CRICKET – CRICKET LATROBE VALLEY – LIAM DURKIN
CRICKET made a one-day return at the weekend.
After two weekends of rain, Round 7 saw matches completed in Cricket Latrobe Valley Premier A.
Any joy however was short-lived, as players will now take stock for the Christmas break.
The competition pauses for three weeks, with play to resume on Saturday, January 6.
PREMIER A GRADE
IT’S Mirboo North, it’s just what they do.
The Tigers, usually good for a villainous result every season, pulled off yet another trademark close win at the weekend.
Mirboo North held off Morwell in thrilling fashion, defeating their travelling Tiger counterparts by five runs.
As far as classical Mirboo North performances go, this one was in keeping with everything pundits have come to expect from the team who, let’s just say, tend to do things a bit differently.
Batting first, Mirboo North ended up scratching out 147.
How they got there though required another lower order rescue-effort.
At the weekend, the man to do the business was Will Cheatley.
The veteran walked to the crease with his side 5/34, and seemingly dead and buried.
But wait, we’ve seen this movie before.
First it was Jed Alexander coming in at 5/74 chasing 290 and making 65 from number seven in the 2013/14 Grand Final.
Last season it was Max Woodall peeling off 58 from number nine in the semi-final when Mirboo North was 9/111.
A run-a-ball half century from Cheatley got the home side out of trouble, and took them to a total near 150.
Cheatley partnered with Dom Davis, who played a smaller version of the hand that saw him awarded man-of-the-match in last season’s Grand Final.
The wicket-keeper faced 45 balls, but more importantly, put on a 52-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Cheatley then batted with the tail, who combined for a few handy runs of their own.
Tailenders Dale Banks and Anton Thomas did some serious slapping over the top, to see Mirboo North bat out their overs.
Louis Johnson had success with the ball for Morwell, taking 3/16 off 10 overs, while off-spinner Ross Whelpdale snared 3/30.
The Morwell reply started positively enough, before some slightly strange things began to happen.
Opening bat Brendan Mason hit a pull shot so sweetly is sounded like it would be lost in the nearby woods off the bat, only for the ball to be intersected by Hayden Barnes on the fence.
Both Mason and Mirboo North could hardly believe their luck, as those in the fortunate category celebrated their success, while Mason stood completely dumbfounded he had suffered such a fate.
Then a kid called Max Woodall came to life.
The opening quick firstly found the edge of Kris Fortuin’s bat, netting an easy catch for Davis.
It was to be the start of four Woodall-Davis combinations, as Woodall ripped the Morwell top order to pieces. Hitting consistently good areas, the youngster enticed Blair Clymo, Jordan Campbell and Blake Mills to come forward, only for the ball to brush the outside edge on each occasion.
Woodall’s efforts reduced Morwell to 5/37 – virtually identical to what Mirboo North was.
Cyrus Shafi watched the carnage unfold from first drop, but was able to partner with Brendan Brincat in a seventh wicket stand of 66.
Shafi was dismissed for 46 off the bowling of left arm quick Jason McGann, who also knocked over Whelpdale to leave Morwell 8/137.
With more than 10 overs left and a set batsman at the crease, time was never an issue for Morwell.
However, Brincat was dismissed dragging on from left-armer Will Lawrey for 33, leaving the equation reading: 10 to win, one wicket in hand.
The left arm angle ended up leading to the final wicket.
McGann, bowling around the wicket, trapped Lachlan Day in front, who was given rather quickly by the umpire, leaving Morwell five runs behind.
Watching the replay (admittedly with the advantage of being able to freeze frame), it seemed a fair decision, with everything looking adjacent.
Day, to his credit, accepted the decision gracefully, in a moment when a lot of others would have certainly remonstrated.
McGann finished with 4/28 and Woodall 4/41.
IN other games, results were very one-sided.
Ex Students demolished Toongabbie by nine wickets.
The visiting Sharks restricted the Rams to 9/169 at Roger Ries Oval, and then got the required total inside 35 overs.
Once again, Tom Shippen did the heavy lifting for Toongabbie, making 75.
