Having beat Morongla the previous weekend, the Blues have now knocked over two of the stronger teams in the competition to prove they are a force to be reckoned with particularly now with only two weeks left until the finals.

After winning the toss and bowling first, the Blues hardly broke a sweat on their way to rolling Canowindra for a dismal 71 which included five batsmen departing without troubling the scorers.

Ben Schaefer hit three boundaries and a maximum to top score with 30 for Canowindra but four wickets in two overs to Josh Platt (4-4) led the Blues’ ruthless charge to end Canowindra’s innings in dramatic style, losing 6-1. 

Brendan Croese was the only other to grab multiple wickets returning figures of 3-12, taking his tally to 14 for the season.

In reply the result was never in doubt as Jonte Powderly (32) and Croese (36 not out) comfortably put together a 64-run partnership in 10-overs which was then finished off by Josh Platt (four not out) in the 12th.

Shaun Craven claimed the lone wicket of Powderly as the Blues notched up their second win in as many weeks.

The result leaves Canowindra on top with a one point lead over the Young Coyotes, who accounted for Valleys at Twigg, while the Blues leapfrog Valleys into fourth spot.

This weekend Canowindra will play Morongla in their final round match of the season. 

They will feature at the business end this season however would be much happier finishing in the top two to ensure they have a second chance in week one of the finals.

For the Blues, they are heading into the final rounds with plenty of momentum, they play Bowling Club this weekend, a win would spoil Bolwy’s finals chances while also boosting their top two hopes.

Canowindra 71 (B Schaefer 30, J Platt 4-4) defeated by Young Blues 1-74 (B Croese 36, S Craven 1-10)

Nick Berry has taken no time settling back into cricket in the district leading the Young Coyotes to a convincing win over Valleys on Saturday afternoon at Twigg Oval.

Berry, who has returned to the area recently, scored a game high innings of 73 for the Coyotes who only lost four wickets on their way to posting an imposing total of 188 from their allotted 40-overs.

Valleys failed to build partnerships once again in their chase which fell 34-runs short in the 36th over.

The Coyotes were rarely troubled batting first on a deck that offered some assistance for the Valley’s seamers early.

Wickets however proved hard to come by as Berry was well supported by Josh Carmody (54), who scored his third half-century of the Sportspower Cup season and Donald Monley (28 not out) who also added a valuable contribution at the end.

In reply Valleys failed to gather momentum as regular wickets fell.

Berry backed up his batting performance as he enjoyed early success with the new-ball putting pressure on the green and gold’s lower order making the task at hand too much.

No bowler particularly stood out for the Coyotes, Nathaniel Coles bagged 3-33 from his eight overs while Berry, Ben Allen and A Hughes all returned figures with multiple scalps.

The fact the Coyotes’ town-counterparts, the Blues, beat Canowindra has mounted a lot of pressure on Valleys who will now need to win their final round match after the Bye this weekend. 

They also will be relying on the Blues or Morongla to lose their remaining two games as they are the only two teams in the current top four who can miss out on a finals spot. 

The Coyotes along with Canowindra will feature in this season’s semi finals it’s just a matter of where depending on the next two weekend’s results.

Coyotes 4-188 (N Berry 73) defeated Valleys 154 (N Coles 3-33)

Canowindra 43

Coyotes 42

Morongla 37

Blues 37

Valleys 35

Bowling Club 27

Grenfell 26