By David Nagel
Can Officer finish this off…is it 160 or 260?
Those words were the final instalment on the note pad – before heading off to Pakenham – after two hours of watching the Bullants build a strong position against Cardinia on Saturday.
After 30 overs the Bullants were 2/110 and seemingly headed for an imposing total against the Bulls at Starling Road.
Kane Hawkins (31) had ridden his luck to get the home side off to a flyer, while his opening partner Chathura Imbulagoda (59) was still there – with Nick Whitelaw (17) by his side.
But what happened next was startling!
In the next 47 overs of cricket, Officer would be outscored by two runs – 56 to 58 – losing eight wickets to Cardinia’s none.
The Bullants would bat for 35 of those 47 overs, the Bulls for just 12!
Barring a bizarre batting collapse from the Bulls this week, the capitulation from 3pm onwards ended Officer’s chance of playing finals cricket this season.
But, with Merinda Park’s (303) dominant day-one performance against cellar-dweller Clyde, the Bullants are almost guaranteed to avoid relegation in their first season up in Premier Division.
The first two hours at Starling Road provided an intriguing contest.
Left-hand dasher Hawkins looked in good touch, but mixed some brilliant stroke-play with some inauspicious stuff that should have produced his downfall.
In the sixth over of the Bullants’ innings, on 22, he skied a ball to keeper Bradey Welsh – who fluffed his lines with the gloves.
But, just two overs later Hawkins smacked a ball over mid-wicket for six.
It was entertaining cricket from Hawkins, who was the main initiator in the Bullants being 0/49 after 10 overs.
Cardinia steadily began to rein in the home side, with Hawkins scoring just one run from 10 balls before hitting Cameron Stowe (1/29 off 9) high into the sky and being caught by Lachlan Volpe.
The Bulls continued to tighten things up, with the Bullants scoring just 18 runs from their second lot of 10 overs.
Imbulagoda could sense the constriction, and played two overs of brilliantly aggressive cricket.
In the 21st over he took 14 of Stowe, with a late cut, pull shot, and hoik over mid-wicket, all sailing to the boundary ropes, before a push through the covers for two.
He then played a beautiful lofted cover drive off Travis Wheller in the next over on his way to making it 22 runs off two overs.
The Bulls then took the pace off the ball and the game changed complexion immediately.
Leggie Lachlan Volpe (6/40 off 20) bowled with great control from the Princes Highway end, tormenting the home side with eight maidens, while Wheller (2/30 off 20) took containment to even higher levels, with exactly half of his overs not being scored off.
Volpe and off-spinner Wheller are shaping as two of the key players in the CCCA Premier Division as we head into this year’s finals series.
Two other members of that key-player group, Morteza Ali (33 not out) and Alex Nooy (22 not out), then signed off on a good day for the Bulls with an unbeaten half-century stand.
The Bullants will be kicking themselves, not launching from a rock-solid platform, but they’re not the first and won’t be the last to be mesmerised by Volpe and Wheller.
Could the Bullants finish it off?
The answer was no…they had to settle for a touch over 160!
It’s going to be the little things that matter if Pakenham (5/110) and Tooradin (102) meet in this year’s grand final.
A great catch here, a dropped catch there, the grinding down of umpires through appealing, and important lower-order runs, they’ll all count just as much as the glitz and glamour battles with the new ball.
Saturday’s game between Pakenham and Tooradin had a bit of all that…and a little bit more.
It was an intriguing contest, not over yet mind you, dominated by two lion-hearted bowlers that are hitting their straps at exactly the right time of year.
Tommy Tyrrell (5/30 off 17), who by his own admission struggled for fitness in the early part of the season, snared a bag of five of rare quality.
Russell Lehman (0), Cal O’Hare (5), Josh Lownds (19), Tom Hussey (12) and Dylan Sutton (38)…that’s half a country week team that Tyrrell sent back to the pavilion.
