There was disappointment for the Bairnsdale Cricket Association tasting defeat in both Gippsland Cricket League (GCL) fixtures last Sunday.
The under 18 side was outclassed by Cricket Latrobe Valley in their match played at the picturesque Toongabbie Recreation Reserve.
Batting first Cricket Latrobe was dismissed for 190 in the final over of its 50 over allocation.
The major wicket takers for Bairnsdale were skipper Taj Corben (3/31), Archie Poore (2/34) and Harry Forbes (3/23).
In reply, Bairnsdale was bundled out for just 94, with Corben making 19 at the top of the order and Shrader Hicks impressing with 21 late in the order to add some respectability to the final scoreline.
The under 13s played another nail biter, but collapsed late at Cameron White Oval against Cricket Latrobe Valley when the game was there for the winning.
Latrobe won the toss and batted and looked to be in real trouble at 6/44, but with the tailenders proving harder to get out than the recognised batters they managed to muster 103.
Ultimately it was the final wicket stand of 27 that would win the game for Latrobe.
Among the wickets for Bairnsdale were captain Oakley Hughes (3/6), Cooper Jansz (2/10), Jude Wilson (2/8) and Crosbie O’Connor (2/4).
In reply the home side batted itself into a strong position at 4/70, with Hughes (25), Darcy Johnson (14) and Patrick McGinty (13) impressing.
The match still looked to be going the way of Bairnsdale at 8/97, but they lost the final two wickets without an addition to the score, going down in a hard-fought contest by six runs.
The next GCL match featuring Bairnsdale will be this Sunday when the under 15s do battle with Cricket Latrobe Valley at Bullumwaal Road on the turf.
The next senior fixture will be on January 19 when Bairnsdale is at home to Warragul, while on the same day the under 13 and 18 sides will play Leongatha in away fixtures.
