Craig Entwistle was at his ever-reliable best with a quickfire 48 in a match-winning partnership of 119 with Michael Hansen.
By Marc McGowan
CASEY-SOUTH Melbourne emerged from the Christmas break with a controversial 34-run victory over Geelong at Terang Cricket Ground on Saturday.
With the Victorian Premier League season back in one-day mode, the Swans were keen to build on the momentum that started in the final match before the break, where the team stormed to an upset seven-wicket win over Camberwell.
After playing through hot and blustery conditions throughout the day, the match was turned on its head by an onset of darkness and torrential rain.
Swans captain-coach Roger Sillence was happy to come away with the win, but offered his disenchantment at the system used for abandoned matches.
“The 34-run result was a bit of a farce really, but it’s good to get a win. It’s good to start the second half of the season well,” Sillence said.
He readily admits he is unaware of the finer points of the abandonment calculation system, and believes it was an unjust result.
“The method that they use is quite bizarre. It’s lucky that it came in our favour,” Sillence said.
“It would have been a good game of cricket.
“A couple more wickets from us and we would have been right in the game, and if they had kept batting the way they were they would have been right in the game. It’s a shame the game had to be cut short.
“The Duckworth-Lewis system (which is used in international and first class cricket) is much better than what they use. It clearly wasn’t fair on the weekend.”
Sillence said if he was a Geelong player or supporter, it would have been a hard result to swallow.
“It’s lucky we were on the right side of it,” he said.
“I just said to the scorers, ‘You go and do your sums, and come back and let me know’. It would have been very close.”
Left-arm orthodox spinner Clive Rose was a notable absentee from the match, and will be unavailable this weekend, too, as he is playing interstate with the Victorian under-17 side.
Casey-South Melbourne was sent into bat and its notorious top order struggled again, with the trio of Adam Thornton (1 run), Sillence and Joel Leaver (both ducks) out with just 15 runs on the board.
Staring down the barrel of yet another batting collapse, the Swans’ star all-rounder – and most consistent player – Craig Entwistle (48) entered the fray, and along with last start centurion Michael Hansen (62), put on 119 runs for the fourth wicket.
After a cameo from all-rounder Luke Van Raay (22) and an unbeaten knock from the recalled Nathan Bird (29 not out), Casey-South Melbourne had put together a competitive total of 9/211 from its 50 overs.
The Swans’ desperation for a third win in the shortened format was evident with opening bowling duo Troy Ryan (3/26 off eight overs) and Matthew Hawking (1/36 off seven overs) capturing a wicket each before the Cats had scored.
Geelong’s innings continued to sputter with the scalps of former Victorian Bushranger and Australian under-19 captain Clinton Peake (6) and Thomas Elliot (2) added to Ryan’s figures.
As with Casey-South Melbourne’s dig, two players went to work on resurrecting their side’s hopes, with the Cats’ contributors Joel Davies (59) and Aaron Maynard (62 not out), who cultivated a 70-run stand.
Once Davies was removed, Maynard was joined at the crease by skipper Andre Borovec (10 not out), and they added 46 to take the score to 5/155 after 37 overs when rain and bad light intervened.
This weekend the latest chapter of the local derby will make its debut at Casey Fields when the Swans battle Dandenong, and Sillence is looking forward to the challenge.
“They’re a good outfit, and it’s good to play against the best around,” he said.
“They have one of the best bowling attacks and batting line-ups (in the competition).”
