General News
8 March, 2023
Cats finals bound
A STRONG sense of self-belief, coupled with plenty of local talent, has earnt Mortlake a spot in both the division one and four Warrnambool District semi-finals this weekend.
A STRONG sense of self-belief, coupled with plenty of local talent, has earnt Mortlake a spot in both the division one and four Warrnambool District semi-finals this weekend.
Before round one kicked off, some had predicted the Cats’ would finish the home and away season towards the bottom of the ladder.
But they have thrived in their inaugural season in the league to finish fourth in the top division and third in division four.
Club president Simon Ritchie said he could not be prouder.
“It’s pretty amazing really; to think we’ve far exceeded the predictions of others from outside our town, and early in the piece we looked like we may have struggled to field a division four side,” he said.
“We as a club are extremely proud of all our players and are excited to have two of our three senior teams in finals.”
Ritchie said the vibe at the club was a positive one, with supporters rallying behind the sides.
“It’s great to see so many people getting behind our club and our teams, and to see the success we’ve had this season in the Warrnambool league,” he said.
“The move from South West to Warrnambool has certainly been an exciting and rewarding one.”
Division one topped off a stellar home and away season with a five-wicket victory over Wesley-Yambuk last Saturday.
The Cats’ Lachie Higginson 33 not out, Neil Kelly 18 and Clinton Baker 15 were the best of the batters in the side’s 5/88 tally.
Yambuk ended its day with 84 runs thanks to the efforts of Mortlake bowlers Jack Lehmann with 3/3 off three overs (which included two maidens), Lachie Wareham 2/20 off nine and Clinton Baker 2/22 off eight.
Senior coach Todd Lamont said last weekend’s win over Westley-Yambuk cemented their top four spot and gave added self-belief to the players.
“It (the win) was a great way to finish off the home and away rounds and now we can look to the start of finals this weekend,” he said.
“It’s exciting to have two senior sides in finals so hopefully we can bring home two wins on the weekend.”
Reflecting on last Saturday’s game, Lamont paid tribute to the efforts of bowlers Lachie Wareham and Todd Robertson, and batsman Lachie Higginson.
“Lachie and Todd both bowled really well and Lachie (Higginson) was effective with the bat,” he said.
“Unfortunately we lost some early wickets but we got enough runs on the board in the end.”
Team selections for this Saturday will be tough, with four players unavailable – Corey Rounds, Darcy Hobbs and Jimmy Tarbolton, while English import Lawson Attwood has headed home.
“We’re certainly looking abit light on at the moment but we’ll work it out at training (tonight) and just do the best we can with who’s available.”
The Cats will take on West Warrnambool in this Saturday’s semi-final.
“They (West) beat us in a low-scoring game at home earlier in the season so we’ll be looking to turn the tables on the weekend and earn a spot in the grand final,” Lamont said.
Mortlake’s division two side ended its season with a tough match against second-placed side Southern Titans last weekend.
Despite putting on a well-earned 97, the Cats struggled to contain the Titans who went on to finish the day at 3/98.
Best with the bat for the Cats were Shane Slater with 20, Cooper Herry 19 and Oscar Ritchie 18 while best of the bowlers were Ben Howarth 2/19 off four and Jordan Wareham 1/12 off four.
Division four has also earnt a finals appearance and will head into this Saturday’s semi-final coming off the back of a creditable 167-run win over Hawkesdale, 7/285 to 118.
Jack Clifford had a great day out smashing 111 runs while Jason Harris 34 and Hamish Hobbs 32 not out also performed well with the bat.
Best bowling figures for the Cats were Harry Hobbs 3/15 off seven, Jason Hughes 2/9 off 3.5 and Mark Lehmann 2/9 off three.
Division four will play Port Fairy at Koroit.