By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 12 (day 2)
THERE’S still two rounds left before the finals, but we’re calling it; Cobras coach Jamie Smith delivered the biggest understatement of the season when talking about Merinda Park’s astonishing reverse outright win over the hometown Upper Beaconsfield on Saturday.
“Cricket is a funny old game,” he said.
Though, it’s hard to imagine the Maroons seeing the funny side of it – having bowled the Cobras out for just 77 in their first innings, yet still going on to somehow lose the game.
In all, there were 34 wickets taken for the game… for a combined total of just 386 runs.
Upper Beaconsfield’s batting form this season has been as hard to read as a Sydney road map.
They made 223 against Tooradin in Round 6 but that was sandwiched in between two outright losses, managing totals of just 55 and 87 against Cardinia in Round 5, and 43 and 80 against Kooweerup in Round 7.
They turned that around in Round 9, recording a huge 10-wicket win over the Seagulls, and last round recorded another win over Emerald.
But as has been the way all season for the Maroons – their worst is never that far from their best.
The Cobras resumed their first innings on Saturday at 8/74, chasing Upper Beac’s 98. But the visitors lost Dylan Cuthbertson early to an absolute pearler from young Chad McDonald (4/15), who Smith labelled as a future star.
“It’s the best ball I reckon I’ve seen in a couple of years,” Smith said.
“It jagged back a mile.”
Unfortunately for Smith, the same can’t be said for the Scott Pitcher (4/13) delivery that got him out. He was the last wicket to fall, spooning a catch to mid-wicket in just the third over of the day.
Upper Beac openers Robert North and Tommy Tyrrell then strode out to the crease, buoyed by their side securing first-innings points.
Smith said his side was too cautious in its run chase – failing to take the game on.
But in the rooms at the break, he looked over and saw Jess Mathers.
“I knew he was up and about – he couldn’t sit still,” Smith said.
Cobras skipper Danny Diwell opened the bowling with Mathers and also started with real purpose – skittling both openers.
Then, a fired up Mathers took the first of his five wickets (5/41) for the innings – spectacularly rattling Julian Bayard’s stumps.
Smith said his side knew Chris Savage’s partnership with Jake Serong was crucial to Upper Beac’s chances, and the man himself removed the Maroons skipper for 19.
“I bowl medium pace, but it’s very medium,” Smith admitted.
“I’ve bowled to Sav a fair bit before and I know he likes to get after me.”
Savage was given out leg-before to a ball that seemed to hit him high on the right leg, and his dismissal triggered a stunning collapse. Mathers was nothing short of sensational, while Diwell and Smith each finished with two wickets – playing a major role in dismissing the home side for under 100 for the second time in the match.
Anthony Craddock (42) and Peter Jessop (19) then put on a 42-run opening stand to springboard the Cobras (4/117) to a remarkable reverse outright win.
“I’ve played cricket for 30-plus years and I’ve never played in a reverse outright,” Smith said following the clash.
Mathers finished with eight wickets for the match and Smith said his opening spell in the Maroons’ second innings, followed by Craddock’s performance at the top of the order for the Cobras, set up the result.
“He (Craddock) was batting unbelievably well,” Smith said.
“He’s our barometer, really.”
Smith also praised the performances of Jessop and Andrew Martin (26 not out), adding: “The result was huge for our season. In seven days we’ve gone from a side that probably shouldn’t be in the finals, to getting the 12 points and deserving to be.
“We’re rapt with the result but we still need to fix up our batting. We need to hit that bad ball and just back ourselves.”
With a finals’ position now secure, the Cobras need to carry their positive momentum into their next clash – at home against Tooradin.
But Smith knows how tough that challenge is.
“I don’t think we’ve ever beaten Tooradin in my time at the club,” he said.
“We’ve got a fair bit of work to do.”
Smith said the Round 13 clash would be a good dress rehearsal for a potential finals’ matchup, adding: “whoever loses will finish fourth.”
CARDINIA v KOOWEERUP
Speaking of finals dress rehearsals, they don’t come any bigger than Cardinia’s match-up with Kooweerup.
The Bulls (9/221) got the points over last year’s grand final conqueror (218) but not before some nail-biting moments in the final overs of their innings – a stark reminder of the Demons’ ability to pile the pressure on and defend a seemingly modest total.
Bulls’ coach Simon Parrott doesn’t need his memory jolted where that’s concerned though, with his side failing to chase down just 158 in last season’s decider.
“Kooweerup is a really close-knit unit,” he said.
“They play tough, hard cricket but they’re a great bunch of blokes and they’re always extremely fair.
“John Bright, Ron (Bright), Tubsy (Chris O’Hara) and Mushy (Matt Bright) are all quality bowlers and they apply pressure really well.
“They don’t have to make 300-plus runs to be able to defend it.
“We couldn’t chase 160 in the grand final because of the pressure they put us under (so) when you have your opportunity to stand up, you have to take it.
“I know we’re on top of the ladder now but Kooweerup and Tooradin are still the yardsticks for us.
“I said to the boys after the game – we might be undefeated so far this season but you don’t win premierships in Round 12.”
A key reason why the Bulls are still undefeated is the 48-run opening stand put on by Alex Nooy (26) and Daniel Glen (50) on Saturday, setting the tone for the innings.
“Daniel Glen batted beautifully,” Parrott said.
“He faced some really good bowling from Ron and John Bright but he got through it really well. He and Alex (Nooy) gave us a good platform to build from.”
But from 0/47, the Bulls slipped to 6/122. Although they were within 100 runs of victory, danger man Parrott (12) and the league’s form player Neil Barfuss (6) both failed to fire.
But cometh the moment, cometh the man. Bulls’ favourite son Luke Turner (62) stepped up to the plate and steered his side towards the finish line with a determined half-century – his second in a consistent season batting predominantly in the lower-order.
