By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 7 (DAY 2)
PAKENHAM v TOORADIN
WHAT do Tooradin, Cardinia and Kooweerup all have in common? A complete and utter ruthlessness to their game. Are they composed? Yes. Do they have plenty of top-end talent? Absolutely. But it’s their ruthlessness that has them poised to fight it out at the business end of the season.
The undefeated Cardinia rightfully sits atop the ladder after Round 7. The Bulls have hardly put a foot wrong. But the Gulls are starting to hit their straps, and with plenty of upside still left, they loom large over the competition.
Cal O’Hare, still nowhere near full fitness following his knee surgery, only bowled three overs on Saturday while Aaron Avery isn’t bowling at all at the moment due to a side strain.
Yet the Lions were dismissed for just 171 chasing Tooradin’s 262 on day one. Russ Lehman, Premier’s leading run-scorer, was superb at the top of the order, with his only false shot coming on 92 when he flicked Ash Adams straight to square leg.
Pakenham skipper Jason Williams (25) also offered plenty of resistance and refused to simply give his wicket away. But worryingly for the Lions, the same can’t be said for much of the rest of the lineup.
Renowned partnership-breaker Adams (5/35) got a roll on after removing Lehman – finishing with his first five-wicket haul of the season. With the exception of Lehman, each of his wickets were either out bowled, leg-before or caught behind – showing just how deadly his swing bowling is.
But it was Hamill and newcomer Josh Lownds who really set the tone – combining for 5/80 in 34 overs.
Lownds’ departure from Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll prior to Round 7 wasn’t without its share of controversy, with Marygoons’ coach Anthony Hart admitting he needed a fresh start for both his own and the club’s benefit.
“He needed a fresh start to reignite his interest in the game, to further his cricket and to further his development as an individual,” Hart said candidly.
But Nar Nar Goon’s loss is Tooradin’s gain.
“We recognised Josh as a pretty handy talent,” said Tooradin skipper Tom Hussey.
“We played against him in the T20 last season and had a chat with him over the off-season.
“He gave me a ring recently and said he wasn’t that happy, and one thing led to another.
“We’re more than happy to have him across because he fits what we’re doing at the club – he’s a young player who could be there for years to come.”
Speaking to the Gazette after play on Saturday, Hussey praised Hamill’s work-rate and added that Lownds was “just superb”.
The Tooradin skipper was worried with Lehman and Williams at the crease, but he knew what his bowlers were capable of with Lehman’s dismissal.
“We knew we couldn’t take anything lightly – we just had to be on the whole day,” he said.
… Ruthless!
Is the axe set to swing at Toomuc Reserve? One thing is for sure – selection night this Thursday will carry plenty of intrigue after a number of recognised batsmen again failed to roar. Bradey Welsh and Jack Anning were both bowled by Hamill without offering a shot on Saturday, while a horror run of form continued for both Sean Gramc and James Vela.
The difficulty for Pakenham, though, is that its Sub-District side also misfired badly with the willow on the weekend – rolled for just 89.
Selectors could stick with the current Premier lineup – backing its quality batsmen to regain their touch – but it’s worth noting that the likes of Sam Webster and Nic Close are waiting in the wings.
CARDINIA v EMERALD
ON THE face of it, Cardinia’s wicket-keeper batsman Luke Turner saying “we have to get used to playing boring cricket” just doesn’t sit right. But it makes a hell of a lot of sense, and like with Tooradin, it points to a sense of sheer ruthlessness… there it is!
Right from the outset on Saturday, the Bulls’ bowlers kept to what’s been working for them all season so far – and they did it meticulously.
The only real change came with the new opening bowling partnership of Brayden Browne and Travis Welsh (2/31). Dean Henwood (2/29) has been the form bowler of the Premier tier so far this season and may have been a tad miffed at not being given the new ball again on Saturday, but when he was given his chance he was straight on the money from the outset.
