OVERCAST skies and cool conditions greeted players from Williams, Upper Great Southern (UGS) and Central Great Southern (CGS) association cricket teams playing for the Elders Cup at Williams last Sunday.
Upper Great Southern, unbeaten in the competition, and Williams played the first game.
Williams captain Rodney Ford won the toss and decided to bat first in the cool conditions.
Williams were able to post a score of 8/121 against Upper Great Southern with UGS leg spin bowler Blair Forrest the main destroyer taking 3/17 off three overs and fast medium pacer Arron Quartermaine taking 2/20.
Williams opener Robert Rose made 20 off 25 balls with Rodney Ford top scoring with 36 from 34 balls and tail end batsman M. Asif Zeeshan making 17 runs off 14 balls including two towering sixes.
In reply UGS openers Perrin Quartermaine and Scott Langford got their side away to a steady start before Langford was caught off the bowling of Tyrone Miley for 23 runs.
First drop batsman Arron Quartermaine and Perrin Quartermaine combined in a 48 run partnership before Perrin was out for 23 caught by Gerard Medlen off the bowling of M. Asif Zeeshan.
Incoming batsman Jamie Miller and Arron Quartermaine were able to steer their side to victory with 13 balls to spare with UGS finishing 2/122.
The second game of the day was between Upper Great Southern and Central Great Southern.
CGS won the toss and batted first.
Central Great Southern's opening batsmen, Tim Fitzgerald and Steve Irvine came out with all guns blazing.
Opening UGS bowlers Grady Francis and Shane Bliss took the brunt of Fitzgerald and Irvine's aggression with Bliss conceding 31 runs from two overs.
Grady Francis claimed CGS's first wicket bowling Fitzgerald for 32 with the CGS score at 46.
CGS lost two more wickets for 27 runs but the rampant Irvine kept piling on the runs for his team making 77 runs from 55 balls before being dismissed by UGS slow bowler Mark Ennis.
CGS ended its innings at 6/162 to give the Upper Great Southern outfit a competitive score to run down.
Upper Great Southern commenced its innings with regular opener Scott Langford and Aaron McAuliffe as pinch-hitter, to get their side away to a quick start.
Their first wicket fell at 31 in the fourth over with McAuliffe falling for 21 from 16 balls.
Langford was next to fall, also for 21, then two costly run outs put UGS on the back foot to have it at 4/83 after 11 overs.
Needing 80 runs from 59 balls the UGS middle order batting line-up fell a tantalising four runs short of victory finishing at 6/159 to suffer its first loss of the competition.
CGS bowlers Rustami, Byrne, Irvine and Fitzgerald each took one wicket apiece for their team.
The final game of the day between Williams and CGS was also a close run contest.
Williams batted first with Barry White's innings a stand out making 75 of Williams' total of 7/144 with Roger Gillett making 24 runs.
CGS again opened with Tim Fitzgerald and Steve Irvine who put together an opening stand of 88 before Fitzgerald was out for 57 to slow bowler Ryan Duff.
Next to fall was Irvine who made 41, again a victim of Duff with CGS's score at 2/113.
Williams were able to take two wickets for two runs but CGS scrambled home in the final over to make 5/146 with two wins from its two games played on the day.
Upper Great Southern with four wins in the competition emerged as winners of the Elders Cup for the second year in succession.
Upper Great Southern now look to defend its Country Cup title in Perth on the Labor Day long weekend in March against Eastern Goldfields, Avon, South Midlands, Bunbury and Port Hedland at Ernest Johnston Oval, Como and Richardson Park, South Perth on March 4 and 5.