Swans sing a sad song

By David Nagel
CASEY-South Melbourne’s (158) bid for a Victorian Premier Cricket finals berth suffered a major setback on Saturday after its round 14 game against Fitzroy/Doncaster (3/115) and other results didn’t go its way.
The Swans currently sit in eighth place on the table and hold a solitary point advantage over the ninth placed Camberwell Magpies (5/210) who were dominant in their match against Melbourne (95).
The Swans entered Saturday’s clash in rare form as a team and a club, with all four grades having tasted success in both rounds 12 and 13.
Travelling to the Lions’ Schramms Reserve the Swans were asked to bat by Lloyd Mash and it was clear from the start it was going to be a tough day at the office for the visitors.
Sam Hughes (2) and Jolyon Leaver (0) were back in the pavilion with the score on 2/8 and things only slightly improved from there.
Skipper Jake Best (7), Shaun Foster (1) and state representative Jayde Herrick (12) all failed to fire as the Swans crashed to 5/58.
In its winning streak of late the Swans always seem to have someone put their hand up for a fight and on this occasion it was Clive Rose (70 not out) and Roshan Livera (39) who did just that.
A promising 54-run stand between the pair had an overcast day looking brighter but when Livera went with the score on 6/112 the clouds reappeared.
Rose was the sticky tape holding the Swans innings together and with Shane Maggs (9) he put on 25 for the seventh wicket before Maggs dismissal.
From there the tape broke and it all fell to pieces for the Swans, losing its last three wickets for just 14 runs which left Rose stranded at the crease on 70.
Still, with 35 overs to bowl the Swans had a chance to fight its way back.
It’s not hard to imagine what Best would have said to his team as it headed out to bowl.
The Swans have been the masters of the fight back this season and would have been confident of at least squaring the ledger by day’s end.
It wasn’t to be, however, as the Lions dug in. Herrick (2/52 off 12) was expensive but claimed an early wicket to have the score on 1/21 but an 82-run partnership denied the visitors any momentum.
Two late wickets on 103 and 115, the last right on the stroke of stumps, have given the Swans a faint glimmer of hope that another miracle might be on the cards.
A loss certainly won’t kill off the Swans season but means playing that familiar game of catch-up once again.