Jamie Cooper produced one of his best performances in the Premier League for Nulla on Saturday but it wasn’t enough to earn the victory as United completed a successful run chase.
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Cooper was the eighth batsman to step out to the crease and Nulla were in a precarious position.
However, Cooper wasted little time in making his impact on the match as he hit a quick fire and unbeaten 45 to ensure Nulla reached a defendable 151 total.
Cooper backed up his efforts with the bat in the field as he “took a screamer of a catch” to end United’s biggest partnership.
Unfortunately for Nulla, the majority of the damage had been done and United reached the winning total of 153 in the 34th with three wickets remaining.
Nulla captain Ben Taylor, who is currently on the sidelines due to a calf injury, claims his side need to ensure they bat out the full 40 overs to give themselves the best chance of victory.
“The boys played well and fought hard so we were disappointed with the result,” Taylor said.
“We were right in the match for an extended period, it took an exception innings from Dean Mills to seal it for them.
“Our team isn’t far away and there’s a lot of improvement there.
“We need some runs from the top order and I have the feeling that if we bat our 40 overs then we will have a good chance of victory.”
Lloyd Black (38), Liam Taylor (19) and Peter Morris (12) were the three other Nulla batsmen to reach double digits while bowlers Daniel Morrison (3/33), Dan Baker (2/34) and Peter Morris (1/30) picked up wickets.
Taylor was impressed with Cooper’s efforts and hopes he can maintain the form for the rest of the season.
“Jamie Cooper was the pick of Nulla’s players,” Taylor said.
“Jamie played a very good innings to set a competitive total and took a screamer of a catch to end their big partnership.”
The loss marked Nulla’s third in a row and they now sit eight competition points behind the Port City League Magpies, who are in fourth position.
Nulla have two wins from their six games this season.
Nulla face off with Taree West and then Macquarie ahead of the scheduled six-week break and both sides sit below Nulla on the ladder.
Taylor pinpointed both games as important for their finals aspirations.
“We need to get back on track with a couple of wins before the break,” Taylor told the Argus.
Nulla’s round nine clash with Taree West this Saturday marks the halfway point of the season.
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