UGSCA 2025-26: Gangemi and Cowcher are hot stuff with the bat as Williams beat Lake Grace in elimination final

Reigning premiers Williams live to fight again after a 45-run win at Lake Grace earned them a spot in Saturday’s Upper Great Southern Cricket Association A-grade preliminary final. They will head to Cuballing for Saturday’s contest in good heart though they will probably need more from their top order if they are to make the grand final against Wandering the following week. Lake Grace’s topsy-turvy season came to an end with their elimination-final defeat, which came about mainly because nobody other than Kalan Joyce scored many runs. Their chase petered out on 120, well short of Williams’ 5-165, ending a campaign which brought eight wins in the regular season but faltered at the first finals hurdle. The visitors won the toss and opted to bat first but made slow progress as Robert Rose was trapped lbw by Mitchell Smith for a second-ball duck and Michael Forman was bowled by Ben Donohue for 13. Riley Ford was patience personified, hitting just the one boundary as he plotted his way to 23. And after key wicket Rodney Ford was caught for six it was Luca Gangemi’s unbeaten 62 which put some meat on the bones of the Williams innings. Gangemi’s effort would surely not have been enough, but he was joined by Michael Cowcher at the crease – and there the pair stayed until the overs ran out. Cowcher made 54, running the lot bar one boundary, to give his side a total which looked far more defendable than it might have been. Joyce, who had taken 2-33 in the Williams innings, did his bit at the crease, compiling an unbeaten 61 to carry his bat through the Lake Grace response. However, only Dylan Brooks (18) and Dustin Boyce (17) provided support which lasted into double figures as a hard afternoon in the field chasing down every ball in 38C heat took its toll. Rodney Ford took 4-26 to knock the stuffing out of the Lake Grace batters while Michael Forman took Trenton King’s wicket and also claimed three catches. Steven Ford and Toby Lavender took two wickets apiece. Williams next face the trip to Cuballing for the preliminary final on Saturday with Wandering awaiting the winner in the grand final. Cuballing lost the qualifying final to Wandering in a last-over thriller.