Weekend wrap for our golden roo against Gosnells!!!!
1st Grade
Wanneroo 8/229 (50) def Gosnells 10/205 (48.5)
The Roos made the trip out to gay street looking for their first win of the season. Caiden won the toss and elected to bat. The Roos were in early trouble at 4-25 until a steadying partnership between Mitchell Slattery and Kane Pearce got us out of early trouble. When Kane fell, that brought Deon Billington to the crease to join Mitch. These 2 put on 63 for the 6th wicket. Mitchell eventually fell for a well made 52 just after drinks. Caiden joined Deon and another important partnership was formed which took the Roos to a strong position on a pitch that was getting lower and slower as the innings went on. Deon ended up with 61. Some lower order runs from Caiden and Matthew Carroll got the Roos up to a strong position of 8-229 at the innings break.
The second innings started well. Lachy Poulter took a wicket in his first over and picked up another a few overs later to have gosnells 2-37 at the end of the first 10. Gosnells put on 80 for the 3rd wicket until Deon Billington struck. From then another partnership was formed between Deeplaul(thinks we hand out 1st grade caps for fun) and Wahid. But some tight bowling from our two spinners Deon (3-28) and Matthew Carroll kept the Roos in touch. With the game in the balance heading into the last 10 overs. Gosnells needed 55 with 5 wickets in hand. On came Jordan Slattery to take the game away from them. Jordan (5-43) ended up taking the last 5 wickets of the game to win the match for the Roos. He was well supported by some quality death bowling from Caiden to allow him to clean up at the other end.
Onto next week against Scarborough, with the Roos looking to make it 2 in a row.
2nd grade
Wanneroo 8/294 (50) def Gosnells 10/232 (46.2)
No write-up submitted
3rd grade
Gosnells 10/150 (43.1) def by Wanneroo 1/152 (40.4)
Wanneroo produced a composed and well-rounded performance in their clash with Gosnells, showcasing discipline with the ball and maturity with the bat. The tone was set early when Donnavin fryer struck in the opening moments, grabbing a key wicket that immediately put Gosnells on the back foot. From there, the bowlers continued to apply sustained pressure, led by the standout spell of Owen Brown, who was exceptional in claiming 3 for 25 with a blend of control, movement, and smart variations. Supporting him strongly, Gordo delivered an important 2 for 30, consistently hitting challenging areas and restricting any momentum Gosnells tried to build. Their combined efforts, along with tight fielding, kept the opposition to a total well within reach of 150. In reply, Wanneroo’s chase began with confidence as Xander and Mahbo put together a composed opening stand, rotating the strike effectively and punishing anything loose. Xander looked particularly assured before he was dismissed for a well-made 28, falling just short of pushing on to a bigger score. Mahbo, however, continued to dominate the innings with an impressive display of patience and calculated aggression, finishing with a commanding 81 that anchored the chase beautifully putting Wanneroo in a winning position. He found solid support from Tom Blythman, whose calm and valuable 38 ensured the run rate stayed under control and that there were no late worries. Altogether, Wanneroo’s blend of early breakthroughs, disciplined bowling, and confident batting made for a convincing and thoroughly deserved victory
4th grade
Gosnells 7/217 (45) def by Wanneroo 5/221 (37.1)
On a typical flat Wanneroo deck with short boundaries on both sides, Gosnells skipper won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first, but it was the home side Wanneroo who completely dominated the day, chasing down 218 with five wickets and almost eight overs to spare in a clinical display of batting depth and composure.
After Gosnells stumbled to a nightmare 2-5, they recovered through Toby Marshall’s classy 84 and useful contributions from James Free (39) and Braden Ferritto (25) to post 7-217 from their 45 overs. Wanneroo’s bowling attack shared the spoils nicely – Fitzmaurice and Patel picking up two wickets each, while young keeper Riley Ballucci was outstanding behind the stumps with sharp glovework that kept the pressure on throughout.
The Roos’ reply started like a freight train. Opener Hamza Saleem was simply breathtaking, tearing into the Gosnells attack from ball one. The stylish right-hander smashed a sensational 61 off just 35 balls (7 fours, 3 sixes) bringing up his 50 with the biggest 6 of them all with a very memorable celebration that came with it, racing Wanneroo to 1-57 and effectively killing the contest inside the first 10 overs.
There were a few nervous moments mid-innings – Noah Ferguson fell for a well made 20, Matt Fawcett made 21, Cameron Houghton was run out for 15, and skipper Liam Carroll holed out for a brisk 26 – taking the score to a tricky 5-217 with eight overs still to go. But that only set the stage for Riley Gillespie to play one of the knocks of the season.
Fresh from fielding all day in the heat, Gillespie walked in and produced an ice-cool unbeaten 61 from 81 balls (6 fours), steering the ship with elegant strokeplay and impeccable temperament. Alongside Beau Blackburn (0*), he knocked off the remaining runs in an unbroken 6th-wicket partnership that never looked in doubt. The Roos won at home in just 37.1 overs at a commanding run rate of 6.0 – a thoroughly convincing five-wicket victory.
It was a complete performance from Wanneroo: disciplined bowling, electric fielding, explosive starts, and then ice-cold finishing when it mattered most. Hamza Saleem’s fireworks, Liam Carroll’s aggressive leadership, Riley Ballucci’s work behind the stumps, and Riley Gillespie’s match-defining unbeaten knock all stood out on a day when several Roos put their hand up for man-of-the-match honours.
A great way for Wanneroo to stamp their authority at home – clinical, confident, and entertaining cricket as a team.