hawkesbury.
Meanwhile, Penrith ended the season of Hawkesbury’s AW Green Shield competition on Thursday, January 12, with a four wicket defeat of Hawkesbury’s under-16s unit.
This Sunday, in the Poidevin Shield under-21 competition, Hawkesbury has its final match of the one-day series against Randwick-Petersham.
Hawkesbury is just two places outside of the top eight, and could potentially make the qualifying finals with a win.
