By David Nagel
Cardinia (9/184) has confirmed its rating as one of the teams to beat for this seasons WGCA Premier Division title after overcoming a strong Pakenham (8/165) challenge at Toomuc Reserve on Saturday.
The Bulls looked in all sorts of trouble – with Pakenham cruising at 2/102 with 18 overs remaining – but stood tall when it mattered most…their depth advantage becoming clearer and clearer as the 80 overs wore on.
Cardinia captain Jake Prosser was thrilled with the win against a side brimming with top-end talent.
“I rate that performance very highly,” Prosser told the Gazette.
“Their top six players are up there with the top six players in the comp but I thought our depth was a little stronger and that started to show in the end. It was a great game of cricket and I was happy with the way our boys fought it out.”
The Bulls batted first and suffered an early blow when opened Alex Nooy was trapped in front for two by Pakenham new-comer Pat Lawson.
Fellow opener Travis Wheller was then joined by Prosser, with the pair putting on a 45-run partnership before Prosser (24) became the prey of two young Lions – with James Close catching off the bowling of Tom Brennan.
Bradey Welsh (23) and Matt Welsh (22) both chimed in with valuable runs, but it was the innings of Wheller (67), who followed instructions to the letter, that became the pillar for the innings to build on.
The talented young gun departed in the 36th over, the score on 5/160, with his role played to perfection.
“It was something I spoke to him about before the game, and during the week at training, and even a few weeks before, how he needed to turn being part of 20 and 30-run partnerships into bigger scores,” Prosser said.
“I try and speak to every player about their individual roles most weeks, but with him it goes back further, about playing his role, and what he did on Saturday was absolutely perfect for us.”
Wheller’s half-century included seven fours, five coming within six scoring shots during the mid-way point of his innings. Wheller had to repel some fine bowling from Lawson (2/25 off 6), with Jason Williams (4/23 off 8) getting some great reward for a fine spell of off-spin bowling.
The Lions run-chase…well it could not have started any worse!
Jack Anning (0) followed a leg-side loosener from Matt Welsh, unluckily tickling through to the keeper, and the Lions were 1/0 off one ball.
Chris Smith (52) and skipper Dale Tormey (8) then survived some probing bowling from Welsh and Dean Henwood, with Tormey dropped twice by Prosser, once in slips and once off his own bowling.
Tormey would eventually lose patience, holing out to deep-mid-on off the bowling of Henwood in the eighth over.
Smith was then joined by Williams (39) for the defining partnership of the match.
Smith was back to his brilliant best, with quick footwork getting him into position to play some glorious shots.
He swept with class, but it was two cover drives that would be serious contenders for shot of the day.
He first gently leant on a Jack Bacon delivery, caressing it to the cover boundary, before using his feet to lift Bulls’ leg-spinner Lachie Volpe over the cover-boundary for six.
Williams was also in fine touch, with his square driving and late cuts through the gully reminding us all of the talent he possesses.
The Lions, 2/89 at drinks and taking 13 of the first two overs after the break, looked the winners.
But enter Wheller with his second piece of brilliance for the match.
Smith’s demise did not come as expected, with a rash shot being caught by a jubilant Nooy on the deep-wicket-wicket boundary. The Bulls were back on top, and this was further emphasised when Williams mistimed a drive off Wheller and was caught by Prosser…low in the covers.
The Lions had lost two wickets in three balls, and looked lost from that point forward, with veteran Rob Elston (21) and Steve Insall (18) ticking the score over the 160 mark.
Prosser was rapt with his team’s persistence in the latter stages of the match.
“If that was us last year, we probably don’t win the game, but I think we’ve learnt how to deal with certain situations and we have that winning mentality now, and that showed through,” he said.
“At drinks they were cruising, batting really well, playing to the conditions really well, picking the field and picking off the boundaries when we bowled a bad ball…and not facing many dot balls.
“As a bowling unit we spoke about it massively at the 20-over break that we needed to bowl a lot tighter and have our fielders back us up – and we did that after that.”
Wheller would earn man-of-the-match honours with figures of 3/30 off 8, to go with his important half century, while Nathan Volpe chimed in with two late wickets as well.
The Bulls play host to Merinda Park this week, while the Lions will need to pull up their socks and get ready for a tough trip to Tooradin.
In other results, Kooweerup decimated Merinda Park to start the season in bright fashion, down at Clyde, Tooradin were simply too good with a barnstorming win, while Karanvir Singh dominated proceedings for Cranbourne Meadows to overcome a determined Carlisle Park Vikings.
