WEST Gambier claimed an emphatic first-innings victory over South Gambier in Round 9 of Barber Shield cricket on Saturday.
The Roos were easy victors, after setting a huge 350-run target for victory on day one of play for the Demons to chase, then bowling South out for just 177 runs.
Apart from a half-century to Dylan Clough, there were few other decent scores from the South batsmen, despite some good starts, with the big target providing too much pressure to allow anyone to settle at the crease.
But Clough put on a clinic, peppering and clearing the Malseed Park boundary on his way to 79 runs.
West struck early, with Sam Willis claiming the wicket of opener Camron Jorgenson for five runs with the team total at the same.
However, fellow opener Matt Bowering was joined by Josh Thomson and the pair began to find some much-needed runs, banging on 35 before Bowering became a victim of Lachlan Brown for 21.
Just six runs later Brown struck again, claiming the wicket of incoming batsman Dane Pople for three, but the Demons settled again when Clough arrived at the crease.
A 24-run partnership resulted, with both Clough and Thomson finding the boundary with regularity.
Brown was then back in the action, holding catch from Thomson off the bowling of Ben Hentschke to break the partnership.
But Clough continued to find the boundary and clear the fence, with new partner Brad Mitchell holding up his end.
The pair added a further 25 runs, but Mitchell became Willis’s second scalp after adding 12 to the total.
At 5/95 things were looking grim for South, but with Robbie Drenthen arriving at the crease anything was possible.
Drenthen settled in and began to rotate the strike, allowing Clough to contribute much of the half-century partnership and provide a spark for the Demons.
But with 155 runs on the board, South was struck another blow, when Bowen Hosking stepped up and sent Drenthen back to the shed for an unlucky 13 runs.
Thomas McCourt came and went for two runs, with the total at 177 and from then on there was little resistance, with the Demons all out in the 50th over, with no further score added.
Clough eventually managed 79 runs, with Hosking claiming the prized scalp.
Hosking went on to clean up the tail, finishing with four wickets, while Hentshcke, Brown and Willis shared the other six evenly.
West returned to the crease to bang on a few quick runs, with Niall Easterbrook crafting a quick-fire half-century.
He dominated the crease, falling with the team total at 64.
