LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET
LVDCL A GRADE
By LIAM DURKIN
WITH one day left in the regular season, there could still yet be some shuffling of places inside the top four on the Latrobe Valley District Cricket League A Grade ladder.
Centrals has the minor premiership sewn up, but their opponents for the semi-final won’t be determined until all results are finalised.
Second-placed Trafalgar is currently doing battle with Traralgon West. The two teams are equal on points, meaning the winner will secure the benefits that go with finishing second.
The consequence for the loser of that game could see them drop to fourth, that is, if fourth-placed Mirboo North win outright against Willow Grove.
The Tigers look a good show of achieving such a result, and will end the home-and-away season in third if they can nab 10 points on Saturday.
FOR the third week in a row, Mirboo North backed its bowlers in at the toss.
The Tigers set about making some early inroads at home against Willow Grove, and were able to skittle the Wolves for 112.
The visitors dug in for periods; getting to 1/52 early in the piece, before things capitulated.
It was a case of ‘get one and the rest will follow’ for Willow Grove, who lost their last nine wickets for 60 runs.
Some good signs however came in the form of Nathan Wheildon. Batting first drop, the left hander fell one short of a half-century, becoming one of three victims for Logan Anders.
Anders combined with Dale Banks, who took two stunning catches in close.
The veteran leg-spinner showed he hasn’t lost his lightning-quick reflexes, taking a sharp chance down low at catching mid wicket to see the back of Seth Dawson.
Not to be outdone, 12 overs later he went one better – diving to his left and plucking the ball one-handed out of mid-air to dismiss Adam James.
The catch was immediately followed by a nonchalant roll back to the umpire, almost as if to say ‘thanks for coming’.
Banks’ heroics contributed to a clinical performance from Mirboo North, which saw wickets shared among the bowlers.
Anders had the most profitable return with 3/23, while Banks himself took 2/19.
In fairness, the Wolves still batted for 60 overs, but the nature of their dismissals reflected a team that was clearly showing signs of battle fatigue from its first season in A Grade.
An example of this came when Wheildon pushed a ball into the covers and called Kyan Mulley through for a single.
After some hesitation, both players stood motionless, before Mulley sacrificed his wicket by running past Wheildon.
The Tigers faced 25 overs before stumps, knocking off 98 runs in the process.
Banks made it a decent day all-round with 27 against the new ball, while Zach Hollis will go into Day 2 with 59 to his name.
Hollis hit five boundaries in the 67-balls he faced, with a number making that discernible ‘cracking’ sound that denotes perfect timing.
With only 14 needed to win on first innings, Mirboo North will surely look to get a lead around 130-150 before tea, and then put Willow Grove back in.
WHO said Apex Park was hard to score on.
Records tumbled for Centrals on Saturday, as the Lions posted 418 – their highest-ever A Grade score.
The effort surpassed the previous Centrals best of 417, made all the way back in 1959.
The Lions of today feasted on a severely depleted Jeeralang-Boolarra attack, who chased leather for the best part of 90 overs.
The unfortunate Panthers reportedly had 14 players unavailable, and after winning the toss and electing to bowl – that is about where the good news ended as far as the visitors were concerned.
Much like the cows that frequent the Boolarra area, the cricketers were like cattle ready to be slaughtered.
First up, Rob Webber clubbed seven boundaries, falling just short of a half-century.
Captain Tye Hourigan came in at four and made 52, followed by Mark Rawson, who went at better than a run-a-ball, scoring 65 off 62.
Reghard Hefer really took the bowling on, smashing 88 off 63 balls; his innings featuring 13 fours and three sixes.
Corey Pollard, batting at eight, registered a personal-best, ending the day unbeaten on 88.
If ever there was a chance for Pollard to bring up three figures, it was last Saturday. However, in a somewhat cruel but equally comical twist, the middle of his bat denied him the chance to take the helmet off.
After smacking a straight drive, the ball brushed the bowler’s fingertips to see non-striker Marc Fenech run out, thus ending the Lion’s innings.
