Verhaaf and Gondal leave the Whalers all at sea

The Bunbury and Districts Cricket Association easily claimed B-Section honours at the 2022 Alcohol Think Again senior country week championships in Perth. It was a no-nonsense display from the Blue Swans, who defeated Albany and Districts by seven wickets after chasing down a paltry 108. From the outset, the Whalers struggled to cope with the BDCA’s pace attack, as both Zane Verhaaf (4-54 off 15 overs, three maidens) and Jack Buswell (1-31 off eight overs, three maidens) gradually worked their way through the batting card. With the middle and tail order firmly exposed, in-form spinner Shehzad Gondal (5-21 off 6.1 overs, one maiden) went to work and wiped out the Whalers. It was a phenomenal carnival for the humble Leschenault star, who finished with 20 wickets overall — with three of these spells resulting in hauls of more than four wickets. Despite handy batter Clayton Caltsounis a late omission because of a hamstring injury, the BDCA managed to chase down the target with ease and end their campaign in style.