By David Marshall<\/p>\n
This weekend\u2019s cricket was played under the heaviest of hearts. <\/p>\n
The tragic passing of Ben Austin, a young cricketer from Ferntree Gully Cricket Club following a training incident, has sent shockwaves through the entire cricket community. <\/p>\n
Ben\u2019s loss is felt deeply by everyone who loves this game.<\/p>\n
Before Saturday\u2019s matches, all teams across our competition wore black armbands and observed minutes of silence to honour Ben\u2019s memory. <\/p>\n
Our First XI and their opponents Seville stood together in tribute, united in grief and respect. <\/p>\n
The image of both teams standing shoulder to shoulder, serves as a powerful reminder that cricket is more than just a game \u2013 it\u2019s a community, a family.<\/p>\n
To Ben\u2019s family, friends, and everyone at Ferntree Gully Cricket Club \u2013 our thoughts and deepest condolences are with you. <\/p>\n
Rest in peace, Ben.<\/p>\n
Wandin First XI:<\/p>\n
In sombre circumstances, Wandin First XI delivered a strong performance to defeat Seville by six wickets at home, moving to the top of the ladder in what was an emotionally charged afternoon.<\/p>\n
After both teams paid their respects to Ben Austin with a moving minute\u2019s silence, Seville won the toss and elected to bat first. <\/p>\n
What followed was a dream start for Wandin as Dan Trembath struck with his very first delivery in the second over, removing the opener with the score on just one. <\/p>\n
It was the perfect beginning to set the tone for another disciplined bowling performance.<\/p>\n
Two more wickets fell by the time Seville reached 64, but a steadying innings threatened to take the game away from Wandin. <\/p>\n
Enter Hamish Lamont, who made the vital breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous Jarred Carroll for 60, leaving Seville at 4\/138.<\/p>\n
From there, Wandin\u2019s bowling unit showed the discipline that has become their trademark this season. <\/p>\n
Dan Trembath (1\/23), Jamie Oakley (1\/11), and Cal Gordon (1\/40) all chipped in with crucial wickets, but it was Lamont and Taylan Hall who made fast work of the tail. <\/p>\n
Lamont finished with excellent figures of 3\/22, while Hall claimed 3\/29 as Seville were restricted to 9\/180.<\/p>\n
Chasing 181, Wandin\u2019s opening pair of Bryce Edwards and Jamie Atkinson provided a solid foundation with a 54-run partnership before Atkinson departed for 18. <\/p>\n
Eden Van Beek joined Edwards at the crease, and this partnership proved match-defining. <\/p>\n
The pair put on approximately 80 runs, completely shifting momentum in Wandin\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n
Van Beek\u2019s crucial 42 had Wandin sitting pretty at 135 before his dismissal. <\/p>\n
Edwards continued his outstanding form, anchoring the innings with a classy 69 before falling at 150. <\/p>\n
By then, the job was virtually done. Peter Vaughan (20*) guided Wandin home with a couple of overs to spare, sealing a six-wicket victory.<\/p>\n
The win sees Wandin First XI sit proudly on top of the ladder \u2013 a position earned through disciplined bowling, quality batting, and the resilience to perform under the most difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n
Wandin Second XI:<\/p>\n
Wandin Second XI secured a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Warranwood in their one-day clash away at Warranwood chasing 180 for victory. <\/p>\n
Wandin\u2019s batsmen showed composure and determination to reach the target with three overs to spare.<\/p>\n
Warranwood won the toss and elected to bat first. <\/p>\n
The home side got off to a solid start before Jarrod Dobson struck with the first breakthrough, having Steven Pitt caught and bowled with the score on 35. <\/p>\n
Dobson was the pick of the bowlers, delivering a masterful spell to finish with 3\/25, consistently troubling the Warranwood batsmen with accurate line and length.<\/p>\n
Opening bowler Mark Kogelman set the tone early with a miserly seven-over spell conceding just 13 runs, building pressure that allowed the wicket-takers to strike at the other end. <\/p>\n
Matthew O\u2019Dwyer was the second victim, falling LBW to Dobson at 67, before Dobson claimed his third when Ben Padgham took a sharp catch to have Warranwood 3\/88.<\/p>\n
Warranwood\u2019s middle order tried to accelerate, with Jon Charles becoming Padgham\u2019s wicket, bowled with the score on 114. <\/p>\n
David Thorne and Matt Polido then chipped in with crucial wickets, before Archie Brown cleaned up the tail with 1\/15 from his economical spell. <\/p>\n
Warranwood closed their innings on 7\/179, setting Wandin a gettable but challenging target.<\/p>\n
Wandin\u2019s chase didn\u2019t start smoothly, losing David Thorne (20) with the score on 41. <\/p>\n
However, this brought together the match-winning partnership between fill-in captain Rick Painter and Matthew Owens. <\/p>\n
The pair put on a commanding 107-run stand for the second wicket, transforming the game in Wandin\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n
Owens played the aggressor with a classy 46, while Painter anchored the innings brilliantly, accumulating steadily and punishing any loose deliveries.<\/p>\n
When Owens fell at 148, caught by Sam Lynch off Trent Greenwood\u2019s bowling, the game was virtually won.<\/p>\n
The captain reached a well-deserved 62 before being run out at 175, but by then Wandin were within sight of victory. <\/p>\n
Jarrod Dobson (22*) and Brett Warren (4*) guided the team home in the 33rd over to secure a convincing six-wicket win.<\/p>\n
A complete team performance with disciplined bowling and composed batting sees Wandin Second XI continue their strong season form.<\/p>\n
Two victories from two matches played \u2013 but this weekend was about so much more than cricket results. <\/p>\n
The strength and unity shown by our entire competition in honouring Ben Austin\u2019s memory demonstrates the true character of our cricket community.<\/p>\n
Our First XI now lead the competition, while the Second XI continue their strong form with convincing performances in all facets of the game. <\/p>\n
With our Third XI and women\u2019s teams having the long weekend off, they\u2019ll return refreshed and ready to continue their seasons.<\/p>\n
To the Austin family and Ferntree Gully Cricket Club \u2013 you remain in our thoughts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By David Marshall This weekend\u2019s cricket was played under the heaviest of hearts. The tragic passing of Ben…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262831,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-262830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}