Country Cup: Bunbury & Districts Cricket Association suffer eight-wicket grand final loss to Invitational XI

The Bunbury & Districts Cricket Association have stumbled at the final hurdle of their Belt Up Country Cup campaign, losing to the WA Invitational XI by eight wickets at College Park in Nedlands. In a game marked by persistent showers, the Blue Swans could only manage a score of 102, which the Invitational XI - featuring four BDCA players - tracked down with 143 balls to spare. After the start of the game was delayed due to inclement weather, the BDCA won the toss and chose to bat. However, they quickly found themselves in a spot of bother with Dunsborough seamer Harrison Sutherland bowling Nico Le Roux without scoring and pinning Haydn Slodecki LBW for two to leave them teetering at 2-12. Despite being in early trouble, the BDCA 1st-grade competition’s leading run-scorer Bradman May looked in fine touch, taking full advantage of a quick outfield by crisply punching several balls down the ground for boundaries. But playing one aggressive shot too many cost May his wicket, departing for 39 from 42 balls after picking out mid-off when trying to lift Colts’ seamer Bryn Bursill (3-23 from nine overs) over the off side. Bursill then bowled Cooper Clarke-Dehring (19 from 35 deliveries) and drew an edge behind from Blair Malatesta (five from eight balls) as part of a devastating individual burst of 3-5 that left his home association in all sorts of trouble at 6-74. Tim Hutchison (17 from 47 deliveries) marshalled all his experience to try and put a score on the board but was the last man dismissed by Eaton leg spinner Riley Stenhouse, who knocked over the last three batters for figures of 3-4 from his 4.1 overs. In the chase, Dalyellup’s Keagan Lynch and his opening partner Flynn Cristinelli made a circumspect start, scoring only 11 runs from the first five overs, but found their rhythm by taking the same figure from the sixth over alone, bowled by BDCA captain Liam Renton. The pair played all the strokes as part of a 82-run opening stand that set up the win for their side, with an audacious Cristinelli flick over the leg side off the bowling of Renton being the shot of the day. Hutchison (2-31 from six overs) grabbed the late consolation wickets of Cristinelli (36 from 63 balls) and Alex Cooke (seven from 18 balls), but the result was set. Lynch was awarded player of the match honours for his unbeaten 45 from 75 deliveries, which featured seven boundaries.