ADCA 2023-24: Finals door still open for confidence-filled Manypeaks, insists captain Regan Poett

Last-placed Meanypeaks are oozing confidence according to their captain Regan Poett after securing a 61-run victory over Collingwood Park at Turf East on Saturday to keep their Albany and Districts Cricket Association A-grade finals hopes alive. A victory for Park would have put them in the box seat for a finals berth, but an opportunistic Peaks outfit emerged unlikely winners after Poett led his side to a memorable triumph. After stumbling to 2-22, a magnificent 109-run partnership guided them to a strong first-innings total of 182. Poett provided a true captain’s knock of 73 alongside vice-captain Kane Pinney (51) to lift his side beyond 150 against the classy Park bowling attack. “We knew we had to win all three games to have a chance, so it’s a really good feeling to come away with a big win,” Poett said. “We’ve taken plenty of confidence away from the victory and hopefully we can bring that into the final two games starting with Railways this weekend. “We’re two from two against them this year so we have a lot of confidence we can get the job done against them again.” Poett’s knock came from 115 balls and included 10 fours and three sixes, while Pinney’s patient half-century came off 94 balls with two fours. Park boast one of the most formidable bowling attacks in the competition and Poett said his side could draw on their team’s batting performance heading into the final two rounds of the regular season. “It was obviously nice to spend some time in the middle, particularly with Kane, and really put on a decent score,” he said. “They are definitely one of the best attacks in the league so we can take a lot of confidence from that performance. “At the start of the season we really struggled to build our innings but as the season has gone on we have gotten a lot better, so hopefully that remains for the rest of the season.” Peaks’ innings was marred by a 6-31 batting collapse before Luke Vlahov’s run-a-ball 14 got his side to 8-182. Jaymon Spaanderman was Park’s best bowler with 3-22 from five overs, while English quick Cam Jones claimed 2-6 from five. In reply, Park struggled early on, losing 7-60, and were in desperate need of a partnership to drag them back into the contest. Peaks’ Cam Walsh (2-16) and Ben Southern (2-20) did most of the damage early, claiming two wickets each, before first-changers Oliver Douglas and Jeremy Stewart continued their dominance with the ball with two wickets each. Jones (19) and Jesse Spaanderman (25 not out) combined for a 41-run eighth-wicket stand before they were ultimately skittled for 121 in the 40th over. O’Shea Durack was the only batter to provide some resistance in Park’s top order, making 18 from 45 balls, as his side fell to its seventh one-day loss of the season.