Barras’ Doriga, Vala help North Canberra triumph

Kiplin Doriga went big. So big, it almost seemed like he was trying to smack the ball all the way home to Papua New Guinea.
His 69 not out run-haul was too much for ACT Cricket powerhouse Weston Creek Molonglo, leading North Canberra Gungahlin to a four wicket upset in the Twenty20 Cup at Keith Tournier Memorial Oval on Sunday.
The 24-year-old batsman hit four fours and six sixes, while his Papua New Guinean teammate and Norths captain Assad Vala made 31 runs of his own.
The international duo are spending their summer preparing for the T20 World Cup in Canberra, adding valuable experience to the Northern side.
“Having Assad and Kiplin in the squad is really nice. They have a lot of T20 experience and know exactly what they want out of us,” batsman Esam Rahman said.
“It really helps our squad know what our role is and how we go about achieving that role. Their runs and wickets help as well.”
The round four upset marked Weston Creek’s first loss of the T20 season, with Norths bowler Finlay McGurk stalling their charge in the 17th over.
Weston Creek batsman John Rogers played a slog sweep to the forward mid-wicket for Rahman to take an absolute screamer to close down the match.
“That wicket of Rogers was very important because it was right at the end,” Rahman said.
“He was the last batter left and at any moment he could have taken the game away. Finlay was able to set him up for that wicket, it was unbelievable.
“[This victory] is really helpful to set us up for the rest of the season. The buzz around the changeroom at the end of the game was a lot happier.”
Norths lost their round three clash by five wickets to Tuggeranong Valley, who went on to beat Ginninderra by one run in the afternoon.
A 64-run haul by Michael Spaseski led Eastlake to a five-run victory over ANU at Kingston Oval, but the home-side then crumbled under Queanbeyan.
Meanwhile, the ACT Aces have booked their ticket to the Cricket NSW Regional Bash women’s finals at the SCG on January 21.
The Aces cruised to a seven-wicket win against a Border Bullets outfit led by Australian great Alex Blackwell, who scored an unbeaten 47 in a total of 3-110.
Clare Levings led the way in the run chase with an unbeaten 50 while Kelly Rowlings posted 30 not out as the Aces reached the target with 13 balls remaining.
The Aces will face the Illawarra Flames for a spot in the decider at the SCG. – Canberratimes