Oak Flats Rats continue wait for first win of South Coast Cricket season

The Rats are rooted at the foot of the South Coast Cricket ladder after seven rounds, with the side falling to North Nowra by seven wickets at Geoff Shaw Oval.

Oak Flats batted first on Saturday, with the hosts bundled out for 136 in the 40^th over. Ben Morrow (38) and Kip Penfold (30) led the way with the bat, while Hugh Gillen was the pick of North Nowra's bowlers with 3/9.

The visitors were ruthless in response, chasing down the total in the 22^nd over. Matthew Hickmott smashed 50 and captain Nick McDonald finished unbeaten on 44.

"The wicket was pretty flat and the outfit was pretty fast, and I'd say they're a team that lacks a bit of experience. But it was a good performance all-round, especially after losing to Kiama the week before where we let them get away after batting and fielding pretty poorly," McDonald said.

"It was good to bounce back and get another win, and I think we're 4-1 now. But we've still got a lot of improvement to do, I don't think we've put a complete performance on the board yet, which is always the goal. But we're working towards that and things are going pretty well."

Read more: Corrimal aim to build after securing victory over Port Kembla

Saturday was a good day for the Shoalhaven teams, with three out of the four recording victories. Joining North Nowra in the winner's circle were Ex-Servos and Berry-Shoalhaven Heads, while Bomaderry fell to Shellharbour by four wickets.

Luke Bowden (56) and Darren O'Connell (51) both scored half-centuries, while Luke Jones picked up four wickets, as Ex-Servos claimed a comprehensive 78-run win over Kiama. The Magpies also proved a class above Albion Park, with the visitors recording a 105-run victory.

Jarrod Mitchell top-scored with 77, and James Milne (56) and David Crapp (51) both posted half-centuries, while Max Carr-McCarron led the Magpies' bowling attack with 4/27. Captain Tom Wilson mustered an impressive 81 for the Eagles.

Read more: Shellharbour teenager takes the long road to AFL dream

In the final game, Lake Illawarra notched up their third win on the trot by outclassing Kookas at Oakleigh Park. Batting first, captain Mark Ulcigrai (81 not out) and Nick Jennings (64) led the charge as the Lakers mustered a whopping total of 256.

In reply, the Kookas were in trouble at 1/5, and then further slipped to 5/40, as Jarryd White and Jordan Matthews ripped through their top order.

The lower order rallied, thanks to some handy knocks from Paul Clarke (37) and Josh Cuthbert (32), but the hosts were bundled out for 149. White did the bulk of the damage, taking 5/17 from his six overs, while Matthews finished with 3/12 from seven overs.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say.

Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.

To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.