THE momentum continues to build for the in-form South East side at the Senior Country Cup cricket tournament after another comfortable win in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Its second match of the carnival against Eyre Peninsula followed a similar path to the opening match, with South East bowling first and dismissing the opposition cheaply before chasing down the total.
Eyre Peninsula won the toss and struggled to score against South East new-ball pair Tim Young and Luke Wiese.
It took six overs for openers to score a boundary, but just two balls later Young claimed the first wicket of Joel Fitzgerald lbw for 10.
Young took two more wickets as he ripped through the top order during a damaging spell, which left Eyre Peninsula in trouble at 3/28.
However, number-three batsman Brad Hazelgrove survived the early onslaught and looked to make his mark on the match.
He was watchful at the crease and steadily built partnerships to bring his team back into the contest.
But the South East bowlers attacked the other end and made regular inroads.
Hazelgrove kept chipping away, but at 5/70 he decided to increase the run rate.
He struck a trio of fours and sixes to push the total past triple figures, while Tom Davey offered solid support.
But the game swung back into South East’s hands when Declan Kenny bowled Davey for 12, before Sam Willis dismissed Joe Walker and Joshua Threadgold for ducks in quick succession.
With just two wickets in hand, Hazelgrove was running out of partners and it appeared there would not be enough time for him to score a century.
Jackson Murphy offered brief resistance and compiled a 15-run partnership, but soon fell to Wiese on eight.
In the following over, Hazelgrove cleared the boundary rope to move into the 90’s, but tail-ender Charlie Williams lost his defences three balls later.
Hazelgrove was left stranded on 92 after Eyre Peninsula was bowled out for 149 from 43 overs.
Willis and Young were the top bowlers with three wickets each, while Wiese, Kenny and Michael Waters claimed one scalp apiece.
Their solid bowling effort saw South East begin its run chase with ease.
Opening pair Jake Schutz and Sam Graetz compiled a 44-run stand until the latter was clean bowled by Williams on 23.
Schutz then continued on his way and dominated the scoring alongside Mark Smith.
Smith soaked up the dot balls and allowed the opener to push towards a half century.
The duo put their side into a strong position at 1/77, but then Murphy threatened to change the course of the game.
He broke through Smith’s defences on five and then found himself on a hat-trick after he castled Matthew McInerney first ball.
Unfortunately for Murphy, he overstepped on his hat-trick ball and could only watch on as Schutz and Jacob McGrice finished any faint hopes of an Eyre Peninsula victory.
They brought South East to within 20 runs of the target with patient batting before they were both bowled.
McGrice fell to Bredon Smart on 23 and Schutz’s match-winning knock of 71 was finished by Williams.
Despite the late scare, Nick McInerney and Waters led South East home to wrap up a five-wicket win with 9.4 overs remaining.
South East played its final pool game of the competition against Fleurieu and Districts yesterday, with scores not available at the time of print.
