Leigh Westcott continued his match-winning form for Margaret River Hawks when he guided the reigning premiers to an exciting 5-run win over St Marys in a great contest of A-Grade cricket at Gloucester Park on Saturday.
After Hawks had batted first and were bowled out for 150 in 49.4 overs, Saints recovered from a poor start to their chase - at one stage they were 4-30 - to nearly snatch the game from the home team as the shadows lengthened in Margaret River.
Justin Chandler (27) and Jono Lloyd (32) both made strong contributions in the middle order for Saints before falling to off-spinner Josh Curtis (3-37).
Ash Gower (16) and Ben Crain (8) gathered vital runs as the overs wound down, before Westcott returned to the attack for the 50 th and final over, with Saints still needing 6 runs off the last over.
Westcott bowled both Crain and Gower to leave Saints short of victory by a single big hit, and ended the game with excellent figures of 4-14 from 9.3 overs.
Earlier, Saints veteran bowler Aaron Smith (2-25), Chandler (3-29) and Ben Crain (2-41) did well to restrict Hawks to 150 all out, of which left-hander Shane Joyce top-scored with 30.
The other A-Grade game was also a hard-fought affair, with YOBS getting up to beat Dunsborough at Barnard Park in a contest which could have gone either way.
Batting first, Dunsborough were held to 122 all out, with left-handers Aaron Mott (28) and skipper Ian Purcell (22) top-scoring against a tight YOBS attack.
Legspinner Mark Ramirez captured three wickets for YOBS, who started their chase soundly at 1-51 with Harvey Golding impressing with 26 runs, before losing a string of four wickets, all leg-before, to Billy McGowan (3-18) and Josh Reagan (2-15).
When captain Haig Colombera fell at 6-90 it looked as though Dunsborough might prevail, before hard-hitting Ethan Kelly (36 not out) decided the game in YOBS' favour with a string of big hits, sensibly supported by Phil Senekal (13 not out).
In B-Grade cricket, Dunsborough were decisive winners over YOBS on the turf at Bovell Park when they routed YOBS for 57 all out, after batting first and compiling 148.
Tom Begley (50) was the only batsman to master the conditions as he top-scored for Dunsborough, while Ryan Gianola snared 4-20 for YOBS.
Skipper Justin Gilbert (25) was the only batsman to reach double-figures for YOBS as they collapsed to Nathan McClymont (who took sensational figures of 3-5 off 9 overs) and left-armer Richard Norrish (3-29).
The other B-Grade game saw Saints humbled for 88 all out at Margaret River by Hawks, with Jordan Stanbury again the destroyer with four scalps.
This season Stanbury has already amassed 16 wickets for Hawks, with figures in his last four games being 3-37, 5-20, 4-27 and now 4-18.
Chasing 89 to win, Hawks raced home in 20.4 overs with Kade Dittmar (40 not out) showing his class.
In C-Grade cricket, Dunsborough (148 all out) held off Vasse (110 all out) at the Dunsborough Playing Fields, both sides being dismissed in exactly their full 40-over allotment.
Darcy Carroll (33 runs) and Kevin Smith (4-21) were the stand-out performers for Dunsborough, while club veteran Alex Eades (3-17) and Alex Thomas (27 not out) shone for Vasse.
The C-Grade game at the Margaret River Nippers Oval was also low-scoring, with Saints being dismissed for 92 and Hawks polishing off the requirement in 25 overs for the loss of six wickets.
No fewer than eight different bowlers took wickets for Margaret River Hawks, which must be close to a record for one innings in local cricket.
The remaining C-Grade game saw YOBS compile 8-169, with James Whiteford top-scoring with a breezy 39 from 40 balls, before dismissing Nannup for 110, of which Rob Menzies struck 40.
Newcomer Joshua van Zyl, only 15 years old, returned excellent figures of 4-8 in his debut game for YOBS, as well as holding one catch and making a run out.
