LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET
LVDCL PREMIER A
By LIAM DURKIN
JOHN KEIGHRAN is really good at cricket.
Churchill secured maximum points against CATS, and Keighran inflicted maximum damage with bat and ball at George Cain Oval in Round 12 Premier A action of the Latrobe Valley District Cricket League.
Resuming the day with first innings points already in the bag, the Cobras, well really just Keighran, only spent 13 overs at the crease on Day 2, but that was still enough to take their overnight (technically over seven days but you know what I mean) score from 164 to 230 before declaring.
Keighran scored 156 out of 230. His knock came off 115 balls and featured 17 fours and three sixes.
It is probably worth noting that Keighran’s innings wasn’t just a slog, as looking at the CATS bowling card, none of them really got absolutely hit out of the attack.
With plenty of time left in the day by the time they batted again, the visitors faced the monumental task of needing to score 155 just to make the Cobras bat again.
They didn’t, in fact they didn’t get close: Bundled out for 104.
CATS made a decent start, getting to 41 without loss, but after that, things disintegrated. Jamie Cochrane played a lone-hand, making 41 off 42 balls with six boundaries.
He was one of two victims of Steve Warr’s deadly military mediums, and two others fell to Matt Harvey’s left arm orthodox. But it was Keighran’s Kingdom on Saturday, and he took 6/31 off 11 overs – and they weren’t just cheap tail end wickets either.
MADURA PERERA is also really good at cricket.
The Raiders pace ace ripped Morwell apart on Saturday, finishing with figures of 5/61 off 26 overs.
Set 277 to win, the visiting Tigers fell well short of the target, and were bowled out for 176.
Opening bat Mark Cukier scored a defiant 89, facing nearly 40 overs’ worth of balls, going past the Morwell first grade batting aggregate record in the process.
Unfortunately, the new record-holder found limited support, as the next highest score was 22.
A middle-order collapse of 4/28 haunted the Tigers, and their task eventually became too great once Perera found his rhythm.
Raiders took the unusual step of opening with spin from both ends in a red ball game – something you don’t often see, if ever.
Perera and English spinner George Chesire bowled 56 overs between them, which equated to 73 per cent of the 82 overs in the day.
Chesire gave the paceman good support, nabbing 3/57 off 30.1.
ROB PHOENIX is still really good at cricket.
Moe took first innings points against Latrobe, thanks mainly to a Phoenix five wicket haul.
The Lions batted on from Day 1, adding another handy 30 runs to the 226 they scored the week before.
The game looked to be slipping away from the Lions at Ted Summerton Reserve, before the ball was thrown to the man who has got sides out of trouble more than a few times in his career.
Latrobe was 0/94 in pursuit of 256, but then Phoenix was introduced into the attack and took the key wicket of Anthony Bloomfield for 43.
He followed up by knocking over Sharks captain Benn Zomer, which then led to Callum Grant picking up the next two poles to leave Latrobe 4/107.
From there, Phoenix continued on, working with paceman Clinton Taylor, who was reintroduced and helped out with two wickets.
Big-hitting Latrobe bat Ronnie Chokununga was dismissed for 81, and with that, the game was Moe’s for the taking, and they wrapped things up by bowling Latrobe out for 160.
Taylor with 2/27 and Grant with 2/33 played their part, while Phoenix got yet another trophy for his collection, ending with figures of 5/13 off 18 with 11 maidens.
Is #phoenixeffect still a thing?