Joe Stewart also made a handy 26 off 35 balls batting at number 10, as Centrals forged a couple of very lengthy partnerships.
Hourigan and Rawson put on 116 for the fourth wicket, while Hefer and Pollard combined with 131 for the seventh.
The Panthers persisted as best they could, and had a few small mercies along the way, including taking 3/0 to stem the bleeding.
Lankesh Samaraweera took those three wickets, and ended up taking six for the day.
Jeeralang-Boolarra will return this Saturday with a mountain of runs confronting them.
While they might not be entertaining thoughts of a win, a firm pitch and quick outfield means there is lots of runs on offer at Apex Park.
If the Panthers can show some grit, there is nothing to suggest they can’t bat the whole day.
Ben McCormack, Ben Heath and Nila Thillekarathna are all capable, and might just see it as the perfect opportunity to end the season with a personal milestone.
THERE is a good game in the making at Jack Canavan.
Trafalgar is in pursuit of 170 and Traralgon West is on the hunt for 10 wickets.
The prize for either side is clear – win, and second spot is yours.
For the Eagles, second spot will mean a home final; for the Ships, who don’t have a turf wicket at their home ground, it will mean they have a choice, albeit fourth in line (Premier A teams get first preference), of where they play their final.
Traralgon West opted to bat first after winning the toss on Saturday.
The home side recovered well after losing two wickets in the first six overs, as skipper Rob Wilkie and Rami Zafar set about rebuilding the innings.
The pair took the score to 64, before falling either side of each other.
Zafar made an attractive 36, which featured two sixes, before his dismissal against the run of play allowed Trafalgar to bowl to two fresh batsmen.
Those batsmen were Josh Monacella and Tim Fitch.
They ended up batting the best part of 30 overs, putting on 54 for the fifth wicket.
Monacella showcased some enterprising stroke play, while Fitch was forced to knock the ball around, owing to a niggle hampering his mobility.
He batted through noticeable pain, making 45 not out from 150 balls.
As the partnership materialised, Monacella and Fitch threatened to take the game away from the visitors. Things looked shaky for Trafalgar in the period just after tea, and their case was not helped due to someone with the initials LD putting in one of the most lacklustre fielding performances in cricket history.
Anyone watching the game would have been convinced there was match fixing going on, especially after a gentle top edge from the bat of Monacella floated to the player in question at backward point, only to end up on the grass below.
Given the Ships had a 12th man on the day, it is amazing the guilty fielder wasn’t immediately dragged and banished from returning.
Instead, he suffered a much more terrifying punishment, ordered to field at long on and confront his fear of birds as a swarm of corellas were happily feeding on grass seeds inside the field of play.
The corellas actually changed the dimensions of the ground, as they picked up cones marking the boundary and made off with them.
Back in the middle, Monacella got himself to 33, but like Zafar earlier, was dismissed seemingly out of nowhere.
His departure left Traralgon West 5/118, and from there, the Ships were able to bowl around Fitch, and dismiss the incoming batsman.
The 12th man ploy worked in Trafalgar’s favour, as they were able to employ a Gary Pratt-type strategy in which bowlers continually rotated on-and-off the field.
Substitute fielder Louis Hennessy enjoyed some valuable time out in the middle, alongside debutants Connor Dastey and James Pace.
Dastey was involved in a run out late in the day, while Pace got his opportunity after some strong performances in the seconds.
Good time to make your debut.
With fresh bowlers continually coming on, the Ships found good returns from Jackson Noonan, who took three wickets with an asterisks off 24 overs, Rhys Holdsworth (2/34) and Owen McLeod-Agland (2/36).
Those looking at the scorecard might have thought Wilkie pulled a sneaky declaration, but alas, Trafalgar only needed to take nine wickets due to an absent batsman.
As the final wicket fell in the 83rd over, the Ships needed to face two overs themselves to see out the day.
They did, and will pick up again in a few days’ time.
