By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION REVIEW – ROUND 3 (One day)
KOOWEERUP v CARDINIA
REIGNING premier Kooweerup’s lacklustre start to the season continued at Lakeside Oval on Saturday, comprehensively beaten by grand final nemesis Cardinia.
The first three rounds of the season have delivered a real contrast for the two sides, with the Demons seemingly struggling to get going; while the Bulls seem to be firing on all cylinders – seemingly the result of an extensive pre-season campaign.
The two sides’ ladder positions reflect their form to this point – Cardinia undefeated on top, with Koowee five spots further back.
We know how little October form often means in the scheme of things – the old saying “form is temporary but class is permanent” definitely springs to mind with the Demons – but Michael Giles’ mob will be looking to switch things up a notch this round.
The Bulls won the toss and went in to bat – with Neil Barfuss’ men reaching 8/184 from their 40 overs.
Plenty of Cardinia batsmen got starts but only Alex Nooy (22), Ricky Campbell (35 not out) and Simon Parrott (48) passed 20.
John Bright (4/38) and Matt Davey (3/30), meanwhile, were the pick of a Demons’ attack missing Matt Bright (side strain) and Chris O’Hara.
The Demons’ reply started disastrously, sliding to 3/18 chasing 185. Chris Bright was caught and bowled off a full-toss from Dean Henwood for eight, while Giles (6) and Davey (0) both fell cheaply to Lucas Plozza.
Arie Hazendonk, playing in his first Premier game, and Paul Bright then put on 44 for the fourth wicket but the Demons seemed powerless against youngster Brayden Browne, who finished with the stellar figures of 5/16 bowling that frustrating line and length. Kooweerup was ultimately dismissed for 130 in the 31st over with tailender Sam Cole top-scoring with 34.
Kooweerup will host Merinda Park in the first day of their two-day game at Lakeside this Saturday, while Cardinia will head to Toomuc Reserve to battle Pakenham.
EMERALD v TOORADIN
WITH the Seagulls at 7/103 at Berwick’s Haileybury campus, Emerald seamed well-and-truly in the driver’s seat.
But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and batting techniques, as Ross Douglas proved.
The Bombers won the toss and sent Tooradin in, and the decision reaped quick rewards with Brenton Adams (4) and Dylan Sutton (0) departing in quick succession.
But Gulls skipper Tom Hussey looked at his brilliant best, storming his way to a rapid-fire half-century.
Star all-rounder Aaron Avery was dropped on 11 but was gone soon after thanks to a screamer of a catch by Bombers wicket-keeper Ian Litterbach diving to his left one-handed down leg-side.
Hussey dispatched a short ball from Clinton Marsh to the boundary but was gone in the next over – caught behind square by Darcy Hellriegel off Emerald counterpart AJ Walker for 53.
Then, from 4/77, the Seagulls continued to stumble. Walker was posing all sorts of questions with his late-dipping in-swingers, while speedster Marsh took a trio of middle-order scalps.
But when the unconventional Douglas got to the crease, he just seemed to get it – using the pace of the ball and the short boundaries to his advantage, rather than trying to hit the seam off it. The results were spectacular – hitting three sixes off Julian Scott’s final over – each delightful flicks over fine leg.
With Douglas down one end, Andrew Proctor was just as productive at the other – comfortably making his way to 32 before holing out to Jason Burns off Marsh.
Still with plenty of overs to go at 8/147, Tim Lenders (25 not out) threw caution to the wind and launched into a series of big shots of his own – his sensational mullet flowing like a superhero’s cape. The Gulls ultimately reached 9/196 from their 40 overs and it looked like the Bombers had let them off the hook, but at 1/77 in their reply Hussey had his doubts.
“They were cruising at that stage,” he said.
“But Jarred Thompson has been really good for us for three weeks in a row and Dylan Sutton has been huge too.”
The pair took 2/31 and 4/23 respectively from their 16 combined overs – causing mayhem for the Bombers’ middle order. Robbie Stewart (53) relished his newfound role as one-day opener and Julian Scott (24) and Darcy Hellriegel (23 not out) both got starts, but for the most part Emerald’s batsmen stumbled when they needed to step up most – dismissed for 150 in the 35th over.
“We had them at 7/109 with 10 overs to go we wanted to get wickets or contain them, and we couldn’t do either,” Marsh said after the match.
