KARUAH Tea Gardens District Cricket Club has hit the wicket again, returning in fine form by defeating both last year’s grand finalists in the first two rounds of the season.

The Sharks bowled out last year’s competition winners Stroud all out for 76 in the season’s first game and chased them down with two overs to spare.

Last week against Dungog’s Wallarobba Cricket Club at Bennett Park, Karuah faced a daunting 133 run chase.

Bowlers Peter Mascord and Jordan Barry both helped cap the runs, taking 1/14 and 2/21 respectively.

Batsmen Lucas Barry and David Foot took to the pitch and brought the Sharks closer to their target, scoring 45 and 27.

The team were less than a dozen runs short in the last over until Trent Bills went on to score the last 10 runs of the match and secure the win for Karuah.

The side now sits atop the ladder and will enjoy a week off before their hometown clash with Clarence Town at Karuah Oval.

Coach Colin McCarthy says their fresh faced team includes nineteen players, with eleven under 25 years old.

While they weren’t able to have two teams in the competition this year, it has brought a number of father-son pairings into the team, including Jordan, Lucas and Aidan Barry.

Coach McCarthy hopes next year with a few more players and sports returning to normal the side can see two teams atop the ladder.

 

By Samuel BARTLETT