Jay Lavis played provided some resistance for Corowa A Grade with a well-made 51 from 70 balls. Poto Rob Lacey.
Corowa’s A-Grade’s hopes of reaching the Cricket Albury Wodonga finals this season has suffered a blow after suffering a frustrating 36-run defeat at the hands of the Wodonga Bulldogs this weekend.
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The loss leaves Corowa sitting eighth on the ladder. Attention now turns to next week’s crucial home clash against seventh-placed North Albury.
With just one point separating the sides, it is a must-win encounter to keep finals aspirations alive.
Despite several moments of brilliance with both bat and ball on Saturday, Corowa’s missed chances in the field proved costly against a disciplined Wodonga outfit.
After winning the toss, Wodonga elected to bat on what appeared a hard, true surface. Corowa struck early through Blake Elliott, who rolled one through the opener to set the tone.
The Bulldogs were soon under pressure at 3/26, with Corowa seemingly on top. However, a lapse in the field allowed Wodonga’s middle order to regroup.
Bryce Garvey led the recovery with a composed 102 that ultimately proved the difference between the sides.
While Wodonga looked set for a total well beyond 200, Corowa fought back strongly late. Elliott cleaned up the tail to finish with excellent figures of 4/30 from eight overs.
A Grade all-rounder Blake Elliott finished with excellent figures of 4/30 from eight overs.
Ben Mitchell was outstanding in his control, conceding just 25 runs from his full 10 overs, while Nick Grant remained a constant threat, claiming 2/30 from eight. Wodonga was eventually dismissed for 193.
In reply, Corowa’s chase of 194 got off to a disastrous start. Openers Cal Langlands and Blake Keenes were both removed early, leaving the side reeling at 2/0.
Keenes and Ben Fulford showed resilience to steady the innings, but a middle-order collapse saw Corowa slump to 5/50.
Hope was reignited when Jay Lavis and Hamish Starr combined for a defiant partnership.
Lavis played freely for a well-made 51 from 70 balls, while Starr anchored the innings with a gritty 30 from the same number of deliveries.
Speedster Nick Grant remained a constant threat, claiming 2/30 from eight. Photo Rob Lacey.
Once the partnership was broken, the required run rate climbed rapidly, and the tail was unable to bridge the gap. Corowa was eventually bowled out for 157.
B Grade
Corowa’s B-Grade side travelled to Wodonga for a high-stakes, top-of-the-table clash against the Bulldogs.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, openers Dan Athanitis and Lenny Power provided a solid start on a difficult, two-paced wicket.
The pair took the score to 42 before Power was dismissed for 13, followed soon after by Athanitis for a well-constructed 25.
From there, runs were hard to come by as the Bulldogs bowled with discipline.
Mick Drew anchored the middle order with a patient 37, while Ethan Lane added a valuable 15.
Jack Eales and Sam Burdon closed out the innings to push the total to 151, with Corowa importantly batting out the full 45 overs.
While the target of 152 appeared modest, the conditions made it very defendable.
Young quicks Eli Lavis and Ethan Lane set the tone early, ripping through the top order to leave Wodonga reeling at 3/25.
The momentum continued with a superb spell from the “prodigal son” Patty Lavis, who bowled with great control to finish with figures of 4/21 from nine overs.
Despite several strong LBW appeals being turned down, the side stayed composed.
Wodonga’s tail offered late resistance with a 22-run last-wicket stand, but the match was sealed when Power and Kade Wilson combined for an excellent run-out, dismissing the Bulldogs for 119.
It was a magnificent win against a genuine finals’ contender.
C Grade Division 1
Half-centuries from Caleb Kuschert and Blayre Smith powered Corowa C-Grade (Division 1) to a commanding total of 221 against Albury at South Corowa.
On a pristine Morris Park outfield, Kuschert (52) was in fine touch, striking 10 boundaries to all parts of the ground.
The opener now has 100 runs from his past three innings, with his new partnership alongside Karvan Silva proving a key factor in Corowa’s success this season.
Smith (51) also thrived in the batting-friendly conditions, punishing anything off-length, particularly through the off-side, at a run-a-ball rate.
The captain, now averaging an impressive 39 for the season, received excellent support from Danny Osborne (39*), whose cover drives and cuts were so effective that Albury resorted to placing three covers, to little avail.
The finishing touches came from Max Barraclough, who added a brisk 21* from 17 balls, including a towering cow-corner six, as Corowa fell just three balls short of batting out their overs.
In reply, wickets fell regularly. Opening quicks Osborne (3/17) and Kuschert (2/10) claimed the first five, with Osborne rattling the stumps twice and inducing an edge to slip, while Kuschert followed up last week’s haul with another strong spell.
Cody Kuschert and Greg Burgess chipped in with a wicket each before Smith’s off-spin (3/1) cleaned up the tail, including a caught-and-bowled to cap off an excellent all-round performance.
The 154-run victory sees second-placed Corowa complete a perfect January, earning a well-deserved Australia Day bye ahead of a challenging February.
C Grade Division 2
No report submitted.
Sportsman Night with Darren Lehmann this Saturday
Australian cricket legend Darren ‘Boof’ Lehmann will be the guest speaker this Saturday, January 24 at Ball Park.
The Corowa Cricket Club is holding a sportsman’s’ night with cricket legend Darren ‘Boof’ Lehmann this Saturday, January 24 at Ball Park.
Lehmann is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer who coached the Australian national team.
Lehmann made his ODI debut in 1996 and Test debut in 1998. He was on the fringes of national selection for the entirety of the 1990s and only became a regular in the ODI team in 2001 and Test team in late 2002, before being dropped in early 2005.
Primarily an aggressive left-handed batsman, Lehmann was also a part-time left arm orthodox bowler and gained renown for his disregard for physical fitness and modern dietary regimes.
Lehmann was a member of the Australian team that won the 1999 Cricket World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup, where in the 1999 final, he scored the winning boundary and took the winning catch in the 2003 final.
The club’s sportsman’s night starts at 6.30pm. For tickets go to the Corowa Cricket Club Facebook Page.
Club Sponsors
The club would like to thank its sponsors for the 2025 season:
A & A Auto, Davidson White Accountants, John Rhodes Bricklaying, Waldrons Fresh on River, Kilara Group, Rivalea, Terry White Chemist, O’Connors, Balldale Hotel, Federation Steel, Collins Transport, Greenacres Motel, Thrifty, Corowa Furnishing and Floors, Wiesners, First Scaff, Naubro, Back on Track Physiotherapy, Corowa Curtain & Décor, Corowa Meats, TH Kitchens Joinery, KB Wilson Seeds and the Corowa RSL Club.
