Lincoln Joy faces Victorian Bolwer
URGENT UPDATE: Albany and Districts star Lincoln Joy is making headlines at the Australian Country Cricket Championships, but his team, WA Country XI, is in a tough battle for survival after a rocky start. The championships are taking place from January 3-10 in Busselton and Margaret River.
WA suffered a disappointing beginning, losing their first two matches—an 82-run defeat to Victoria on Saturday, followed by a nail-biting one-wicket loss to Queensland on Sunday. However, WA rebounded on Monday, achieving a much-needed 44-run victory over South Australia in a T20 match, marking their first points of the tournament.
Despite battling illness, Joy has emerged as a standout player. In the 50-over match against Queensland, he top-scored with 46 runs from 68 balls, although WA ultimately fell short, bowled out for 189 runs chasing a target of 272. On Sunday, Joy contributed 20 runs from 17 balls, but the team still lost as Queensland chased down their target with 17 balls to spare.
On Monday, Joy’s performance included 18 runs from 16 deliveries in the first T20, but it was skipper Michael Tassone who stole the show with a brilliant 106 runs off 66 balls. WA set a total of 182 runs and bowled South Australia out for 138, thanks to Jacob Wintle and Brayden Clarke’s impressive bowling.
Currently, WA is striving to maintain momentum in their second T20 against New South Wales at Gloucester Park, having already slipped to 5-50 early in their innings. The pressure is on for the team to secure another victory before facing demanding matches against Queensland and Victoria on Wednesday, followed by a one-day clash with Tasmania on Thursday.
With the championship progressing, fans are eager to see if Joy and WA can turn their fortunes around and stay in contention for the title. Stay tuned for more updates as the competition unfolds.
