By Russell Bennett
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 7 (Day One)
TOORADIN v PAKENHAM
ON paper, they’ve got arguably the two strongest line-ups in the competition with incredible batting and bowling depth throughout.
It’s little wonder the reigning champion Pakenham and Tooradin are the top two sides after the first six rounds of the Premier season.
This marks the first of the back-to-back showdowns between the two sides, and at this stage of their respective campaigns, both games – this two-dayer and the one-dayer to come – will provide true indicators of just where the Lions and Gulls are at.
Sustained pressure is the key, and after day one on Saturday it’s Pakenham that has the upper hand – even if only just.
Lions all-rounder Chris Savage (4/22 from 14.3 overs) put in easily his best performance with the ball so far this season – frustrating Gulls champion Tom Hussey who clearly had a hard time scoring off him before ultimately falling caught behind in the 23rd over.
Hussey (25) and former Lions star Russell Lehman (62) put on 45 for the first wicket on Saturday, but it was a particularly measured start in the face of some impressively accurate bowling from Thom Jones (2/18), Dom Paynter (1/34), Zac Chaplin, and Savage.
The Gulls just couldn’t break the shackles early and when Cal O’Hare was contentiously given out caught behind – again to Savage – they lost three wickets for 43 runs.
Savage was moving the ball around while at the same time cramping the Gulls for room in an outstanding showing . At tea, the home side was on just 3/86 after its first 40 overs.
Aaron Avery came to the crease at 4/96 and looked strong early – particularly through cover on a slightly slower than usual Tooradin ground. He and Lehman gradually stepped up the run-rate before the former Lion fell to mid-on from a full-toss from great mate Chris Smith at 5/139.
Avery (37) fell soon after to a peach of a delivery from Tom Tyrrell (2/46) at 6/151 before, ultimately, the home side was dismissed for 178 in the 73rd over.
Lions skipper Paynter, who bowled a mixture of seam-up and off-spin given the side strain to Jason Williams, praised Savage for his efforts with the ball but also credited Jones for his tight line and length to start with.
“He doesn’t have much of a run-up but he generates a fair bit of power (with his action) and he’s able to maintain it for a long period,” Paynter said of Savage.
“They got off to a pretty measured start – we knew it’d take an all-day effort.
“In the end I’d say 170-odd was about par.
“They might’ve hoped for a few more but we bowled in enough good areas throughout the day.”
Paynter said Hussey and Lehman are “two class bats”, adding that a lesser side might’ve been dismissed for somewhere in the vicinity of 120 after a similarly cautious start.
Forced to face the final four overs of day one, Pakenham lost gun opener Smith to O’Hare (1/5) early and will resume on 1/10.
“Losing Smitty (Chris Smith) early hurts us but we’ll just approach this like a normal week,” Paynter said looking ahead to day two.
“It’s the batsmen’s responsibility to stay in.”
Paynter admitted it was “a bit weird” for the Lions to come up against their great mate Lehman for the first time since his departure for the Gulls.
“I probably had to pinch myself a couple of times out there,” he said.
“But it was like being back in the nets really – I still couldn’t get him out!”
CARDINIA v PAKENHAM UPPER/TOOMUC
THE Bulls are dangerous enough without an in-form Ben Maroney – one of the most accomplished batsmen in the history of the West Gippsland Cricket Association – shining in their middle order but now opposition sides will have an extra headache when they take on Neil Barfuss’s side.
‘The Pest’ – also more affectionately known as ‘Budgie’ – had a bit to say out in the middle but let his Icon really do the talking on Saturday at home against the Yabbies, recording his 22nd century in a career that’s got plenty of life in it yet at the WGCA’s top tier.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Bulls found themselves in early trouble against an impressive Ben McLeod who snared both openers – Alex Nooy (5) and Brad Reiner (1) – cheaply.
But from staring down the barrel at 2/8 the home side recovered through an 81-run stand between Maroney (114) and skipper Barfuss (42).
