LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET
LVDCL A GRADE
By LIAM DURKIN
THERE was still time for one more surprise in the final round of the Latrobe Valley District Cricket League A Grade home-and-away season.
Even though the top four was locked in before the round started, it was reasonably expected there would be some changes to the final make-up.
Positions two to four were up for grabs. Mirboo North, in fourth, would have gone to third with an outright victory, but were denied by a determined Willow Grove.
The winner of the match between Traralgon West and Trafalgar meanwhile, secured second position and choice of venue for the semi-final.
However, in something of an anti-climax, the top four ended up being exactly the same as it was at the start of the day.
Centrals had an unassailable lead on top, and took the minor premiership by 15 points, helped in short way by three outright victories.
The Ships finished second on 53 points, followed by the Eagles (47 points) and Tigers (44).
WELL done Willow Grove, that took some heart.
The Wolves lost the match, but won no shortage of admirers against Mirboo North.
Heading into Day 2 facing what looked to be an inevitable outright defeat, Willow Grove dug in, stoically seeing out 56 overs in the second innings to end their season.
The day began with the Tigers needing only 14 runs to win on first innings.
The home side achieved just that inside seven overs, and then set about building a lead.
Zach Hollis added to his Day 1 score of 59, making an innings-high 88.
His knock came at a good click, off 105 balls.
Runs further down the order came from Jesse Van Rooye, who made a busy 41 off 44, highlighted by two balls clearing the fence.
Brett Pedlow also chipped in with 33 off 29, batting all the way down at number eight.
Mirboo North declared with 227 on the board after 54 overs.
In reality, they declared after 29 overs on Day 2 with a lead of 115.
The chase for an outright was on there and then – the Tigers had 57 overs to take 10 wickets.
With very little to play for other than pride, the Wolves flipped the order around.
The odds of an outright defeat narrowed when they sank to 3/17 inside the first 10 overs, however the Wolves dug in for the next 20 overs, a time in which just two wickets fell.
Such defensive play meant runs became a non-issue for either side. As far as Willow Grove was concerned, overs were key, and for Mirboo North, it was wickets.
Josh Coombs and Adam James were resolute in defence, each seeing off more than 60 balls. Their resistance was broken, firstly when Coombs departed with the score on 37, before the Tigers took 3/2.
At that stage, the score was 7/64 after 31 overs. The odds seemingly all with Mirboo North, who needed just three wickets in 24 overs.
However, the flipped-around order meant usual opener Brody Hams and skipper Pete Grima batted at eight and nine respectively.
Now only facing an older ball, the pair were able to settle in for the long haul.
While points might have already been going to the home side, as far as Hams and Grima were concerned, batting out the day was just as good as a win.
It is not often someone will get a mention for making five off 82 balls, but in the case of Hams, he deserves one for his application.
While most, if not all players in Willow Grove’s position would have mentally checked-out on the season and had thoughts only on beers when the score was 7/64, Hams and Grima would have been well within their rights to swing at everything.
Instead, they stayed in.
Maybe they batted to protect the rest of the order, maybe they batted to prove a point, or maybe they batted with one eye turned to next season. Whatever the motivation, they batted their way to stumps, closing at 7/114.
Grima remained unbeaten on 40 off 66 balls, and Hams’ 88-minute epic ensured the Wolves took some small mercy out of the match.
For a club looking to build on its first season in A Grade, every win, no matter how small, can only help in the long run.
Will Lawrey ended with figures of 3/17 and Jed Alexander took 2/11.
Earlier in the day, Willow Grove bowler David Bremner nabbed 4/64, while Coombs took 2/32.
Club leaders Coombs and Hams would have been pleased with the fight shown in the second innings, at a time when it would have been very easy to just roll over and fold.
Having now got a taste for A Grade cricket, there will be no surprises for Willow Grove should they go again in the top flight.
It is understood the Wolves already have the wheels in motion for next season, with some prominent names linked to the club.
TRAFALGAR and Traralgon West said ‘see you next week boys’ after their game.
The Ships took the saying ‘slow and steady wins the race’ to new levels on Saturday, going at just a click over one an over for the best part of 84 overs to reel in the required total of 170.
Picking up after facing two overs on Day 1 at Jack Canavan, returning batsmen Liam White and Liam Durkin set about settling in for the day.
The left handers saw off well over 100 balls each, and put on 77 for the first wicket.
The crawling run rate meant the Eagles were able to scoot through their overs, and by tea, had already bowled 55.
Although wickets weren’t falling, the ultra-defensive mindset threatened to shoot Trafalgar in the foot, especially after the visitors misinterpreted the rules governing playing conditions.
Initially thinking they had until 5.30pm to bat, the Ships were correctly informed time was not a factor, and the overs on Day 2 simply had to match what was played on Day 1.
So, the equation was 78 runs to win off 30 overs after tea.
Rhys Holdsworth made his intentions clear, hitting a maximum first ball after the break, on his way to a fairly effortless 37 off 46 balls.
White was patient as ever, with the book saying he made 48.
The remaining batsmen all reached double figures, helping the side over the line in what ended up being a game filled with a sense of anti-climax.
Traralgon West took a few wickets in the last session for their troubles. Ben Edebohls was the pick of the bowlers, sending down 20 overs for figures of 3/23.
Most of Trafalgar’s bowlers were able to put their feet up for the day, and should be fresh for the Saturday/Sunday assignment this weekend.
After rolling with a makeshift opening combination the last two games due to circumstance, Trafalgar has already confirmed they will more than likely revert to their regular batting order for the semi, meaning Aiden George will go from four back to opening, and the rest will shuffle as needed.
The Ships top order told the fill-on opener post-game “while we appreciate your efforts, we aren’t waiting 40 overs to get a hit”.
As this game was essentially a dress rehearsal for the semi, both clubs will take some mental notes into the cutthroat match.
Trafalgar has reason to be confident, and heads in with a seven game winning streak under their belt.
With this however comes pressure of a different kind, and the Eagles might look to take advantage of this.
After all, every win brings you one game closer to your next loss.
CENTRALS won the least consequential match of the round.
The Lions had the minor premiership sewn up before the round started, and had their match with Jeeralang-Boolarra all but won after chalking up more than 400 on Day 1.
With little to no point of going for an outright, Centrals looked to get the game over with as early as possible.
However, a very good wicket and quick outfield at Apex Park made for plenty of runs, and the Panthers ended up batting out virtually the entire day.
Although they didn’t hold on for a draw, they did take it to the 85th over.
While probably even the visitors knew they were never going to get close to making 400, they at least put something of a total on the board, ending with 205.
Nila Thillekarathna finished his season with a half-century, scoring 57, while a few players chipped in with 30s.
Hasitha Hewawasam, Lankesh Samaraweera and Lachlan Smith all made something of an impression, pulling the visitors out of a situation that looked troublesome at 3/42.
The partnership between Thillekarathna and Hewawasam proved the most fruitful, netting 67 runs.
Unfortunately for Jeeralang-Boolarra, they fell either side of one another, which meant Centrals stayed further ahead in the game.
The Lions best bowlers were Tye Hourigan, who took 3/45, Joe Stuart (2/57 off 22.3) and Marc Fenech (2/32).
Understandably, as this game will be all but forgotten in a weeks’ time, it is believed some in the Jeeralang-Boolarra camp started their post-season celebrations well before the match.
