By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 5 (Day two)
KOOWEERUP v PAKENHAM
HE’S the most prolific run-scorer of the West Gippsland Cricket Association’s Premier era and is regarded by many as the best batsman in the current competition.
That alone is a scary enough thought for any side that faces Pakenham gun Chris Smith.
But his start to the season has been brilliant – with 320 runs to his name he’s already more than 100 clear of Premier’s next highest run-scorer, Bathiya Perera, after five rounds – and he has some added motivation spurring him on.
Until this past off-season, Smith essentially played two straight, uninterrupted years of cricket – in both the WGCA, and abroad in England. Last season, from the outside at least, he seemed ‘cricketed out’ as he averaged just 25.75 with the willow for the Lions.
But Smith doesn’t buy that, calling it “just a petty excuse”.
“I felt good and was seeing the ball well, but I was getting a good ball here and there and wasn’t going on with the starts I was getting,” he told the Gazette.
“I wasn’t seeing the results I was after, which made me put pressure on myself.”
This season is already looming as a stark contrast, with Smith recording three scores above 80 so far – including two centuries.
He combined with Lions boon recruit Rob Elston for a stellar 140-run partnership on Saturday at Denhams Road against Kooweerup, which took their side from a precarious 3/39 to well within sight of victory. Smith was bowled by Matt Bright for exactly 100, but Elston continued on to reach 123 after a strong 81-run stand with Jack Anning (28).
Smith and Elston were simply brilliant, with both lightning fast in getting into position to either defend or attack with ruthless efficiency. Though the Demons’ attack dried the runs up at stages, they couldn’t keep Smith and Elston down for long as they punished anything short and wide.
Pakenham’s positive mindset at the crease was obvious to see and particularly impressive against the two-time reigning champions.
Smith said the Lions’ playing group – the vast majority of which has returned from last season – had to lift 10 per cent each from 2014/15. So far, so good.
“We’ve got a really tightknit group this year and we all have the utmost respect for Dommy (skipper Dom Paynter) and Rob (Elston) and their maturity and professionalism.
“You want to impress them.”
Smith said the group was ‘gelling beautifully’ so far.
“Individual performances are great but we’re getting everyone contributing.
“We put on 80-odd for the eighth wicket against Upper Beac and that won us the game, and our fielding and bowling efforts have been great. They’ve really put opposition sides under pressure.
“It’s all the little things that have been adding up.”
Smith said the Lions (8/282) attacked the week since the first day’s play against the Demons really positively, with the specific aim of batting all day on Saturday. They ultimately reached Kooweerup’s total (221) just five wickets down.
“That’s the aim every week – if we bat the 80 overs there’s no reason we can’t post 300.
“It’s about occupying the crease and getting back to basics.”
Smith admitted how much of a motivator last season is in driving him to succeed in 2015/16, but said having a clear frame of mind and confidence in his team mates was a huge key.
Smith paid tribute to Elston’s innings on the weekend, saying: “It was great for me, personally, to be out there batting with him.
“I sometimes have the tendency to get frustrated and implode but he just keeps talking to you and keeps things calm.
“He knows the ins and outs of cricket. He can either hold up an end or put his foot to the floor.
“He kept the strike turning over, and then he played his shots later in the innings.”
Smith said, overall, the Lions weren’t doing much different this season than they were in their last campaign. The key just seems to be each player having confidence in their own game, and being that bit more familiar with each of their team mates.
He said Jack Anning, in particular, had impressed him through the season’s early going, adding: “He can get very down on himself but he’s had a couple of very handy not-outs.
“In the field he just loves being out there. He’s our best fielder, and he talks all day. He always finds a way of staying in the game.
“He’s been doing a lot at training and you can see it. He plays within himself and rotates the strike.”
Paynter agreed.
“He’s been working really hard on starting his innings, and he knows his role,” he said.
“He’s never blamed a lack of opportunity when things weren’t going his way – he just batted through it.”
Like everyone else watching from the other side of the fence on Saturday, Paynter was massively impressed with Elston’s knock – particularly the way he crafted his innings.
“He freed his arms a bit at the end but he ticked the score along and batted time,” he said.
“It was great to watch.
“With a lot of us – myself included – once we go through a dry period we start to worry but with Rob it just doesn’t phase him.
“He didn’t change his game, and he kept his shape.”
