SALAMANDER Bay’s premiership-winning paceman Ed Williams has earned a Newcastle representative cap for this week’s NSW Country Cricket Championships.
The 21-year-old quick is one of three Stockton and Northern Districts players named in the Open Men’s squad along with top-order batsman Aaron Bills and fellow tearaway Josh McTaggart.
Newcastle will contest three limited 50-overs per side fixtures against Greater Illawarra on last Thursday November 12 and Riverina this Friday at Newcastle No 1 Sportsground before squaring off with Central Northern this Sunday at Pasterfield Sports Complex at Cameron Park.
They also feature in Twenty20 fixtures against Central Coast and Southern Districts this Saturday at Tuggerah Regional Sports Complex.
After an illustrious representative career that spanned more than two decades, Stockton Seagulls off-spinner Nick Foster has stepped down.
The decorated Foster skippered Newcastle to six consecutive NSW Country Cricket championship titles and still holds the wicket-taking record with 83 scalps at an average of less than 17.
He was at his wily best in the Seagulls’ resounding 159-run one-day victory over Wests last Saturday at Harker Oval – snaring the remarkable figures of 7-17 in a masterclass display.
It was the Stockton club’s fourth win from five matches this season and lifts the reigning premiers into third spot on 25 points behind competition co-leaders Toronto Workers and Charlestown (29 points).
Foster won the toss and elected to bat first, with the Seagulls registering an imposing 7-280 from their 50 overs.
Talented number five Lachlan Brown top-scored with a classy knock of 69 off 71 balls that featured seven boundaries and a six before he was run out by Wests’ Bailey Creer.
Opener Jake Hainsworth (50) and young gun Lucas Vincent (50) also compiled half-centuries, with valuable contributions from McTaggart (33) and Izach Dennis (20 not out).
Vincent faced 55 deliveries and cracked four sixes and three boundaries and combined with Brown for a fruitful fourth-wicket stand of 64.
Hainsworth and Ben Whitty (11) blazed an opening partnership of 61, with McTaggart and Brown adding 81 runs for the fifth wicket. Williams remained unbeaten on 11.
A revved-up McTaggart destroyed the Wests’ top order, grabbing three early wickets to finish with figures of 3-11 from a tidy six-over spell.
But it was the crafty Foster – the 2020-21 NSW Country Cricketer of the Year – who stole the show as he bamboozled the home side with his spin and flight.
By Chris KARAS
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
