ST MARYS shook off their poor early season form by winning both their games in the A-grade T20 qualifying series in the Busselton-Margaret River Cricket Association on Saturday.
After the previous week's washout resulted in a shortened qualifying format for the A-grade T20 finals, Saints defeated YOBS in their first game at Barnard Park and then got up to beat Dunsborough in the second game.
Across town at Bovell Park, Dunsborough scored a winning total of 9-127 against Margaret River Hawks in their opening game, and then YOBS turned up the heat on Hawks by winning the second encounter.
As a result, Saints have qualified first for the A-grade T20 grand final on February 1. They will play YOBS, who snuck into the final on net run rate ahead of Dunsborough.
Saturday's qualifying rounds for the T20 competition saw a record 16 games played on one day; four in A-grade, six in B-grade and another six in C-grade.
Nick Barr (31) led the charge for Saints in their winning A-grade total of 7-142 against YOBS, who were bowled out for 110.
Dunsborough's win over Hawks featured a dashing 40 from skipper Ian Purcell, and a career-extending one-handed catch by Aaron Mott at gully to dismiss Rumesh Silva.
Kade Dittmar topscored for Hawks, and also featured in a remarkable dismissal when teammate Tyson Warnke ran around the boundary and turned a potential six into a two-man catch on the boundary.
Nick Ritchie led the way for Saints in the closest A-Grade game, hitting an unbeaten 42 in a total of 4-108, a score which proved just 4 runs too good for Dunsborough.
In the B-grade T20 qualifying games, all played at Margaret River's three grounds, Vasse were the only side to notch two wins, both comfortable wins, first taking just 12 overs to pass St Marys' total of 107, with Miles Darragh hitting 42, and then thrashing Hawks by scoring a winning total of 3-74 in just 9 overs, with Sam Shepherd making 32.
Hawks scored the closest win of the day in B-grade when they made 6-110 and then held Cowaramup to 8-108. Sam Berridge made a welcome return for the Bulls and hit 33 not out off 19 balls to nearly get his side to victory.
YOBS scored the most economical win by hitting 5-90 against Dunsborough, with Jack O'Malley hitting a fine 33, and then holding Dunsborough to 9-60 from 20 overs, with James Trewren taking excellent figures of 4-5.
In C-grade qualifying T20 games, Vasse hit the highest total of the day when they amassed 4-175 against YOBS, with Stuart Price making 78 and Dennis Amour 52. YOBS were held to just 6-98 in reply.
Nannup beat Cowaramup in a high-scoring encounter by hitting a winning total of 3-167 from 20 overs, with Lachlan Smith scoring an outstanding 86 not out.
The new Busselton All Stars enjoyed their first ever win in the competition when they took 15 overs to pass Hawks' total of 7-120 with M. Armstrong scoring an unbeaten 61.
Dunsborough enjoyed wins in both their C-Grade qualifying games, first holding off Vasse by 10 runs and then beating St Marys by a comfortable 29-run margin.
YOBS scored a rare wicketless win when they responded to St Marys' total of 7-113 by making 0-115 in 15 overs, with Scott Maitland hitting 68 not out.
BMRCA T20 Cricket Competition
A-grade results:
St Marys 7-142 (20 overs) (N. Barr 31, T. Chandler 23, N. Ritchie 23, E. Piggott 3-11, M. Connaughton 2-30) b YOBS 110 (18.2 overs) (H. Golding 31, J. Evans 20, L. Milligan 2-17, T. Chandler 2-21, N. Ritchie 2-28).
Dunsborough 9-127 (20 overs) (I. Purcell 40, A. Mott 25, M. Kent 2-14, P. Crimp 2-28, C. McLean 2-30) b MR Hawks 81 (20 overs) (K. Dittmar 27, T. Warnke 18, R. Small-Boyce 3-13, R. Martin 3-13, J. Reagan 2-16, L. Milton 2-19).
St Marys 4-108 (17.1 overs) (N. Ritchie 42no, D. Hatton 27, T. Chandler 22no, R. Small-Boyce 2-34, J. Omodei 1-11) b Dunsborough 104 (18.5 overs) (P. Watts 23, I. Purcell 19, J. Lowe 2-14, T. Chandler 2-15, L. Milligan 2-23).
YOBS 131 (19.4 overs) (J. Evans 30, H. Colombera 21, M. Kent 2-11, R. Silva 2-13, L. Westcott 2-24, P. Crimp 2-29) b MR Hawks 57 (13.2 overs) (T. Warnke 13, J. Evans 4-10, M. Braid 2-11).
B-grade results:
YOBS 5-90 (20 overs) (J. O'Malley 33, A. Logan 26no, M. Vogelsanger 2-28, R. Pes 1-7, B. Glasspool 1-8) b Dunsborough 9-60 (20 overs) (M. Vogelsanger 19, J. Trewren 4-5).
MR Hawks 6-110 (20 overs) (A. Wilkie 46, P. Tognolini 36, T. Coulson 2-12) b Cowaramup 8-108 (20 overs) (S. Berridge 33no, T. Coulson 20, D. Weston 3-41, J. Moore 2-18).
Vasse 5-109 (11.5 overs) (M. Darragh 42, S. Young 21, J. Perks 2-15, M. Snaddon 2-17) b St Marys 107 (19.2 overs) (J. Perks 30, J. Gower 24, K. Barrow 20, D. Horncastle 3-2, S. Young 2-13).
Vasse 3-74 (9 overs) (S. Shepherd 32, J. Moore 2-26) b MR Hawks 71 (20 overs) (M. Shinnick 13, S. Young 2-4, T. Perks 2-7, D. Horncastle 2-11).
Dunsborough 7-109 (20 overs) (J. Curtis 4-21, R. Coates 2-19) b Cowaramup 8-97 (20 overs) (M. Hibberd 53).
St Marys 6-119 (17 overs) (A. Leaney 31, K. Barrow 26no, J. Taylor 2-31) b YOBS 6-117 (20 overs) (J. O'Malley 36, T. Payne 26, J. Bruse 24, D. Tomlinson 3-10).
C-grade results:
YOBS 0-115 (15.3 overs) (S. Maitland 68no) b St Marys 7-113 (20 overs) (G. Sly 46, K. Rogers 20no, C. Jones 2-11, D. Cameron 2-17).
Dunsborough 4-134 (20 overs) (B. Siney 53, D. Merry 30, E. Truscott 3-26) b Vasse 124 (19.5 overs) (O. Carlyle 29, A. Eades 23, M. Howard 4-20, S. Henry 2-6, B. Gould 2-12).
Dunsborough 8-129 (20 overs) (B. Christmas 24, B. Siney 24no, A. La Mancusa 2-16, L. Campbell 2-22) b St Marys 6-100 (20 overs) (B. Taylor 26, L. Campbell 25no, B. Gould 3-15).
Nannup 3-167 (20 overs) (L. Smith 86no, B. Lullfitz 33, S. Shaw 20) b Cowaramup 5-145 (20 overs) (A. Cooke 48no, F. Barrett-Lennard 31, J. Cooke 25, P. Bresser 2-16).
Vasse 4-175 (20 overs) (S. Price 78, D. Amour 52, J. de Klerk 2-25) b YOBS 6-98 (20 overs) (H. Waseem 29, E. Truscott 3-8, D. Nisbett 2-16).
Bsn All Stars 2-123 (15 overs) (M. Armstrong 61no, J. Cook 39) b MR Hawks 7-120 (20 overs) (M. Jarvis 60, A. Currell 23, J. Hills 3-16, R. Burton 2-25).
