Western Australia's men's team may have missed the podium, but individual brilliance still defined their campaign at the Australian Country Cricket Championships in the Busselton-Margaret River region.
Hosts Secure Fourth with Final Win
The WA side concluded the tournament on a high note, securing a 70-run victory over South Australia at Busselton's Bovell Park last Saturday. This win marked their third from nine matches, cementing a fourth-placed finish overall in the competition. While the team's title hopes faded, the performances of several key players ensured WA left a significant mark on the carnival.
Trio of Stars Claim Top Honours
Despite the team's inconsistent results, three WA players walked away with the tournament's most coveted individual awards. Captain Michael Tassone was crowned the carnival's leading run-scorer, amassing 454 runs to claim the prestigious Don Bradman Award. His standout innings included a blistering 106 from 66 balls in a T20 clash against South Australia and a composed 122 against New South Wales Country.
Veteran bowler Tim Hutchison, one of the most capped players in WA Country XI history, secured the Bill O'Reilly Bowling Award as the leading wicket-taker. He sealed the honour with a four-wicket haul in the final game, finishing with 18 wickets for the tournament.
Completing the set, wicketkeeper Cooper Clarke-Dehring earned the Ian Healy Wicketkeeping Award for his 14 dismissals behind the stumps, a tally he also bolstered with four dismissals in the last match.
Coach Points to Inconsistency
WA coach Shawn Gillies reflected on a campaign where his side showed flashes of excellence but couldn't sustain it. "We are certainly up to the standard of this competition and we have shown that in every game, just not for long enough," Gillies said. "We just haven't been able to execute in the moments." The championship was ultimately won by Queensland, who completed a perfect week with nine victories from nine games.
Country Week Carnival Set for Perth
The focus now shifts to Perth, where cricketers from across the state will converge for the annual Country Week carnival. A massive 45 men's teams representing 21 regional associations will battle across six divisions. The action begins with pool games on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, leading into semi-finals on Thursday and grand finals on Friday. The A-section decider will once again be held at the iconic WACA Ground.
Defending champions Geraldton will field a new-look squad, missing last year's standout player Zane Marwick, who is unavailable, and injured seamer Ringo McKenna. In a parallel event, a three-day women's T20 tournament will run from January 24 to 26.
WA's women's team mirrored the men's result at their championships in South Australia's Barossa Valley, also finishing fourth with a record of three wins and four losses.