But let’s not go there!
Tyrrell had the bright pink ball on a string.
In combination with Marcus Martini (2/28), Tyrrell had the Seagulls reeling at 6/46 before Sutton orchestrated the smallest of mini-revivals in the lower order.
But any revival was going to be spearheaded by Sutton and Brad Butler (5), two players that have had an enormous impact this season.
Sutton looked solid, but any momentum was taken away from the Gulls with Jack Anning pulling in a spectacular one-handed catch in the gully to remove Butler.
The Lions had sticky fingers on the weekend…but the left-hand pluck was the pick of the bunch.
It summed up the first innings for both teams – which ended in the 42nd over.
Pakenham, it was now your turn to face the pink ball.
The main obstacle, as it often is against Tooradin, was Russell Lehman (4/41 off 17), fresh off a hat-trick and eight-wicket haul against Cardinia in round 12.
Lehman probed, eventually trapping his good-mate Anning (12) in front of his stumps, before taking on the might of Chris Smith (31) and Dale Tormey (27).
Even chasing a modest 103 for victory, you got the feeling that Lehman’s class and persistency – and sheer will to win – might prove too much for the Lions if he could crack this partnership early.
He once again poked and prodded, but Smith and Tormey held firm, until Smith reached high and wide for a short one off Butler (1/22) and feathered one to Ben Parrott behind the stumps.
The door was now open for Lehman…who pounced more like a Lion than a Seagull.
He sent Rob Elston (0) packing, again LBW, before going to work on Jason Williams (1), who was in survival mode during a 19-run stand with Tormey.
Lehman had several LBW shouts, and showed clear frustration when one in particular was turned down.
The Seagulls star walked back to his mark, taking the long route via covers, with head held firmly in hands, making his feelings silently known to the umpire.
It was no surprise when the next shout was given out, despite not looking nearly as out as the first one.
But Williams was on his way…Tormey still holding the key.
As good as Anning’s catch was to remove Butler, a dropped catch by Kallan Braid-Ball, at cover point, was at the opposite end of the scale.
It gave Tormey a chance, but one he couldn’t grasp, going out in the very next over.
KBB was relived…this one wasn’t over yet…5/86.
A great catch here, a dropped catch there, the grinding down of umpires through appealing…this game just needed lower-order runs.
They came, just in the nick of time, with Nick Sadler (16 not out) and Tyrrell (13 not out) guiding the Lions to victory.
Lower-order runs – on grand final day they’ll all count just as much as the glitz and glamour battles with the new ball.
Merinda Park (303) has transformed from a crushed reptile to a spitting and striking Cobra after its batters fired against Clyde at Donnelly Reserve on Saturday.
The Cobras, who made just 23 against Kooweerup in round 12, started slowly but built great momentum after tea.
Brad Hodge (71) brought respectability back to Donnelly, before skipper Andy Martin (30), Cambell Bryan (45), Sasindu Perera (56 not out) and Liam Bertrand (33) pushed on to a healthy total.
The Cobras scored 141 runs in their last 20 overs, with 77 coming off the last 10.
Daniel lever (2/72 off 20) toiled manfully for the Cougars, but unless they can make 304 on the weekend their Premier Division days are done.
And the game between Kooweerup (182) and Carlisle Park (0/0) appears evenly balanced after day one.
Mitch Davey (52), Jess Mathers (40), Adam McMaster (20) and Cody Miller (25) dug the Demons out of a 4/32 hole, after Ben Perry (4/59) ripped the heart out of the top order.
Perry had Luke McMaster (0) top-edging to gully, then trapped Gamini Kumara (10) in front, before dislodging the bails of Stevie Dillon (0) for a first-ball duck.
With Chris Bright (4) already gone…the Demons were in serious trouble.
They may still be, with Perry, Shalika Karunanayake and Teddy Fonseka all posing real threats as the Vikings look to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
This one is set for a cracking day two.
