A LITTLE bit of rain was not enough to put a dampener of proceeding at Alexandra Oval on Friday evening as the Grampians Cricket Association hosted an Australian Cricketers Association XI.
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At the end of the Twenty20 fixture played in jovial spirits it was the ACA masters XI which came away with a four-run win.
After opting to bat first the ACA side got off to a steady start before Mark Cosgrove upped the anti through the middle overs.
The former international showed off the a mixture of the clean hitting and power he was known for throughout his time playing for South Australia.
He worked his way to 57 by hitting the boundaries regularly as well as working the singles.
Late wickets slowed the momentum of the ACA side as it finished 8-157.
Doug Bollinger took the new ball of the visiting side but it was Brett Geeves who broke through first after initially struggling to find his radar.
He broke through twice before Andy Bichel showed he had not lost much of his guile in the 14 years since playing his last game for Australia.
He regularly hit a good line and length on an Alexandra Oval wicket which proved to be two-paced due to the light showers drifting over the ground.
The GCA worked its way back into the contest after a slow start but ultimately left its run too late, losing by four runs.
ACA captain Andy Bichel said it proved to be a great match between the two teams.
“It was an outstanding game, I was a bit worried yesterday coming here and the wicket was wet but it dried out and all in all it was a nice game,” he said.
“I think once Cosgrove went out, it was the turning point, he was a big wicket for us and it changed the course of our innings.
“It got tight there towards the end and got the competitive energy flowing in both teams I think.
“Hopefully this experience will get the younger guys to keep playing the game for the next 10 years.”
Bichel said he was also impressed with the level of talent in the young Grampians association team.
“I was very impressed with the talent that is within the group, there were some good batsmen up front and some handy bowlers also,” he said.