Paynter’s side remains the lone undefeated Premier outfit at 5-0, but he spoke about how crucial it was for his group to stay up for the challenge.
“We’re sitting at 5-0 but we’ve got a really tough stretch of Merinda Park, Tooradin, Tooradin again, Merinda Park again and Kooweerup in our next five games.
“That’s pretty daunting and it’s keeping our feet firmly on the ground.”
Paynter said his men were playing with real confidence, and the focus was on playing as one, unified team unit.
“We can’t get carried away and rely on the same blokes to keep performing because that can paper over the cracks,” he said.
“Our season could suddenly have a different tale if we start cruising.
“Our aim is to make the finals and play really solid cricket in all areas.”
But while Pakenham is riding a wave of momentum, Kooweerup is slumping in fifth – with two wins and three losses from five games; 20 points outside the all-important top four.
“We had them at 3/39 and just couldn’t get another wicket,” said Demons skipper Michael Giles about his side’s comprehensive loss to the Lions
“When you’re in, the ball is stuffed and it’s a flat deck you just have to cash in and that’s exactly what Pakenham did – to their credit.
“They had two very good players piling on the runs – Smitty (Smith) is the best batsman in the competition.
“We just bowled too short all day and they played everything through midwicket, square leg and behind point.”
It didn’t exactly help the Demons’ cause not having two of their best bowlers at their disposal. Ron Bright Jr missed day two with a recurrence of an old wrist injury, while Chris O’Hara was also out. Giles hopes to have them both back this week.
“There’s only one way to turn it around and to get some momentum, and we can’t take this situation lightly,” he said.
“We have to stay positive.”
It’s one thing for the Demons to remember the situation they were in last year before Christmas – a campaign in which they ultimately won the flag, but Giles warned his men not to dwell on past glories.
“Maybe we’ve been reflecting too much on last year,” he said.
“The tide is turning, and we know good things can’t last forever.
“We’ve just got to make the finals, but at the moment we’re not good enough to.”
Kooweerup’s immediate task is to knuckle down and get to work at home this week against Upper Beaconsfield. If the Demons are to turn their season around, it has to start now. Keeper-batsman Chris Bright started his season with innings’ of 50 and 48 before a rough trot over the past couple of weeks. He needs just four runs in Round 6 to notch up his 2000-run milestone in the Premier grade.
CRANBOURNE MEADOWS v CARDINIA
There’s no easy way of saying this, except to just say it: the Rebels clash with the Bulls was every bit as ugly in reality as it was on paper.
Resuming on Saturday at 5/35 in their first innings, chasing Cardinia’s 5/276, Cranbourne Meadows was rolled for just 80 in 41 overs. Then, thrown back in, they were dismissed again for 104 to complete an ugly outright loss.
Travis Welsh (5/9 from just six overs) and Dean Henwood (5/34) were absolutely devastating in the Rebels’ first innings, while player-coach Dwayne Doig picked up 4/38 in the second. Opening batsman Will Cloney was the only Cranbourne Meadows batsman in either innings to pass 20, with 33 in the second innings.
Rebels player-coach Chris Milne wasn’t shying away from the situation currently facing his side, but said there were plenty of positives to come out of it.
“It’s been a rude awakening, for sure,” Milne said of his side’s start to the season.
“But it’s been about the lessons learnt.
“We’ve been quite positive as a group and had moments of positive cricket, but we haven’t been able to sustain it.“In stepping up to Premier it’s all about doing the basics right for long periods of time, and we’re really getting punished badly when we’re dropping off.”
Milne said his side could learn valuable lessons from the way the likes of Chris Smith build an innings, or Neil Barfuss leads a side in the field.
Mitch Cowell played his first game for the Rebels in Round 5, and found out first-hand what happens when he drops short to the likes of Alex Nooy. Clearly, he’ll only benefit from the experience.
There has been plenty of talk of the Rebels getting a host of last season’s District division premiership side back after Christmas, but Milne said not to count on it.
“At this stage we’re looking at getting players back for next season,” he said.
“We live in reality – we know we’ll almost certain drop back (to District) but it’s about learning as much as possible up in Premier and becoming stronger in District so we can relaunch for another crack at it.”
And he insisted the Rebels were remaining upbeat.
“I’ve played in sides that dominated but never really played as a team,” he said.
“This group has plenty of heart and is really resilient – we are staying positive.”
The task doesn’t get much easier this week for the Rebels – they have to head to Tooradin to take on the Gulls. Cardinia, meanwhile, travels up the hill to Emerald.
