Glorious Geeth: Ovens Valley superstar peels off undefeated 155* to help Tigers crush Colts

The first century of the 2025/26 WDCA A grade season has been scored, and scored in style, at Bill O’Callaghan Oval by none other than Geeth Alwis. Arguably the best batter in the competition by some margin, the Ovens Valley left-hander batted for almost the entire innings, carrying his bat and finishing unbeaten on 155* from 127 deliveries in his side's win over City Colts on Saturday. After being asked to bat, Ovens Valley’s innings got off to a shaky start, with both openers back in the pavilion early without troubling the scorers too much. Alwis was both anchor and damage dealer, ably assisted by the bulk of the middle order, with Noah White, Joel Jordan, Daniel Saville (all 18) and Conner Forde (30) chiming in alongside the pure class of Alwis. He accumulated his runs at quite a clip, bringing up his half century off 48 balls and crossing into triple figures after 96 deliveries. The journey to 150 was completed even quicker, taking just 29 deliveries to cross the next milestone. His strokeplay was impressive to watch, as Alwis made the most of the lightning-fast outfield, hitting the boundary 24 times through his innings. Alwis was understandably happy with his performance, and credited the middle order for batting well enough to allow him to reach the milestones. “The openers got us off to a flyer in the first game but they couldn’t do it in the second game, and that’s where the middle order comes in and does the job,” he said. “I had a good partnership with Conner Forde and Dan Saville, both experienced guys who used their experience. “The plan was to bat for five-over periods, we just calculated where we needed to be in each five-over periods, we didn’t have a big target in mind. “We knew if we batted for 45 overs, we were going to put a big score on that ground - the quick outfield helps as well. “I’m happy with it, it’s my best [score] in Australia – I got my previous best of 153 in Melbourne, so I’ll take it, 155 is a good score.” While the young Colts' bowling attack copped some stick, Harvey Moore (1/29 off nine) and Archie Crispin (1/14 from three) were economical, while Alasdair Brett (2/59 from nine) and Corey Peterson (2/37 off six) picked up multiple wickets. With a monster total on the board, pressure bowling and consistent dot balls were key, with the young Colts team unable to get over the line. There were impressive knocks from young up-and-comers Jed Marek (36 from 69), Alasdair Brett (26 from 31) and Corey Petersen (15* from 42), but Ovens Valley’s bowling was just that bit better. Alwis backed up his starring role in the first innings with figures of 3/9, while opening pair James Neary (2/30) and Joe Monk (2/44) were dangerous. Ovens Valley skipper Seamus Phillips said having a weapon such as Alwis on the team was an enormous plus. “It’s pretty phenomenal, I think it’s the best he’s batted so far since he’s joined us – it was quite unbelievable at some parts of the game with how easy he made cricket look,” he said. “He sets such high standards for himself, and those high standards are slowly wearing off on the players around him, which is a good thing. “I always know you can turn to him for advice and guidance, and having someone with that level of skill playing is good. “Being an opening bat and knowing he’s coming in at three, it gives me and Dyl [Bursill] a bit of freedom to try and play our natural game.” Ovens Valley United are one of three undefeated A grade teams, alongside Wangaratta Magpies and Rovers United Bruck, while Colts and Benalla are the only sides without a win in season 25/26.

Glorious Geeth: Ovens Valley superstar peels off undefeated 155* to help Tigers crush Colts

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