Casey pace ace to the rescue

By Paul Pickering
A SIX-wicket haul from pace spearhead Jayde Herrick helped Casey-South Melbourne avoid a potential selection backfire on its way to dismissing Prahran for 213 on Saturday.
The Swans picked just four bowlers for day one of the two-day clash in a bid to capitalise on the availability of Victorian ‘keeper-batsman Matthew Wade, and looked set to pay the price after Prahran surged to 1/102 at lunch.
True Blues pair Steve Seymour and Steve De Bolfo were virtually untroubled on a lifeless Casey Fields pitch in the opening session, which prompted a change of strategy from the Swans bowlers after the break.
“We said at lunchtime that we can’t change the condition of the wicket, no matter how much we complain about it,” coach Mark Ridgway later revealed.
“So what you need to do is realign your brain and do some hard work.
“They bowled too wide and too short prior to lunch, then they just bowled stump-to-stump (afterwards).”
Herrick (6/49), left-armer Ash Perera (2/57) and spinner Clive Rose (2/51) employed the stump-to-stump tactics to perfection, hitting the pegs five times and effecting two LBWs between them.
Andrew Perrin (0/53) bowled 15 overs without a breakthrough, but at least provided another option for skipper Damien Wright, who heeded the requests of Victorian selectors in opting not to bowl.
Perera got the ball rolling after lunch by dismissing Seymour on resumption, sparking a collapse that saw Prahran lose 9/111.
Rose’s accurate left-arm orthodox spin then provided a great foil for the combative pace of Herrick, who made a timely return to top form.
“Herrick was outstanding,” Ridgway said.
“By his own admission, he’s been a long way from his best, but that’s the best he’s bowled all year.
“And Clive Rose was probably the catalyst in helping Jayde take his six wickets.”
Opening batsmen Rob Elston (37 not out) and Jake Best (32 not out) finished the resurrection job by guiding the Swans to 0/72 from 22 overs in reply.
Ridgway admitted the decision to play Wade – who will resume Bushrangers duties this weekend – instead of English all-rounder Peter Trego was “a bit of a gamble”.
“The whole idea was to win the toss and bat, which would have given us Wade this week and Trego to bowl next week – unfortunately we lost the toss,” he said.
“But if we can get six points (this Saturday), we’re back in the hunt for the top eight pretty quickly.”
And with just 142 runs to get, it seems like the weather may be the biggest obstacle to a Casey-South Melbourne victory.