“Coming back from what he’s gone through, he’s been fantastic,” Parrott said.
“He’s just so smart and he knows when to pick his ball to hit. He’s probably our second or third highest scorer this season.”
Indeed, Turner is Cardinia’s third highest run-scorer this season – behind only Barfuss and Parrott – with 224 runs at 37.33.
It was a real positive for the Bulls, in one sense, that Barfuss and Parrott both misfired with the willow. They still won in spite of it. It just goes to show how much Cardinia’s depth has improved.
Still, Saturday’s win could just prove to be the calm before the storm.
“We didn’t show too much of our hand I think they were the same,” Parrott admitted, with an eye towards yet another potential finals’ matchup between the two sides.
TOORADIN v EMERALD
SATURDAY was a real drought-breaker for Seagulls gun Tom Hussey. Prior to his side’s clash with Emerald, he was still the second highest run-scorer in Premier with 480 runs this season but he hadn’t scored a century since his epic 146 against Merinda Park in the 2012-13 grand final.
He’d made 12 scores above 40 across all competitions since, but hadn’t reaped a triple-figure reward.
But on a lightning fast home ground against a promising battery of Emerald seamers, Hussey made batting look effortless on the weekend – storming to 137 and leading from the front as Tooradin (5/311) chased down the visitors’ impressive 6/307.
“It was great to see Huss convert,” said great mate, Tooradin playing-coach Cal O’Hare after the game.
“He was faultless.
“He’s not playing that false shot that was getting him out in the past – he’s just being really patient, whereas last year at times he looked like he wanted to just hit everything.”
O’Hare said the Gulls were always confident of victory, despite facing a chase of over 300. They knew how lightning fast the ground was playing, and the batting firepower at their disposal.
Tooradin’s batting is building at the right time of the season, but it’s with the ball that they’ve had their biggest issues – with injuries to the likes of O’Hare (knee) and Aaron Avery (side strain) holding them back.
“Our batting has been really good this year but we’ve struggled a bit with the ball, whereas in previous years it’s been the other way around,” O’Hare said.
After dominating his opening partnership with Josh Lownds, Hussey combined with a 158-run stand with Michael Ralph (89).
Ralph’s innings was almost as chanceless as Hussey’s, until falling to one of the most bizarre dismissals of the season – out hit wicket swinging at a looping full toss outside off from Julian Scott. With his innings he became just the second player not named Avery, O’Hare or Hussey to score a half century in Tooradin’s top flight this season (the other being Dylan Sutton with 65 in Round 5).
“Ralphy’s got the chance to stay at three now,” O’Hare said.
“He’s been hitting the ball really well and he always makes runs in the twos.
“He hurt his knee in the field earlier in the season and was out for a couple of games but he made runs in the twos when he came back.
“He’s a top-order bat who’s just really solid at the crease.”
Ralph compliments the aggression of the likes of Hussey, Avery, and Ben Mantel (28 not out) and his innings came at the perfect time for a Tooradin side still trying to clinch a top-two spot. Emerald skipper AJ Walker tried nine different bowlers on Saturday, with Scott (2/37), Darcy Hellriegel (2/45) and Clinton Marsh (1/89) the wicket-takers. Seamer Tom Baldock broke down with a hamstring injury in his seventh over.
PAKENHAM v BEACONSFIELD
IN THE final game of the round, the Lions (6/171) recovered from a disastrous 5/13 to claim a gritty four-wicket win at Toomuc Reserve over Beaconsfield (158).
Resuming at a perilous 4/6 on day two, the home side lost young gun Zac Chaplin (0) early before Bradey Welsh and Russell Lehman combined for a 100-run stand to steady the ship.
Lehman recorded his seventh score of 35 or above this season with a superb unbeaten 63, while Welsh (60) scored his second half-century of the season.
The two were batting down the order, with some of the Lions’ younger brigade getting a chance in the top five.
“We were always going to give the young boys a bat up the order anyway,” said Lions skipper Jason Williams.
“(But) a few doubts were starting to creep in, and we could have been seven or eight down for not many but Welshy and Russ batted a treat.
“We knew we had the 80 overs to bat. I just told the boys to bat the time and put away the bad balls.
“Bradey was dropped twice but he was really disciplined and Russ was just in that mind frame that he was going to bat all day.”
Williams, who finished on 24 not out, paid credit to the Beaconsfield attack, which he said made life tough at the crease.
“They bowled good areas and we had to work hard to get the runs,” he said.
“Us senior guys had to take the responsibility and Welshy wanted to show what he’s really all about.
“He hits the ball so well but he just finds ways of getting out.
“He’s (got the talent of) a 400 to 500 run batsman per season and that innings was a good reward for him.”
As for Lehman, Williams is just happy he gets to call him a team mate, rather than an opponent.
“Everyone would love to have him in their side,” the skipper said.
“He likes to be the man to get the job done, and he’s second or third in both runs and wickets this season.
“I’d hate to have to bowl to him… he’s not flustered by much at all.
“He just kept his temperament and he’s got all the time in the world when he bats like that.”
Williams said the Lions put it on Lehman to have a big year, both on field and behind the scenes, and he’s stepped up to the plate in a big way.
“We wanted to share the workload a bit more and he’s been speaking up and having more of an input behind the scenes,” he said.
“He’s a pretty quiet sort of a guy normally so it’s been a big turnaround.
“He just loves his cricket. He’s pretty competitive – he hates losing.”
The Beaconsfield attack has improved as the season has progressed, and Saturday was no different. Callan Tout, playing in just his second Premier game this season after crossing from Casey-South Melbourne, finished with 3/36 while Shameera Weerasinghe took 2/34.