“He definitely had that look in his eye from the beginning of his innings,” Barfuss said of Maroney.
“He let the ball go a lot to start with – it was really swinging around a bit – whereas I was playing and missing a lot.
“He hardly played a false shot all day – it was vintage Ben.”
Barfuss said when he fell at 3/89 the ball was still nipping around, but Travis Wheller (18) and Kim Bentick (16) both got starts in their supporting roles.
From 2/8, the Bulls were 5/172 with Bentick’s wicket – laying the foundation for Maroney and Ricky Campbell (a hard-hitting, unbeaten 55) to capitalise.
Barfuss said Maroney, a Pakenham legend, had made an invaluable contribution to the Bulls in his time at the club so far – both in teaching the younger players, and providing a sounding board for the more senior members of the squad.
Barfuss ultimately brought his side’s innings to a close at 6/269 soon after Campbell reached his half-century – allowing the Bulls bowlers to have a crack at the Yabbies’ top order prior to stumps.
He praised McLeod’s (5/85) ability to move the ball around and constantly beat the bat in his five-wicket haul. He said Maroney’s watchfulness against him was testament to that.
In the 12 overs they faced prior to stumps, the Yabbies stumbled and will resume this week on 2/26 with Daniel Strahan – who twice scored above 80 in three of his previous innings – already dismissed without scoring. His great mate Ryan De Reus (17) and Matt Southall (4) are the not out batsmen while David Kingston (1/8) and Dwayne Doig (1/13) are the wicket-takers so far.
EMERALD v MERINDA PARK
THE Bombers will be out in search of early wickets on Saturday to break their winless streak that now stretches over the first six rounds of the season.
And a couple of early scalps could well throw the cat amongst the pigeons against Merinda Park at Chandler Reserve in Avonsleigh after Emerald recovered from yet another horror start to post 187 before being dismissed just inside 60 overs on day one.
The Bombers lost four early wickets – including skipper AJ Walker (30) for a trademark aggressive innings – but the middle order steadied thanks to strong contributions from Geordie Scott (39), who was fresh off his stunning 110 in the Kookaburra Cup Twenty20 clash against Aura Vale; Andy Alenson (46); Clinton Marsh (35); and coach Michael Nell (18).
Cobras skipper Danny Diwell was brilliant for the visitors – finishing with the stellar figures of 6/43 in just a shade under 18 overs and removing both Walker and Alenson.
Leigh Paterson continued his super-strong start to the season with the ball – extending his run of three-plus wicket hauls across all competitions to five with 3/64 from his 22 overs.
After losing opener Daniel McCalman (2) to Marsh early in their reply, the Cobras will resume this Saturday on 1/33. Sanjeev Dhankar (12) and Andrew Martin (6) – in his first game back in Merinda Park colours since his mid-season switch from Kooweerup – are the not-out batsmen.
KOOWEERUP v UPPER BEACONSFIELD
THE Demons have made a strong start to their clash with the Maroons at Denhams Road, dismissing the visitors for 179 in a touch under 60 overs.
After falling in a hole at 2/24, 3/28 and then 4/48 as Jess Mathers (4/71) tore through their top order, the Maroons mounted somewhat of a fightback thanks in no small part to Jonathon Caderamanpulle who recorded his third half-century of the season with his 77.
A string of other Upper Beac batsmen got starts but only Matt Curtain (27) could pass 20 as Matt Davey (1/31), Jack Bacon (2/11), captain-coach Mark Cooper (1/15), Chris O’Hara (1/0) and Matt Bright (1/17) – in his return to the Premier grade – all got among the wickets.
The Demons faced the remaining 17 overs of the first day’s play and lost O’Hara (6) cheaply to Scott Pitcher but still sit in a comfortable position and will resume on Saturday at 1/43 with the in-form duo of Mark Cooper (22) and Ben Spicer (11) the not-out batsmen.
