Ringo stars with hat-trick as Towns maintain two-day record and Wanderers break losing streak

Towns continued their outstanding one-day form with a convincing win over Sportsmans on the back of an all-around Ringo McKenna performance.

Sportsmans came into Saturday’s match with three wins on the bounce including a comprehensive T20 win over Towns in the previous round and were hoping to ride that wave of form to another victory.

But a Ringo McKenna hat-trick bejewelled his 5-34 and lit up the match to end any hopes of a Sporties upset.

After being sent in to bat, Towns got off to a perfect start putting on 64 for the first wicket before Darcy Ingle ran out Mckenna for 22.

Fellow opener Callum Marquis continued to register his first 50 this season before Ingle intervened again to have him caught on 51.

A sedate period followed with Brady Collins (14) and Kodi Giltrow (19) both falling after promising starts but a run-a-ball 45 from captain Sam Crouch along with Jai Russell (16 not out) lifted them to a competitive 5-184.

Jarrod Jupp (2-49) did well as did Brad Mailer and Clint Yeates who conceded only 19 and 22 runs off their respective 10 overs but missed Andrew Korol’s wicket-taking threat.

In reply Sportsmans, anchored by Aaron McAuliffe (65), were looking good at 2-77 in the chase when McKenna made his mark.

He bowled Darcy Ingle with the last ball of his sixth over and began his seventh by bowling Jupp and Flynn Dillon to rip the heart out of the middle order and leave Sportsman 5-79.

“I was lucky, there was a bit of breeze and I was able to make the ball swing in a little,” McKenna said.

When McAuliffe fell to Giltrow the game was beyond Sporties and Tom Forsyth (3-17) helped finish them for 135.

“We’re playing well at the moment and everyone’s doing their bit,” McKenna said.

“We’d like more runs but early season pitches and outfields are bowler-friendly and I’m sure more runs will come soon for our top order.”

Towns have so far won all of their one day fixtures and at this early stage are looking good for a historic three-peat.

At Mazzuchelli Oval, Wanderers beat Chapman Valley-Northampton by 120 runs to end their run of losses.

Wanderers’ Kade Gillingham inserted CVN who lost wickets in clumps as their struggles with the bat continued.

After a promising opening stand of 42, Clayton Bruce-Cherry held Axis Hutchinson (28) off Justin Clarkson to breakthrough with Mitch Marsh falling the next over to Riley Jupp as they lost both set batters.

Then at 3-89, Kurt Crudeli (28) was bowled by Ian Oglesby (2-20) and soon after Bobby Gibson edged to Gillingham off Bruce-Cherry (5-13).

Bruce-Cherry’s wicket was the first of his five across 23 balls, four caught by Gillingham, as CVN lost 6-5 to be out for 105 in a stunning collapse.

It is Bruce-Cherry’s second five-for in as many weeks to sit second on the bowling charts behind McKenna with 16 at an average of 6.19.

The Wanderers have been guilty of their own stunning collapses this season but there weren’t enough runs on the board for the Rams to incite panic despite the removal of Gus Heberle (4) and Jimmy Hyde (10).

Wanderers were five down before they won but Oglesby (26), Bruce-Cherry (47) whose first two balls off Gibson went for four and six, and Gillingham (24) made runs.

Matt Partington (24), Jason Partington (37) and Rex Heberle (21 not out) pushed Wanderers to 225.

Gibson toiled away to finish with 3-38 while Mitch Marsh (2-36) and Jeremy Johnson (2-25) had reward but they were well beaten and remain rooted at the foot of the table.