Blain stars for Metro

Outer East Eagles' Jack Blain has guided the under-19 Victoria Metro side to a 40-run victory over Victoria Country on the opening day of the Barooga series.

During a dominate performance, Blain weathered a tricky opening spell before accelerating throughout the Metro innings to hammer 48 from 43 balls including three boundaries and a six as he provided the impetus for a large total.

Northern Falcons star Jack Rudd provided great support as he top-scored with an unbeaten 50- notching his half-century off the final ball of the innings- as Metro posted 4-153 from their 20 overs.

Rudd then struck immediately with the new ball to put an early nail in Country’s coffin, but with skipper Pat McKenna at the crease, the chase always looked a chance.

Country came unstuck through the middle overs; however, as Josh Bartlett removed James Lidgett for 25 before Sean Griffin (2-13) struck twice in as many balls including the prized scalp of McKenna for a run-a-ball 38.

Country limped to 5-113 as it conceded the opening match of the series to Metro.

“I thought Blain batted really well,” Cricket Victoria Academy coach Jarrad Loughman said.

“He accelerated through the gears and when he needed to pull the trigger he did.

“Rudd was impressive with the bat, and the ball, and I thought Jake Wood and Sean Griffin were also good with the ball.

“Metro deserved their win today, they were the better side and they were outstanding in the field.”

In the under-17 fixture, Metro cruised to a seven-wicket victory with 23 balls in hand after limiting Country to 9-93.

The Country innings failed to fire after being invited to bat, with South East Country’s Adam McMaster top-scoring with 25 from 17 balls at number eight.

North East Knights’ Teeran Gleeson (13) was the only other batsman to reach double figures, as spinners Sam Grimwade (2-13) and Mikoto Quinn (3-8) suffocated the Country line-up.

In reply, Country were an outside chance of snatching victory when they reduced Metro to 3-40 in the ninth over before skipper Sam Harper took the match away from them.

During a brutal display, Harper bludgeoned 60 from 35 balls before being retired after leading his team to victory.

The Barooga series will continue tomorrow with a one-day match for each age group.

Under-19 Country v Metro T20 at Barooga
Country won the toss and elected to bowl

Metro 1^st Innings
Liam Tonkin b Wood 26 (35) 2×4
Jack Blain b Tatterson 48 (43) 3×4 1×6
Jack Rudd not out 50 (42) 6×4
Jack Taylor c Mitchell b Tatterson 0 (1)
Trent Cody c Mills b Colarco 13 (7) 1×6
Sean Griffin not out 1 (1)

Total: 4-153cc

FOW: 1-60 (Tonkin), 2-107 (Blain), 3-107 (Taylor), 4-146 (Cody).

Bowling: Joe Cousins 2-0-18-0, Pat McKenna 4-0-18-0, Will Mills 3-0-17-0, Will Crowder 1-0-6-0, Jake Wood 3-0-11-1, Tyler Larkin 3-0-25-0 and Taylor Tatterson 2-0-34-2.

Country 1^st Innings
James Lidgett c Colaco b Bartlett 25 (30) 2×4
Aiden Colarco c Taylor b Rudd 0 (11)
Pat McKenna b Griffin 38 (38) 4×4 1×6
Rob Salerni c Colaco b Griffin 7 (9)
Dylan Grandell not out 21 (16) 1×4 1×6
Tyler Larkin b Gribbin 4 (9)
Will Crowder not out 8 (8)

Total: 5-113cc

FOW: 1-10 (Colarco), 2-53 (Lidgett), 3-75 (Salerni), 4-75 (McKenna), 5-88 (Larkin).

Bowling: Sean Griffin 4-0-13-2, Jack Rudd 3-0-7-1, Darren Colaco 2-0-16-0, Shea Gribbin 4-0-25-1, Josh Bartlett 3-0-26-1, Nishal Perera 3-0-12-0 and Matt Bullen 1-0-8-0.

Under-17 Country v Metro T20 at Barooga
Metro won the toss and elected to bowl

Country 1^st Innings
Blake Thomson c Banthorpe b Sugumar 2 (5)
Jakob Tidyman c Banthorpe b Grimwade 9 (6) 2×4
Teeran Gleeson c  b Quinn 13 (16) 1×4
Braidyn Turner st Banthorpe b Grimwade 9 (16) 1×4
Tim Goodman LBW Agar 9 (18)
Kade Burns b Quinn 1 (10)
Mitchell Rowe st Banthorpe b Quinn 2 (4)
Adam McMaster c Serry b Agar 25 (17) 3×4
Joe Medew-Ewen run out (Harper) 1 (4)
Jackson Mockett not out 4 (6)
Nicholas Woodland not out 1 (3)

Total: 9-93cc

FOW: 1-12 (Tidyman), 2-16 (Thomson), 3-39 Gleeson), 4-39 (Turner), 5-43 (Burns), 6-52 (Rowe), 7-68 (Goodman), 8-71 (Medew-Ewen), 9-88 (McMaster)

Bowling: Tim Sugumar 3-0-17-1, Sam Grimwade 4-0-13-2, Dean Krelle 4-0-15-0, Mikoto Quinn 3-0-8-3, Wes Agar 3-0-21-1, Josh Hudson 2-0-13-0 and Shehan Kudage-Don 1-0-5-0.

Metro 1^st Innings
Dan Syson c Rowe b Brown 7 (19)
Jacob Serry c Rowe b McMaster 17 (13) 2×4
Shehan Kudage-Don b Woodland 8 (11) 1×4
Liam Banthorpe retired 7 (20)
Sam Harper retired 60 (35) 3×4 4×6
Will Pucovski not out 17 (14) 3×4
Wes Agar not out 4 (9)

Total: 3-131cc

FOW: 1-26 (Serry), 2-38 (Kudage-Don), 3-40 (Syson).

Bowling: Adam McMaster 3-1-24-1, Jackson Mockett 4-0-36-0, Cameron Brown 4-0-16-1, Nicholas Woodland 4-0-28-1, Joe Medew-Ewen 2-0-14-0 and Kade Burns 3-0-13-0.