“We bowled loosely to them on both sides of the wicket and gave up 30 or 40 more runs than we should have.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom for the side.
“We are playing better cricket for longer than we were last season,” he said.
“Last year we were playing good cricket for 40 or 50 per cent of the game, whereas it’s 70 or 80 per cent now.
“We’ve been in with a chance in every game we’ve played so far and given ourselves more of an opportunity to win games.
Marsh said Stewart was particularly impressive, while Hellriegel was a shining light once again.
“He’s a young kid but he’s got no fear with the bat – he’s just a really clean hitter,” Marsh said of Hellriegel, who is fast approaching all-rounder status.
“This week we’re back to two-day cricket and the first 80-over game of the year is really hard but it’s more of a mental battle than physical, I think,” Marsh said, adding his side could expect long training sessions in preparation.
“We’re setting up our season in month blocks and we’ve got two really big weeks coming up.
“If we can come out of the first month at two wins and two losses that’ll be really good.”
Hussey, meanwhile, praised his team for refusing to give up on Saturday.
“The beauty of our side in one-dayers is that whatever target we set, when push comes to shove, we’ll back our bowlers to defend it,” he said.
“The problem for us so far is that no one has gone on to have a huge partnership (with the bat).
“That said, we’ve got different blokes putting their hands up for us each week.”
Hussey said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Proctor and Avery have big games with the bat this coming round, while club coach and league star Cal O’Hare wasn’t far away from a speedy return following LARS surgery on his knee.
O’Hare, himself, estimates his return could be as little as two to three weeks away and Hussey didn’t doubt him.
“You’re not going to stop him when he says he’s going to do something,” the skipper laughed.
Fast bowler Bodie Brown is likely to return from his hamstring injury this week at Perc Allison Oval with Tooradin facing Beaconsfield. Emerald, meanwhile, will make the short trip to Upper Beac for the first day of their two-dayer.
BEACONSFIELD v PAKENHAM
A STUNNING hat-trick from Pakenham rising star all-rounder Zac Chaplin (4/23) was the undisputed highlight of the Lions’ away clash with Beaconsfield.
The Tigers won the toss and elected to bat, and opened with their two best run-scorers – last season’s District division superbat Brendan Johnson (16) and skipper Don Kerslake (74). The decision loomed as a masterstroke as the pair put on 59 for the first wicket before Chris Smith (2/15) struck.
Kerslake seemed undeterred despite wickets falling around him and dragged his side to 3/123 before being bowled by Lehman (2/15).
But from there – and what looked like being a promising total – the Tigers (137) collapsed – losing their last seven wickets for just 17 runs. Chaplin was simply devastating through the Beaconsfield middle-order.
Chasing 138 for victory, there were more promising signs for a Lions’ side skippered by Jack Anning in the absence of usual skipper Jason Williams. Lehman (44) and Smith (41) put on their first sizeable opening stand of the season and it could yet prove one that propels them to big things over the coming weeks. The Lions ultimately reached the Tigers’ total in just 33 overs and for the loss of just three wickets.
MERINDA PARK v UPPER BEACONSFIELD
IT WASN’T exactly a match for fans of quality top-order batting at Donnelly Reserve in the last contest of the round between Merinda Park and Upper Beaconsfield.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Chris Savage’s Maroons lost two early wickets – openers Taylor Joyce (5) and Julian Bayard (12) – and couldn’t fully recover. Savage (36), in fact, was the only Upper Beac batsman to pass 20 as the side fell from 3/72 to be rolled for just 111 in the 39th over. Birthday boy Jamie Smith was the pick of the Cobras’ attack with 3/20 from his eight overs, while Craig Boswell (2/20) Grant Pearson (2/27) took two apiece.
The Cobras were well and truly on the back foot for much of their reply – at one stage sitting on a precarious 4/36 from 22 overs before skipper Danny Diwell (34) and wicket-keeper batsman Anthony Craddock (31) got a move on.
The Maroons were sloppy in the field at stages, conceding needless runs through misfields, but the in-form Tommy Tyrrell (3/23) turned the match on its head – taking three wickets and playing a direct role in two late run-outs.
Just like that – the match had turned into a thriller. With the Cobras nine-wickets down with just one ball remaining, Tyrrell strayed down leg-side with a wide and an extra run and it was all over – 9/112.
