The Junee Stallions have set their sights on wrestling the minor premiership of arch-rivals Coolac after thumping third-placed Woolpack Lippers last Saturday.
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The Stallions occupied top spot on the Elders Cup ladder alongside defending premiers Coolac when they took to the field last weekend but hadn’t played for almost two months due to a string of forfeitures and washouts.
However, Junee fans had little to fear as the Stallions set about dismantling the Lippers top order with a fiery display of bowling.
Brett Dobson was Junee’s chief destroyer with the Kookaburra, bagging 3-21 from his allotted overs, while Joe Crowder’s economical 1-11 frustrated rival batsmen and tied up the other end.
“Everyone pitched in with the ball on Saturday,” Stallions skipper Will McGrath said.
“It’d been a while since the boys had time on the wicket so I’m pleased with our bowling performance.”
The Lippers eventually bowed out for 82 runs, giving McGrath plenty to smile about.
However, Woolpack were up for a fight and forced a cautious chase from the Stallions.
Daniel Foley (27) and Sam Hook (26) played a steady hand in the second innings, guiding the Junee men home with six wickets to spare.
“We really took our time in chasing down Woolpack’s total which was a positive sign,” McGrath added.
Now, all eyes are turned to Saturday’s Pink Stump Day charity clash with Coolac in Gundagai.
Coolac have held the Elders Cup since 2012, having notched their fifth consecutive win in March 2017.
Knocking them off is a daunting prospect after being trounced in both outings last year but McGrath believes a bouncy wicket and some vocal support could sway the game in Junee’s favour.
“Coolac’s had the wood on us for a while now so we’re keen to turn that around this weekend,” he said.
“It’ll be an interesting game on the synthetic wicket at Gundagai, I think, and the minor premiership is really up for grabs here.
“Also, lots of supporters should be coming down for Pink Stump Day, so we’re looking to put on a show and help raise some money.”