The Bulls, defending 279, bowled to their plans all day – for the most part keeping the ball outside off and just starving Emerald of scoring opportunities. They did their homework with Bombers skipper AJ Walker too – with Henwood removing him for just five – giving him plenty of room to slash outside off but with a stacked off-side field.
Bulls’ skipper Neil Barfuss was sensational with ball in hand – finishing with the miserly figures of 5/36 from 27 overs as Emerald was rolled for 130. Mitch Copey top-scored with 38, while Clinton Marsh added 29.
“We just kept it really tight at the start and blokes like Barf and Simon (Parrott) are always thinking of plans to get guys out,” Turner said.
Although the Bulls were heavily favoured going into Round 7, and will be again for the Reverse fixture this week, Turner said complacency wouldn’t be an issue for the ladder-leaders.
“Barf just told us we’ve got to play every game the same – as if it’s a final.”
While the Bombers hardly scored at a cracking pace on Saturday, the day’s play wasn’t without its share of action with young opener Lachlan Gleeson misjudging a short ball from Barfuss and getting struck on the chin. He retired hurt and was taken to get checked out by a doctor, and while x-rays later cleared him of a broken jaw, he was more than a little worse for wear.
The Bombers’ batsmen will fancy their chances in the shorter, one-day format of Round 8 this week but it’s hard to see Cardinia getting side-tracked.
UPPER BEACONSFIELD v KOOWEERUP
IN a round full of selection surprises, Peter Brennan’s inclusion in the Maroons’ Premier side in Round 7 is undoubtedly the biggest.
The 60-plus-year-old started playing for Upper Beaconsfield when he was 36 and has worked his guts out for the club since. The keeper-batsman played top-flight cricket until around the age of 50 and played a game in the Premier division last season, before his effort in Round 7. He earned his call-up – he’s the leading run-scorer in the Upper Beaconsfield seconds this season with 131 at an average of 43.67 in B Grade – but therein lies the problem. The Maroons’ lack of depth with the willow is nothing short of alarming, particularly when you take Saturday’s performance into account.
It didn’t seem like things could get much worse for the home side after being rolled for just 43 on day one. But on Saturday they were bundled out for another sub-100 score – losing outright to a Kooweerup side that only scored 154 in its first innings.
It’s almost hard to fathom just how bad the result was, and it’s not going to be an easy one to bounce back from.
Leg-spinner Dananja Madushanka claimed his second five-wicket haul for the season, and his best WGCA Premier figures to-date with 6/40 in 15 overs. Three of his wickets were leg-before shouts, but there’s no mistaking just how dominant he was – backing up from Chris O’Hara’s stunning five wickets on day one.
Robert North (19) top-scored for the second time in as many innings for the Maroons, but there’s nothing the side’s batsman can take away from this one. Now it’s all about finding a way to save face this weekend in the Reverse fixture at Kooweerup High School.
BEACONSFIELD v MERINDA PARK
The return to the field of leg-spinner Dylan Cuthbertson for Merinda Park on Saturday has intriguing ramifications for the rest of the Cobras’ season.
After winning the toss and sending the Tigers in on their home deck, Danny Diwell’s men restricted them to just 91 in 38 overs.
The score wasn’t surprising, with the Cobras impressing many so far this season and currently sitting third in a top-four that has already stretched away from the likes of Pakenham and Emerald in fifth and sixth. But Cuthbertson’s figures of 3/13 from his eight overs points to what he just might be capable of come finals’ time.
Having just returned to the snake pit after a stint at Victorian Premier side Fitzroy Doncaster, Cuthbertson was picked this week in the WGCA Country Week squad – showing the esteem in which he’s held.
The Cobras wasted no time in their chase – reaching the Tigers’ total in 19 overs for the loss of just one wicket with Anthony Craddock (53 not out) notching up a quickfire half-century and Daniel McCalman finishing on 32 not out.
