The Harden Hornets breezed past the Coota Bulls B Grade at Tim Doolan Oval on Saturday, moving to third on the SWSCL ladder with a ten-wicket win. The Bulls elected to bat first and found themselves in early trouble when Beau Bourlet bowled Josh Ismay with the last ball of the third over. The young quick struck again in the fifth over of his spell, dismissing opposition captain Luke Ismay for 17, with the score reading 2-35 after nine overs. Bourlet’s opening burst allowed the Hornets to dominate, with the Bulls collapsing from 3-42 to 8-54 thanks to the pairing of Glenn Wild (3-12) and Dean Bourlet (3-6). With the Bulls team one player short for the match, the last man in was Mark Elia, and alongside a promising young junior they put on a 10-run stand, the third best for the innings. Elia was eventually adjudged LBW off the bowling of Dean Bourlet, with the Hornets set just 65 to win. Angus Campbell and a fill-in player didn’t allow the low target to limit their stroke play in the chase, with both batters going after it as they looked to beat any afternoon rain. They did so in fine style, with Campbell hitting five fours on his way to an unbeaten 36 from 27 balls, while his partner finished 28 off 23 with three boundaries. Campbell helped his team past the target by striking consecutive boundaries as the Hornets wrapped up the chase in 8.2 overs. The Hornets have now won two of their three matches, and will now prepare for a trip to take on the Bribbaree Rams on Saturday.
