19/02/2026
A Grade Hawks vs Dunsborough
Match report for Hawks fans.
The Hawks A Graders were on their biggest streak for a long time (3 matches) but the biggest test would be Dunsborough in Dunsborough. Curator Chook, under duress, produced a lovely looking wicket for the 16s in the morning and it looked even better in the afternoon. Grant Garstone won the toss and elected to put the pads on with opening partner in crime Rumesh Silva.
Star import A Quinn would take the new ball for Dunsborough with the unusual option of Darby Tas floating some offies into the breeze at the other end. The Hawks pair started with their usual attacking flair and saw off both openers with relative ease, the score 0/42 at 10 overs. A change of bowling to the in-form Rory Calhoun saw the wickets of Silva (21) and Garstone (26) fall within 3 overs. Al Whispering Mac, on his final tour, strode to the crease with his focused gait and it didn’t take him long to dispatch a wide Sutherland delivery to the boundary. Xavier Thomas looked very comfortable until he chipped a Peckham delivery straight back to the cheery Pom.
The Hawks lost McIlroy, Tom Joyce and Bushranger Shawcross, with a good start (2/66) quickly turning into an even contest at 6/90 thanks to a big spell from cowboy Calhoun.
Enter Chris McLean in an unfamiliar lower order role. Batting at 8 Macca looked focussed from the start and joined marathon man Sam Joyce for a wonderful rearguard 56 run partnership. Macca (17) departed and Big Thommo strode to the crease just in time ti see Sam Joyce bring up a spectacular 50 in the 43rd over.
What would come next is something that will be remembered within the club for a very long time. With 5 overs remaining in the innings, Sam was on 53. Some controlled yet expansive batting saw him reach the 70s with two overs remaining. The next over from Harry Sutherland was something to behold, Sam hitting 17 off the over including some enormous maximums before he lended Big Thommo the strike for the final delivery. A free hit of sorts…. Thommo paused and thought of the sixes he’d been hit for this year! But every upwind bowler has his day with the bat. Thommo launching an enormous six onto the road. Score 7/204 with 1 over remaining, Joyce on 89.
Darby Tas to bowl the last….
6,4,.,1 a memorable hundred for young Sam.
Thommo dismissed late before a late 2 off 1 to Hayden Wynd brought the score to 217. Normally overs with the Hawks strong bowling attack.
The Dunsborough openers would need some luck early with a fired up Sam Joyce and Aaron Thomas taking the new nut. And luck they had, the French cut a feature in a frustrating opening 5-6 overs for MR. Riding their luck, Wayne Reynolds and Phil Watts began to hit their straps, Reynolds pouncing on anything short and Phil attacking Hawks bad boy Peter Crimp.
Co- Captains Grant Garstone and Sam Joyce weighed up the situation. With the French cut fresh in their mind, a French Resistance was required. So why not turn to Sam Smith, Hawks’ favourite Frenchman. At 0/51 off 10, Dunsborough were in control until Smith snuck one through Reynolds defence. Next Smith over saw Watts also dismissed, 2/9 off 2 for Smith.
At the other end, Crimpy was challenging the most patient batter in the comp, Taylor Ingham-Hill, who has been the thorn in many sides this season. The Hawks boys expected TIH to wait for a Crimpy loose ball but bang…… a big brain fade saw him sky one straight up, Sam Smith taking a simple catch and Duns were 3/60.
Dunsborough captain Reynolds and his buddy Alex Cooke were the key wickets. Two talented batters that could take the game away from the Margs boys. But rain and lighting was forming off the cape and curator Chook was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Strangely, despite being only 10-12 runs behind on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern, Dunsborough played the long game. Crimpy and Rumesh gave the batter nothing and they stayed patient.
The rain had been drizzling for 45 mins before skipper Garstone brought himself on and impacted immediately. Reynolds dismissed and Cooke gone a few balls later. Dunsborough were 5/125 and it was all but game over with DLS or a legit win unlikely for the “borough”.
As lightning set in, a couple of very sharp runouts made it 8 down and insurmountable challenge for Duns. Sutherland holed out trying to return Thommo’s favour before, a kid walked over from the skatepark to bat at 11. Pale Al saw Whitney’s hair standing on end and this, paired with skater boi rapping at non-striker’s end saw him call the game off with a few overs to go.
B GRADE MATCH REPORT
The mighty Hawks headed up the highway to take on Dunsborough in an enticing top of the table clash. After losing the toss (again), we were surprisingly sent into bat on a day that was steaming up ahead of some rain later. Openers Spike and Plugger showed some good signs early but were dismissed fairly quickly, bringing Harvey Fisher and Zander Dunnet to the crease to start the repair job. Both were brilliant, showing good control and calculated aggression in the face of some tight bowling to compile an 87-run partnership and set up a strong platform for the team. Unfortunately, the Hawks struggled to launch after the loss of Harvey for 55, as Dunsborough tightened the screws. Hawks did well to see out their full allocation of overs to make 8/155, with Danny Weston providing some handy late runs (14*).
Hawks needed a good start, and they got it with the ever-reliable Blake Gillam bagging a wicket in his first over. Dunsborough recovered well though and pushed on to lodge a fifty-plus stand for the second wicket. A smart bowling change paid off immediately, with Zander striking in his first over and Charlie Joyce juggling a team-boosting beauty at square leg. Dunnet looked threatening and soon got the key wicket of Cameron Morris, and the Hawks were right back in the game at 3/74. The in-form Vishnu Venugopal was also finding his rhythm at the other end and made some important in-roads by taking a clever caught and bowled chance, before Fisher displayed his clean keeping skills to snare a sharp stumping. Dunsborough at 5/105 and Hawks had one foot in the door. Opener Jude Bowler-Wright had other ideas though and in an excellent innings, proved the difference between the two sides carried his bat to make 87* and see his side complete the chase with eight overs to spare. Dunsborough were the more complete side on the day, while the Hawks will look to find improvements in a few areas of our game, and bounce back next weekend.
