With five wins from five games played, the strong form of the second half of the season continued on the weekend for Upwey-Tecoma.
The First XI hosted Knox Gardens, with Tiger skipper Jackson Waters winning the coin toss and electing to field in warm conditions.
Wickets with the new ball have proved hard to come by for the Tiger attack in recent times. This week was no exception, with the Falcon openers piling on the pain. They reached 0-111 at the halfway mark, before Liam Dunning (1/21) made the all-important breakthrough.
The Falcons regrouped, pushing the score up towards 200 on the back of an unbeaten century to opener Jack Taylor. Three late Cam Wheeler (3/36) wickets helped to limit the damage, with the Falcons setting a healthy 207 for victory.
The disastrous run-out of Andy Evans was not the start the Tigers were looking for, and when Waters was bowled in the 15th over, Upwey-Tecoma looked to be on the ropes at 3/50.
The in-form Julius Whetstone was joined at the crease by Wheeler and set about a rescue mission. A brisk run-a-ball 41 from Whetstone turned the tide the Tigers’ way, while Wheeler slammed a brutal 75 off 62 balls to all but seal the result. Some late hitting by Hunter Greenall (32*) saw the Tigers reach the target with a couple of overs to spare.
The win sees the Tigers confirm their ticket to March action, and they now sit equal top on points with Lysterfield and Ferntree Gully with nine wins each.
The Women’s XI faced South Belgrave in what was potentially a semi-final preview. Upwey-Tecoma batted first, with opener Kaitlyn Roleff batting brilliantly for 51 not out to provide the backbone of the innings.
The Tigers set South Belgrave 127 to win and it went down to the wire. Some tight Tiger bowling at the death proved pivotal as South fell seven runs short. Nic Hurst was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 1/22.
The Second XI easily accounted for Knox Gardens away, with star all-rounder Chris Jewell continuing his incredible run of form. Jewell snared 3/5 with the ball and followed up with an unbeaten 89 with the bat, as the Falcon’s 9/125 was replied to with a commanding 1/127. The win sees the Tigers take top spot in Division 3.
The Third XI stunned the highly-fancied Silvan, boosting their hopes of a finals berth with a gritty 10 run win. The star of the show was youngster Atticus Todd, whose all-round performance of 3/34 and 44 runs helped to sink the Slugs. Veteran Wayne Moore’s 3/9 was also instrumental in the win.
The Fourth XI proved too strong for Mountain Gate, winning by 73 runs. Richard Wicks wound back the clock with a superb 86 and 2/10, while Matt Reilly and Asher Caldow chimed in with two wickets a piece. The win sees the Tigers sneak into fourth spot with 2 games to play.