EMERALD v MERINDA PARK
Cobras player-coach Jamie Smith was full of praise for his great mate and the side’s skipper Danny Diwell last week, and rightfully so. Diwell’s century (100) from the middle order proved instrumental in steering his side from 5/76 to a commanding 262 on day one at Chandler Reserve.
“When I was batting with him he just kept telling me to do what I do and to stay confident,” Smith said of Diwell last week.
“With the way he was leading from the front as captain I wanted to hang in there with him for as long as I could, and it was the same for the blokes after me as well.
“He isn’t an over-talker – like I was when I was captain.
“He’s just straight to the point, saying this is what we have to do, so for him to bat the way he did for the team was just outstanding.”
They turned out to be prophetic words from Smith, who went on to play a massive role for the team in his own right with the ball on Saturday as Emerald was rolled for just 137.
He took 6/37 in 17 overs – his best ever figures for Merinda Park – and claimed the key scalps of opener Dave McDonald (29), AJ Walker (0) and Hashan Goonetilleke (28).
The Bombers will look to reverse their slide at home this week but face a tough task against the rampaging Bulls. Merinda Park, meanwhile, hosts the match of the round at Donnelly Reserve against the Lions.
TOORADIN v UPPER BEACONSFIELD
Resuming on 0/34 chasing just 105 for victory against Upper Beaconsfield, Tom Hussey’s men made light work of the task at hand on Saturday.
Hussey (38) was the first wicket to fall at 1/59, but impressively his opening partner Josh Lownds continued to enhance his reputation as a standout all-rounder in the WGCA’s top flight with a well-made 74. The knock is Lownds’ highest score in Premier so far and anchored the Gulls’ innings as Hussey eventually declared it closed at 9/239 in the 86th over.
Maroons skipper Scott Pitcher (4/47) continued his strong recent run with the ball, while Tommy Tyrrell (3/50) and young Chad McDonald (2/34) were the other multiple wicket-takers for the visitors.
Promisingly for Tooradin, all-rounders Dylan Sutton (41) and Dan Hunt (23) continued to show the depth the Seagulls have in their ranks with both bat and ball.
Premier’s leading batsmen…
Chris Smith (Pakenham) – 320 runs
Bathiya Perera (Upper Beaconsfield) – 219
Alex Nooy (Cardinia) – 215
Rob Elston (Pakenham) – 206
Tom Hussey (Tooradin) – 196
Premier’s leading bowlers…
Dwayne Doig (Cardinia) – 17 wickets
Travis Welsh (Cardinia) – 13
Josh Lownds (Tooradin) – 13
Kyle Gibbs (Upper Beaconsfield) – 12
Russell Lehman (Pakenham) – 11
Scott Pitcher (Upper Beaconsfield) – 11
Dylan Sutton (Tooradin) – 10
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON (since the start of the Premier era)
BATTING
2000 RUNS
Chris Bright (Kooweerup) 1996
1500 RUNS
Russell Lehman (Pakenham) 1409
1000 RUNS
Danny Diwell (Merinda Park) 972
Luke Turner (Cardinia) 926
750 RUNS
Ben Maroney (Cardinia) 730
Dylan Cuthbertson (Merinda Park) 683
500 RUNS
Jason Pongracic (Merinda Park) 499
Michael Ralph (Tooradin) 446
TOP 5 RUN-SCORERS
Chris Smith (Pakenham) 3276
Chris O’Hara (Kooweerup) 3089
Michael Giles (Kooweerup) 3089
Tom Hussey (Tooradin) 2659
Neil Barfuss (Cardinia) 2568
BOWLING
125 WICKETS
Aaron Avery (Tooradin) 119
Dean Henwood (Cardinia) 118
100 WICKETS
Chris Smith (Pakenham) 95
Jess Mathers (Kooweerup) 90
75 WICKETS
Dom Paynter (Pakenham) 70
50 WICKETS
Kyle Gibbs (Upper Beac.) 46
Matt Bright (Kooweerup) 46
Tom Tyrrell (Upper Beac.) 45
TOP 5 WICKET-TAKERS
Cal O’Hare (Tooradin) 145
Dwayne Doig (Cardinia) 137
Neil Barfuss (Cardinia) 135
Aaron Avery (Tooradin) 119
Dean Henwood (Cardinia) 118
