Bellarine Peninsula’s Melbourne Country Week record stands at one win and two losses after going down to Wangaratta & District on Wednesday February 15 at Donald McLean Reserve, Spotswood.
With a bye today, the BPCA won’t be featuring in Friday’s Division 2 final.
Bellarine won the toss and batted and was off to a solid start thanks to Simon Umbers and Collendina’s Nathan Frye.
Umbers made 43 to go with 22 and 35 in the first two games while Frye was playing his first game of the campaign and made 25 in a 65-run stand.
Jan Juc’s Luke Edwards again batted well to score 45 from 63 balls. Edwards made 139 runs in three games at an average of 46.33.
Barrabool all-rounder Ed Morrison made a run-a-ball 48 after strong showings on Monday and Tuesday when he made 61 and 27.
Bellarine batted out its 50 overs for a final total of 6/219.
What followed was a topsy turvy Wangaratta & District innings that got off to an absolute flyer with South African Koot Pienaar making a blistering 77 from just 40 deliveries. Pienaar blasted 12 fours and three sixes to tear the Bellarine’s new-ball bowlers apart.
Fellow opener Cooper Matheson (32) shared a 121-run stand with Pienaar in quick time.
Wangaratta & District then lost three quick wickets thanks to Drysdale’s Cameron Chisholm and Ocean Grove’s Bailey Le Maistre struck early for the third day in a row.
Both bowlers took three wickets each as Wangaratta & District found itself 7/164, although the run rate was never a problem thanks to Pienaar’s early heroics.
Bellarine couldn’t make that vital breakthrough as Nick Pell (24 not out) and Fraser Ellis (21 not out) got their side home with three wickets and a mammoth 91 balls to spare.
