BDCA 2023: Leschenault cap off undefeated regular season after cruising past Eaton

Leschenault may have defeated Eaton by 84 runs on Saturday at the Eaton Sports Ground, but this was not the game’s major talking point.

Instead, it was the unapologetic aggressive intent by Leschenault openers Jamie Harrison (69 off 70 balls) and Steve Denison (53 off 41 balls) which had tongues wagging in the pavilion.

Despite elite Bobtail seamers Liam Renton, Julian Crudeli and Jacob Wintle throwing everything at them, the Green Caps opening pair broke the shackles and at times, ensured the game was entirely on their terms.

Scoring at more than six runs an over during the early stages of the contest, Harrison and Denison put on an imposing 89-run opening stand.

Wintle eventually got a breakthrough, courtesy of Denison clubbing his shot into the arms of Jaxon Sims in the deep.

As was the case last week, the Green Caps benefited greatly from experience at the crease.

This week, it was UK import Oliver Currill (48 off 72 balls) and Jason Shine (34 off 49 balls), who worked hard to frustrate the Bobtails for overs at a time.

Even with a late batting collapse — losing 4-8 off their final two overs — Leschenault’s target of 261 for the Bobtails to chase looked to be a defendable one.

Aware they needed a fast start, Eaton skipper Renton looked to the experienced combination of James Hillery and Jake Rudd to get them going.

Both men heeded their captain’s instructions, playing an exciting, yet sensible brand of cricket given the circumstances.

A suspected calf injury to Rudd midway during his innings was less than ideal.

While it impacted his running between the wickets, it did not impair the stalwart’s ability to see the ball and belt it to the boundary rope.

Although Leschenault opening seamers Jacob Templeton and Brody D’Agostino copped a bit of treatment during their opening spells, Green Caps skipper Tom Buchanan as ever, did not panic.

Instead, Currill (1-10 off four overs) and Shehzad Gondal (0-17 off 10 overs) were able to help tighten things up, along with youngster Nico Le Roux (1-5 off three overs), who claimed the prized wicket of Hillery for 108.

Although defeated and remaining on 35 points, the close nature of the Donnybrook-Marist clash at Egan Park ensured the Bobtails were in no danger of dropping out of the top four, much to their relief post-game.