Sport
15 January, 2026
Pelicans and Kulpi neck and neck in race for cricket's top spot
Kulpi and Pittsworth cricket clubs registered wins on the weekend as they battle for an automatic spot in the Central Downs Cricket Association Grand Final.
Pittsworth Pelicans vs. Bowenville Villains
Bowenville Villains 9-153 20 overs (Timothy Tighe 34, Brenden Scifleet 30, Matt Roberts 15*, Jordan O’Shea 2-3, Samuel McGinn 2-22, Matt Wacker 1-14) lost to Pittsworth Pelicans 4-155 20 overs (Daniel York 58, Samuel McGinn 41, Brett Wilson 31, Jeremy Tighe 1-20, Kaiden Philp 1-22)
On a warm day at Club Pittsworth, Bowenville arrived with a chance to book its spot as the third team on Finals Day.
Pittsworth players needed a win to keep themselves in the race for the minor premiership and a place in the Grand Final.
Villains captain Brenden Scifleet won the toss and elected to bat. Opening bats Joe Roberts and Timothy Tighe put 38 quick runs for the first wicket. Roberts sent a Brady Manktelow half-tracker towards the Stanley Street estate, having been dropped previously on that same side of the field.
With 35 runs conceded from the first three overs, Pelicans captain Jordan O’Shea made the inspired change to hand Samuel McGinn the ball and slow the tempo. The trick worked as Joe was clean bowled by a slow and straight one.
Tim Tighe continued steadily accumulating runs before skying the last ball of McGinn’s third over.
When McGinn completed his four over spell at the ten-over mark, he had taken two wickets and conceded less than a run a ball.
Bowenville was 2-84 at this juncture and the scoring rate was back to eight an over.
Angus Piltz came on, and dismissed returning Bowenville young gun Kaiden Philp, caught for 11.
In Piltz’s second over, fill-in Villain batter Lachlan Drummond was run out for 10, and the important wicket of Scifleet was taken by Jack Gordon. Jeremy Tighe took a liking to Gordon’s bowling and hit ten runs off his first three balls.
With five overs to play, Bowenville was 5-131 and on track for a score of 170.
Matt Wacker’s first over put the brakes on, and only three runs were conceded.
Looking for a boundary Jeremy Tighe was dismissed, caught off Gordon’s second over. Only 4 runs here.
Wacker was tight in the 18th, and bowled Chris ‘Gecko’ Leonard off the last delivery of that over.
At this point, captain O’Shea brought himself on, taking two wickets in two balls, just missing out on a hat-trick when an appeal for lbw was turned down.
Importantly, only 3 runs came from this over.
Bowenville scampered through for eight runs off the last to set a target of 154.
After his superb bowling performance, McGinn came out to open for the Pelicans with Wilson. The pair put on 56 runs from the first 8 overs, scoring steadily and picking the gaps to run several twos on a Club Pittsworth outfield which had more grass left on than usual.
Action started to happen in the eighth over when Scifleet brought himself on and was hit for two boundaries by Wilson.
Attempting to hit a third boundary, he was only successful in skying a ball which was caught at square leg. Ben Cavanagh came in and hit three runs off the last ball. Fourteen runs were conceded, but an important wicket had been lost.
Kaiden Philp broke through in the next, having Cavanagh caught.
This brought Player of the Match Daniel York to the crease. In the tenth over, he hit three boundaries.
At the halfway point, Pittsworth was 2 for 75, a tick behind the run rate, but with several wickets left in the shed.
Philp’s second over, the eleventh went for just two runs. York hit the best shot of the day in the thirteenth over, Philp’s third, a magnificent six. This over went for 13.
The next two overs were quiet and at the fifteen over mark, Pittsworth needed 47 runs from 30 balls.
York and McGinn took Joe Roberts for 15 from his third over, to make it 32 from 24. The pair took another 10 from the seventeenth over to bring the equation down to 22 from 18.
York took matters into his own hands at this point, hitting Joe Roberts for a four and a six. Singles came from the last three balls. 9 from 12.
Opening bowler Jeremy Tighe was brought back on.
From the third ball, York’s two became three when an overthrow was conceded. Four from 9 needed.
Tighe had McGinn caught by a relieved Scifleet, who had dropped one earlier.
Tom O’Sullivan played a dot ball on the fifth delivery. Going for a quick single on the last, York was run out at the striker’s end by a brilliant throw from Joe Roberts.
Four from 6.
O’Sullivan took a single off the first ball to bring on-strike Pittsworth’s ice man O’Shea, who promptly hit the second down the ground for four to seal the win.
Millmerran Bandits vs. Kulpi Cricket Club
Millmerran Bandits 8-131 20 overs (Charlie French 49*, Samuel Folker 21, Stephen Lindeque 20, Jack McKewen 2-12, Jake Spies 2-15 Lachlan Campbell 2-19) lost to Kulpi Cricket Club 2-132 16 overs (Braith Gamberini 67*, Jacob Hine 33*, Bryce Riethmuller 17, Reuben Challacombe 2-24)
Millmerran won the toss and elected to bat at home.
The Bandits got off to the perfect start when Trent Mullins hit the opening ball for four.
Opening bowler Jake Spies had his revenge in the second, having Mullins and Nathan Lindeque caught.
Only five runs were conceded from the next two overs. Under pressure, Lachlan Folker was run-out.
Samuel Folker came to the wicket and brought the Bandits innings some much needed gusto with 16 runs coming from the sixth over.
Charlie French (49 not out off 43 balls) took seventeen from the eighth over.
But then there was another double-strike, with Sam Folker and Reuben Challacombe caught off the next. Charlie French hit another three boundaries from the tenth over.
Millmerran was 5-70 at the halfway point.
Charlie and Steve Lindeque put together a partnership of 49.
With fifteen overs gone, Millmerran was 5-106, looking at a total of over 140.
Jack McKewen bowled an excellent sixteenth, trapping Stephen lbw and conceding just two. In the eighteenth, he had Levi Passchier caught, and only let in 4.
Millmerran went at a run a ball thereafter to set Kulpi a total of 132 to win.
Twelve runs came off the first over, as openers Bryce Riethmuller and Jacob Hine started strongly.
Reuben Challacombe struck twice early doors to get Millmerran in the game.
Thirteen runs came from the tenth over, to put Kulpi well ahead of the asking rate.
Braith Gamberini was striking them well, and ended with 67* from 44 balls.
Kulpi needed 53 from the last ten overs with eight wickets in hand and the last 24 came in two overs, as they won with four overs spare.
Final Round
A 40-over open North-South match is scheduled for February 1st.
Twenty over cricket takes a break until February 8th.
