Collard’s all-round performance sinks Railways

A superb all-round performance by Hayden Collard helped Denmark cause the upset of the season, downing fierce rivals Railways by 64 runs at McLean Park in round 6 of the one-day competition on Saturday afternoon.

Collard enjoyed a day out for the Magpies as he smacked 64 with the bat and then returned 3-22 from his seven-over spell to help his new club secure a bonus-point win over the previously unbeaten Tigers.

Batting at No.4, Collard came to the wicket early in the piece after Jujhar Johal and Dan Robson fell while the score was 17.

Ryan Gaerth and Collard combined for a 90-run stand that proved decisive as they guided the home side towards a defendable total.

The introduction of part-timer Alan Pietersen brought immediate impact as he dismissed Gaerth on 39 with his fifth delivery.

Collard, however, anchored the innings, hitting five fours and a six in his innings of 64 runs from 83 deliveries before getting bowled by Dave Brown with his side on 6-139.

Peter Ross finished unbeaten on 15 as the Magpies scrambled to 165 all out, with Pietersen taking 3-27, while young quick Hayden Davies again impressed with 3-17.

The Tigers were without captain Zane Marwick, but it was Collard who took two big scalps in the visitors’ batting line-up, as he firstly bowled Mitch Green for eight and then had Matt Walters caught at point for two in the same over. Sam Want departed for seven soon afterwards when Matt Ellul brought him undone, and Collard struck again, this time bowling dangerous middle order batsman Coen Marwick (2) to leave the Tigers on 4-41.

Nathan Crudeli restored some order for the Tigers as he and Aidan Dallimore put 35 runs together.

But when Gaerth had Crudeli out lbw for 33, the task got even bigger. Gaerth ripped through the Tigers’ lower order to finish with 4-26, while Johal got the other set batsman in Dallimore for 17 to give the import 2-9.

The Tigers were bowled out for 101, their lowest one-day score of the season, as they lost their first game, while the Magpies jumped to second place on the standings as a result of the seven points they picked up.