Olly Cox – Eastern Suburbs CC, Australia
Worcestershire batter, Olly Cox, had a dream debut for Eastern Suburbs, scoring a superb century on day one of the New South Wales Premier Cricket first grade encounter against Gordon.
Cox came to the wicket at 106-4, and scored 116 off 139 balls with seven sixes and ten fours and led a splendid recovery with Will Simpson.
The pair put on 229 for the fifth wicket as East Suburbs totalled 463 all out from 96 overs by the close of play.
Cox was eventually fifth out with the total on 335 in his first innings since playing in the Pakistan Junior League T20 tournament earlier in the winter.
He is also participating in the International Cricket Programme in Sydney after signing his first professional rookie contract with Worcestershire.
The two-day match will be concluded next weekend.
Ben Gibbon – Willetton, Australia
Pace bowler Ben Gibbon has helped Willetton reach the knockout stages of the Western Australia Cricket Association T20 competition – and a home quarter-final.
The left armer finished as their second-highest wicket-taker in the group stages and the most economical of the regular bowlers.
A three-wicket win over nearest rivals Scarborough at the Justin Langer Oval on Sunday ensured Willetton topped Group D with a 100 per cent record.
Gibbon again took the new ball and dismissed Josh Philippe for ten on his way to figures of 1-21 as Scarborough were restricted to 109-8 on a slow pitch helping the spinners.
Willetton fielded a strong line-up containing Australian international duo Cameron Bancroft and D’Arcy Short, who have played county cricket for Durham in recent seasons.
Short’s left arm spin brought him figures of 4-2-9-2, and there were two stumpings for Bancroft.
Willetton reached 81-3 in reply, Bancroft top-scoring with 34, but then lost a cluster of wickets before triumphing with two balls to spare, with Gibbon not required to bat.
Gibbon ended the group stages with figures of 15-0-74-7 and an economy rate of 4.93 runs per over.
The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on Sunday, January 8, with the final the following weekend.
Gareth Rodrick – Green Point CC, South Africa
Keeper-batter, Gareth Roderick, struck an unbeaten 66 to help Green Point to a seven-wicket win over Cape Town with three balls to spare in the Western Province Premier Division.
Roderick came out to the middle with Green Point 60-2 after dismissing Cape Town for 193 in 48.1 overs.
He added 63 with Zak Elkin and an unbroken 71 in partnership with Jerry van Vuuren as Green Point reached their target in 49.3 overs.
Roderick hit one six and four fours in his fine knock.
Henry Cullen – Plenty Valley CC, Australia
Keeper-batter, Henry Cullen, scored his third half-century in four knocks for Plenty Valley but ended on the losing side against visiting Brunswick in a Victorian Cricket Association encounter.
Cullen went in at number three and top-scored with 69 as Plenty Valley chased Brunswick’s total of 270-5 in 45 overs.
He struck two sixes and five fours in his 78-ball knock to take his run tally to 212 from four innings at an average of 53.
Cullen added 49 with Aryan Sharma and 58 with Plenty Valley captain Michael Rogneda to lift his side to 139-3.
But on his dismissal, the last seven wickets went down for 44 runs as Plenty Valley were dismissed for 183 in 42 overs.
Worcestershire pace bowler, Ben Gibbon, was again amongst the wickets for Willetton in their Western Australian Cricket Association first grade meeting with South Perth.
Gibbon, who had already impressed in the T20 competition, took the new ball and made two early breakthroughs, including Derbyshire’s Brooke Guest for a single.
He then returned to help polish off the innings for 207 in 56.4 overs with two more scalps and ended with figures of 19-1-84-4 on a flat pitch.
Willetton then closed on 118-7, and after the wash-out of the opening day, the game ended in a draw.
