Logan’s double hat-trick sets up last-ball Lake View victory in EGCA B-grade competition season-opener

A double hat-trick on senior debut from 17-year-old fast bowler Riley Logan set defending premiers Lake View up for a sensational last-ball victory against Great Boulder in the opening match of the Eastern Goldfields Cricket Association B-grade season.

Great Boulder, last season’s defeated grand finalists, batted first at Ray Finlayson Sporting Complex on Saturday and had reached 180 when Logan weaved his magic.

His first victim was Great Boulder No.6 batter Andrew Reilly, who was caught at cover by Jarrod Lucas after getting a leading edge to a low full toss.

The next batter in, Nathan Weir, immediately provided another catch to Lucas, this time at mid-wicket.

The hat-trick ball clipped the top of off stump, dismissing Jacob Thomsen, then Riley made it four wickets in four balls when he hit the stumps again to dismiss Murray Bowman.

The devastating burst saw Great Boulder tumble from 5-180 to 180 all out, and Logan finish with 5-30 off six overs.

Great Boulder had earlier started well, with the top four batsmen all making solid scores — particularly opener Kalahni Vlasich, whose 42 runs off 31 balls included five sixes.

Logan’s heroics were not finished as he also contributed 32 runs off 44 balls with the bat from the No.7 position, which got Lake View within range of Great Boulder’s total after they had lost wickets regularly during the innings.

No.4 batter Gary Mitchell had contributed 39 runs off 38 balls, with five fours and one six, but when Logan was ninth man out with the score on 163, Lake View still needed 18 runs for the victory.

Sensationally, the last pair of Hayden Richards (17 not out off 29 balls, one four), and Taj Munro (nine not out, two fours) got Lake View home by one wicket, with Richards hitting the winning run off the last ball of the match.

Vlasich completed a strong personal return, taking 4-28 off six overs for Great Boulder.

In the other match of the opening round, North Kalgoorlie crushed Hannans by 147 runs on the back of a century from opening batter Fletcher Edwards that led his team to 6-259 off their allotted 40 overs.

Edwards innings of 109 runs from 118 balls included 10 fours and one six, and he shared a 146-run partnership for the third wicket with No.4 batter Kodee Lowe, who made 73 runs off only 49 balls, hitting eight fours and one six.

For Hannans, Anthony Babic took 3-62 off eight overs.

In reply, Norths bowlers Callum Grace and Olliver Prosser ripped though Hannans’ batting line-up, with their total of 9-112 boosted at the end by Ben Hall’s 35 not out off 35 balls (five fours).

Prosser finished with 4-13 off five oves, and Grace had 3-22 off five overs.

Round two this Saturday sees North Kalgoorlie play Great Boulder, and Lake View take on Hannans.

The same teams clash in the A-grade competition at Wallace Park, with Great Boulder coming off a round-one five-wicket victory against Lake View on the back of a punishing 71 not out from Waqar ali Ahmed, and Hannans having successfully chased down defending premiers North Kalgoorlie’s total for a two-wicket win led by reigning O’Shaughnessy medallist Graham Kennedy’s 45 runs and 2-8.