Rochester is holding on to finals hopes after defeating Echuca in a win or go home clash in round 17. Brian Dwyer and Angus Martin finished off the chase for Rochy, the pair combining with Dylan Cuttriss to salvage the innings from a rocky start. Photos: Bruce Povey.
In a sudden death clash for both sides, Rochester fought on for at least another week in the McMahon Shield, in the process ending the Echuca A-grade dynasty at four championships.
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The occasion outshone the actual game of Goulburn Murray Cricket at Moon Oval, as Rochester won comfortably by five wickets on a tough batting track for both sides.
Echuca won the toss and batted in the late 3.15pm fixture, but visions of attacking batting were put to rest by three quick wickets.
Opener Brendan Moyle and first drop James Grixti both went without score, and while Curtis Townrow was at his flamboyant best, his stay was short in an innings of 14 from 10.
Rochy bowlers Sean Williams and Myles Wade made their presence known early, sharing the early wickets and forcing Echuca to rethink its approach.
At 3-14, the rest of the Echuca order slowed the pace, prioritising wickets over runs.
Longer stays didn’t yield much more reward, and aside from Anthony Dennis (27) and Archer Carlile (11), no other Echuca bats could reach double figures, the side dismissed for 84.
Williams finished with four wickets to lead Rochester (4-22), while Brandon Byrne stepped in later in the innings to take 3-13.
Although the chase looked like it would be a cakewalk for the home side, the second innings showed that the day might just be one for the bowlers, as Echuca made a good showing of defending the small total.
Rochy found the going slow and the side’s top three had an identical start to their opposition, batters one and three making ducks, while number two posted 14, although Tim Bubb’s score came off a far lengthier 51 deliveries compared to Townrow’s 10.
Rochester was in a dire situation at 4-18 after Cale James also went for 3, but Dylan Cuttriss and Brian Dwyer were able to salvage the effort.
The pair added 51 to get Rochester to the brink of victory, and when Cuttriss departed for 31, captain Angus Martin took up the mantle, making 11 not out to ice the game.
Dylan Cuttriss had a game best 31 runs, helping Rochester recover from a 4-18 start.
Photo by
BrucePoveyPhotos.com 2022
Dwyer also finished unbeaten, adding 25 as Rochy got the win with five wickets in hand.
The five Echuca bowlers shared the wickets evenly, with Aidan Young standing out for an economical 1-9, including six maidens, from his 10 overs.
Rochester is still in with a shot at the final four, and moved into fourth this week on quotient courtesy of Kyabram Fire Brigade’s defeat to BLU.
However, Rochy is powerless to affect its final position, taking the bye in the final round, and will be backing home Echuca South to down the Flames on Saturday.
If the Swans prevail, Rochester will feature in the finals, but should Fire Brigade grab the win, or the game be abandoned, any number of points will send the Flames into the top four.
After winning the last four shields, Echuca is now mathematically eliminated from the finals race, marking an end of an era for the club’s title dynasty.
The side will round out its year with a visit to Nondies-Cohuna next week.
The Game
Echuca 84 (Anthony Dennis 27, Sean Williams 4-22, Brandon Byrne 3-13) lost to Rochester 5-88 (Dylan Cuttriss 31, Brian Dwyer 25 not out, Aidan Young 1-9)
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