Adam Brady bashed his was to another five-fa, taking 5/27 off 10 overs, before a sparkling century from Jackson McMahon saw Ex Students to a commanding win.
GLENGARRY did a similar number on Moe.
The Magpies won by eight wickets at Fred King Oval.
The Lions manged 149 batting first, which was overhauled in 31 overs.
An unbeaten half-century to Rob Phoenix was the only effort of note for Moe, as Glengarry skipper Nat Freitag picked up 3/33. Al Jenkin (2/20) and Max Merton (2/38) also contributed poles.
Jenkin then whacked 58 at the top of the order, working with Frank Marks who scored 48.
The pair put on 67 for the first wicket to provide the platform needed.
CATS could be in business this season.
With former Test quick Tinashe Panyangara reportedly back to bowling heat and fully committed, it might just make for an entirely different CATS outfit.
Panyangara took 4/18 off 10 overs last Saturday, as CATS won by five wickets against Churchill.
CATS elected to bowl first at Traralgon South, and skittled their opponents for 150.
A number of starts featured, with Ryan Harvey making 33 and Cobras captain John Keighran 29.
Joining Panyangara in the wickets was Josh Moore (3/27), while Callum Stewart went for just 12 off eight overs.
Stewart then made 35 with the bat, as CATS won with 17 overs to spare.
Panyangara top-scored with 45, working with skipper Jamie Cochrane who batted through for an unbeaten 40.
Keighran took 2/45.
RAIDERS enjoyed an early Christmas due to the bye.
A GRADE
ONE-DAY action in Cricket Latrobe Valley A Grade returned a couple of lopsided results.
Round 8 was the last round before the Christmas break, which will see players rest up for three weeks.
ROVERS put up a huge total against Traralgon West.
Duncan Cameron Park showed every bit of its mantra as being ideal for batting, as the home side smoked 289 in 50 overs.
Hundreds to Oliver Hannam, who made 131, and Dougal Williams (103 red) highlighted the innings.
Tyler Pearce got going at the start, making 26, while poor Liam Little had to accept his fate after being knocked over for a first baller – off the very first ball of the game no less.
In a score of nearly 300, someone was bound to miss out.
What’s to say the ball Little went out on wouldn’t have got Hannam or Williams out as well if either of them opened?
Having chased leather for 50 overs, the Eagles were never in the hunt as they went about reigning in such a huge total.
An enterprising 29 not out from Rob Wilkie from number eight provided some fireworks, while the same total from Rami Zafar got some runs on the board.
Perhaps unfairly to Zafar, the Eagles needed him to produce an innings to rival Williams or Hannam, and he went out trying to do the right thing, striking at 93 before getting a leading edge off Simon Duff.
Duff cleaned up with 6/22, while Jack Lynch and Will Coad chimed in with two wickets each.
Traralgon West limped to 148 all out in just under 40 overs.
IMPERIALS held on against Latrobe.
Batting first at Peter Siddle Oval, the home side closed at 7/194 from their allotted overs.
Five scores of 20 featured on the card, which helped the total along.
Latrobe captain Steven Freshwater took 3/25 off 10 overs, and had his side in with a fighting chance at 1/68, however, the batting card eventually didn’t yield enough returns.
Ronnie Chokununga made 54 off 99 balls, but in the end, the bowling of Dilshan Thilakarathne (5/31) was too much to handle.
GORMANDALE easily defeated a distracted Willow Grove.
The Wolves had endured an unfortunate week, which saw them and playing-coach Todd Mann part ways.
Making things slightly more awkward, Mann joined Imperials the week before clearances closed.
With Mann a good chance of polling the most league votes in the competition, some interest will abound to see whether or not someone can possibly be awarded a league best-and-fairest playing at two different clubs in the one season.
Willow Grove batted first at Stoddart Oval, and were shot out for 83.
Josh Hammond scored 25, as wickets were shared in the Tigers camp between Nat Campbell (2/0), Yohan Soyza (2/13), Matt Hibbs (2/15)and Nick Scammell (2/19).
Gormandale wasted no time getting the runs, taking just 12.4 overs.
Hibbs made 40 not out and Campbell an unbeaten 33.
CENTRALS had the bye.
