Big scores but Valley too strong

It is crunch time in the Stanthorpe Cricket season and, with Wanderers enjoying the bye last weekend, Valleys and Coasters were both in a position to qualify either first or second for the semi-finals.
Valleys skipper Todd Beckett won the toss and elected to bowl on the CF White wicket against a Coasters side lacking some of its regular players.
Things were looking good for Valleys with the loss of early Coasters wickets and the score at firstly 1/0 and then 2/33.  Dave Gavin then set about resurrecting the innings establishing partnerships, firstly with Matt Sullivan (18), then with Tony Kerridge (37) and then with Brett Lacey (15).  These partnerships, particularly the 73 run stand with Kerridge, saw Coasters score climb to a 5/233 after 40 overs. At the end of the innings Gavin remained unbeaten on 112. His innings included 12 fours and four sixes. Alastair Middleton, Ian Dopson, Anthony Marino and Alex Binge were the Valleys’ wicket takers.
A run chase of 233 on the CF White pitch is a daunting task against any opposition and was never going to be easy.  Despite the absence of a couple of their bowling spearheads, Coasters had Valleys on the ropes early in their innings, taking two quick wickets and the score at 2/2.
Alastair Middleton and Dean Sullivan put on a 58 run partnership.  It provided a platform for a match winning fourth wicket run partnership of 134 between Sullivan and Ian Dopson. Dean Sullivan finished with 74, while Dopson was not out on 82, as Valleys chased down the runs for the loss of only four wickets.
It proved to be a hard day at the office for the Coasters bowlers. Tony Hall bowled well, finishing with 2/26 from eight overs.
The final make up of the top four teams will be decided this weekend when Valleys play Souths.