Sport
20 February, 2026
Matt skippers the Gower ship to commanding position on day one
TOP TEAM Boort Yando will have to bat well on Saturday to maintain its place at the head of the ladder after Kingower compiled a hefty 249 on the first day of their crucial clash at Boort.
With Gower having the bye in the final round, the team will have to hope its imposing total is enough to see off the Magpies and offer a chance of finishing first after the home and away matches.
Boort Yando, which celebrated its 40th anniversary as a club on Saturday, drew a big crowd for the meeting of first and second on the ladder.
Kingower’s score came on the back of two brilliant innings by captain Matt Rowe and middle order batsman Anderson Pithie.
Rowe made 91 opening with Kyle Simpson (35) and Pithey’s hard-hitting 67 batting at number six made a critical contribution as the late order collapsed.
Rowe struck six fours and a six, while Pithey belted nine fours and a six.
Simpson’s knock in support of Rowe was important, as apart from Blake Pickles with 17, the next best score for Kingower was five.
Four batsmen made ducks, with the last five at the crease for the Gower contributing just six runs between them.
Among those who failed to score was number three Will Deason, while Lachlan Dejong made only two.
Jack Weaver’s marathon 18 overs brought 4-44 in an outstanding effort.
Matthew Hodoras took 3-56 from 10.4 overs, while his brother Jarrod went wicketless but conceded just 23 runs from 14 overs.