STAFF WRITERS
CRICKET
TDCA ANOTHER rain-affected week had the Traralgon District Cricket Association worried that history would be repeating and it would be wash outs galore, but through some incredibly hard work from curators, two out of three A Grade matches could be played. The match of the round between Glengarry and Yarram & District was a testament to the curator and Glengarry Cricket Club as a whole due to the efforts made to get this game played. Fred King Oval has certainly seen dryer days, but having a hard working rec reserve committee certainly helped this game be completed. Yarram won the toss and batted knowing that the wicket was good but the ground would be very slow. The Pelicans needed to get a good start and set the platform for the hard hitting Anthony Scott to cash in during the middle stages, but when Matt Garland was dismissed for a duck with the score on two, things didn’t start as planned. Daniel O’Keefe joined Dylan Rash and put on a good partnership of 38 before O’Keefe was out for 14, with Rash following two runs later to have the Pelicans in trouble at 3/42. It was then Ben Layton and Jarryd Swift’s turn to rebuild and together they put on a partnership of 30 before they too fell in quick succession. When Scott was then dismissed with the score at 105, it was tough going for the lower order, and the pressure that Glengarry brought then meant they struggled to 130 before being bowled out in the 42nd over. Glengarry’s class shone through and their bowlers were able to break partnerships that formed at the right time. Cam Graham enjoyed his first game for the season, claiming 3/14 from seven overs, while Max Merton and Nathan Allen took two wickets each. Yarram needed a good start with the ball and were able to do so with Al Jenkin, Frank Marks and Sam Marks all back in the rooms with the score on 40. New ball bowlers O’Keefe and Kelly Griffiths had their tails up, and when Nat Freitag was joined by Nathan Allen at the crease, it was make or break for the Pelicans. However, the Glengarry high-profile stars shone bright as they negotiated the bowling and the slow ground incredibly well, putting a decent partnership together before Freitag was removed by Kelly Griffiths. Paul Henry was the only other wicket to fall, before Graham and Nathan Allen steered the ship home, making sure Glengarry won their first match for the season. It was another case of so close but so far for Yarram & District, as they have certainly been able to push the two predicted top teams already this season in Ex Students and now Glengarry. For the Magpies, to walk away winners after missing out for five rounds before last weekend would be a relief. THE other match that was played in A Grade was between Rovers and Ex Students. It certainly didn’t start out slowly as runs were being scored freely thanks to a combination of good batting, wayward bowling and a wicket that had no right to be as good as what it was after the rain that had fallen throughout the week. Rovers just couldn’t get their radar early, and the opening partnership of Matt Dyke and James Pryde made the most of it as their partnership quickly grew to 128 before Pryde was out to Simon Duff for 56. Lee Stockdale couldn’t get to the crease quickly enough batting at three, and got to work straight away, putting on another 89 runs with Dyke until Dougal Williams took his opportunity and ran Dyke out for a well made 88. This left Stockdale to cash in but a Ewan Williams yorker dismissed the superstar for 84 which came in the quick time of just 71 balls, with his innings including 10 boundaries and a big six. Things didn’t get any easier for Rovers, whose big quick Mitch Floyd and English import Oliver Mason both were injured during the innings, but Lachlan Patterson was able to get a few wickets while closing out the innings as Ex Students’ middle order looked for quick runs at the end, but the damage had been done early and a huge score of 291 had been set for the home team to chase. Nothing short of a miracle would be needed for Rovers, and with both opening batsmen removed for ducks the game was all but over. A couple of starts were made from Liam Little (19), Dougal Williams (12) and Ewan Williams (21) while Darion Duncan got some reward for effort with a nice 30 from 38 balls, but the Sharks just kept applying pressure and eventually knocked over Rovers for 114 in the 31st over. All of the Ex Students bowlers took a bite of the cherry, as Andy Matthews, Mitch Harris, Stockdale and Michael Bentley all took two wickets. As predicted, Ex Students got the job done before having a week this weekend due to the bye, but for Rovers, some changes in tactics may need to occur before travelling to Toongabbie next week, who are a very good team on their home deck. TOONGABBIE’S game against Gormandale did not start, while Imperials had the bye. In B Grade, Yarram & District defeated Glengarry at Tarraville. Batting first, the Pelicans made 5/181, with Anthony Bland top scoring with a 68 not out, before bowling the visitors out for 92. Ash Taylor was the pick of the bowlers for Yarram District, claiming 3/5. Ex Students defeated Rovers in B Grade as well, restricting Rovers to 9/130 before passing the total six down as Adam Jaensch top scored with 41.
