By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA Premier Division review – round 13 (week two)
EMERALD v MERINDA PARK
COBRAS skipper Jamie Smith predicted in the Gazette last week that A.J. Walker would be the man to watch with the willow for Emerald in the second day’s play of their clash at Mountain Reserve. And he was bang on the money.
Smith’s Bombers counterpart was nothing short of sensational as he posted his maiden Premier grade ton – an undefeated 101 on Saturday afternoon.
But instead of the innings propelling the Bombers into the contest, it helped them avoid outright defeat.
The Cobras won the toss on day one, posting 236 in their first innings thanks in no small part to an impressive half-century from Jess Mathers, who made a rare appearance at first drop.
But Emerald’s chase on day two started disastrously and never recovered. Only two Bombers batsmen reached double figures – with the top four all misfiring – as the home side clawed its way to 97 in the 47th over. If it wasn’t for a stoic Tom Baldock (38) and Robbie Stewart (22) the situation would have been even more dire for Emerald. Dylan Cuthbertson was the surprise star with the ball for the Cobras, cleaning up the lower-order and tail with a stunning five-wicket haul (5/24). Mathers, meanwhile continued his impressive recent all-around form with 3/34.
In search of an outright win, the Cobras then sent the Bombers back in. But this Emerald outfit clearly has too much pride to be put away that easily.
Walker and Timmy Gray (53) combined for a huge 121-run third wicket stand as the Bombers amassed 3/203 in just 29 action-packed overs. Just about every Merinda Park bowler felt the wrath of the onslaught, with Gray passing 30 in boundaries alone. Danny Diwell (1/13 from four overs) finished with his side’s best figures.
KOOWEERUP v UPPER BEACONSFIELD
THE Maroons were always going to be up against it on Saturday, trying somehow to chase down the home-town Demons’ 277-run first innings.
Paul Bright (112) and Chris O’Hara (100) scored memorable centuries for Kooweerup last week and the side carried all the momentum into the second day’s play.
And when the Maroons lost opener Marcus Gehling with the score at just nine runs, and Luke Willis (10) and Matthew Hutson (18) soon after, the visitors looked in desperate trouble.
But from 3/34 the familiar pairing of Julian Bayard (46) – batting in the middle order – and skipper John Simpson (40) restored some respectability to the scorecard with a 78-run fourth wicket partnership.
Yet they were the only two Upper Beacy batsmen to pass 20 as wickets continued to tumble at a steady rate of knots after a crisp piece of work in the field from Dananja Madushanka and Chris Bright ran Bayard out. The Maroons were ultimately dismissed for 140 in the 64th over.
John Bright took his brother Paul’s lead and also had a huge impact on the match – finishing with the Demons’ best bowling figures of 5/28 in 14 mesmerising overs. Madushanka, meanwhile claimed 2/54 in his 27 overs and man-of-the-moment Paul also took two scalps.
PAKENHAM v PAKENHAM UPPER-TOOMUC
With Tooradin’s clash with Cardinia already put to bed last week, the final match-up of round 13 saw Pakenham come agonisingly close to securing an outright win at home over local rivals Pakenham Upper-Toomuc.
Resuming on Saturday at 3/88 after already rolling through the Yabbies for 82 on day one, the middle-order pairing of Harley Hulme (19) and Josh Gonzalez (33) added another 38 runs before Yabbies’ veteran Darren Warne trapped Hulme in front leg-before. Gonzalez was run out soon after but the damage was already done. Having just returned from Country Week duties, Bradey Welsh added 37 and skipper Dom Paynter 17 as the Lions reached 8/202.
Tyson Carey (2/62) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Yabbies, while Rohan Burns (1/28), Ben McLeod (1/32) and Warne took one apiece.
Sent back in for a second dig, the visitors made a much better fist of things in the early going. But from 2/52 the Yabbies fell to 7/77 and, ultimately, 9/110 – only narrowly avoiding an outright defeat after the Lions were given 20 overs to get the job done from 5pm in the final hour of day two.
The experienced PUT pair of Warne (23) and skipper Stephen Boltong (22) top-scored for their side the second time around, while Luke Gunton finished on 19 not out.
The Lions had an even spread of contributors across their bowling attack, with Jack Anning (2/9), Jason Williams (2/21), Jesse Hayhow (2/24) and Paynter (2/25) all snaring two scalps each.
