Twenty20 C-grade ǀ Murdoch magic seals it for Invergordon

Opener Lachlan Gilligan put up a solid 28, while Harley Green and Sean Arnold also extended their stay at the crease on John Gray Oval.

Arnold pumped a quick-fire 32 at the dying embers of the first innings, including four boundaries and two maximums to help his side to 180.

The Hoppers struggled in the chase, under pressure from some clinical Hawks bowling.

Green backed up his superb batting with a three-wicket haul, while Kane Thompson also snagged a trio of wickets.

Murdoch was full of praise for his bowlers who found the exact line and length he was after.

“Kane bowled really well outside off stump which is what we asked him to do,” he said.

“Harley bowled really well up front, I said to the boys, put a bit of pressure on them with a few tight overs and then it’s pretty much normal cricket, we put a bit of pressure on with some scoreboard pressure.”

Murdoch applauded the team’s execution, after the day’s cricket went almost perfectly to plan.

“It was sort of how we wanted to do it, bat first and bat all the overs out, and normally we bowl pretty tight,” he said.

“That was the plan, try and get some runs in, and they sent us in first so it went to plan.”