PAKENHAM VETERANS
Pakenham and District Veterans were looking for a spark as they prepared for the challenge of playing Yarra Valley at Pakenham Upper on Sunday.
But the spark was actually an electrical problem at Pakenham Upper that caused the game to be transferred to Toomuc Reserve in Pakenham.
Yarra Valley won the toss and batted, with Phil Brooks – after taking 8/50 for Pakenham Upper on Saturday – taking the first Yarra Valley wicket when he bowled Bob Brindley 5 (11).
Gary Hancock 24 (30) and John King 16 (30) both retired before Pakenham claimed their second wicket in the 14th over with the score on 60, when a direct throw by Les Jones ran out Daryl Chaproniere 8 (5).
A brilliant caught and bowled by Peter Bardwell then dismissed Eric Glazner 4 (8).
At the drinks break (20 overs) Yarra Valley were 3 for 105 and it looked like a total of over 200 were possible.
But the captain Bob Phillips took it upon himself to try and restrict the run rate; and not only did he do this but he claimed the next five wickets in the process.
Man-of-the-match Phillips bowled Trevor Selby 32 (27) Franko Bernabo 2 (4) and David Linton 2 (9), then had Arthur Steele 0 (4) caught by Phil Brook, before trapping Gary Hancock 26 (27) LBW.
Phillip Jackson 41 (23) retired before the last pair came to the wicket with the score on 151 in the 29th over.
John King and Peter Whitworth added 36 runs, before, on the second last ball of their 40 overs, Whitworth was bowled by Les Jones
King was 28 (63) not out and the total of 186 looked very gettable on the fast Pakenham ground.
Pakenham bowling: Bob Phillips 8 overs 2 maidens 5 wickets for 18 runs. Other bowlers; Phil Brooks 7-1/26, Les Jones 5.4-1/26, Peter Bardwell 6-1/41, Jim Gregory 5-0/26, Dallas Wyatt 3-0/23, Michael Barrow 3-0/14, Carl Muscat 2-0/6.
Pakenham opened with Phil Brooks and Carl Muscat, with Brooks lasting just five balls before he was caught by Trevor Selby off the bowling of John King.
Pakenham lost its second wicket in the ninth over when Gary Hancock caught Michael Barrow 9 (25) off the bowling of Daryl Chaproniere.
Carl Muscat 15 (27) retired, just before drinks, and the score had reached 61, when Pakenham lost two wickets for two runs.
Leigh Murphy failed to score off four balls when he was LBW to Trevor Selby’s bowling and Ron Milnes 2 (12) was caught by Arthur Steele off Phil Jackson’s bowling.
Peter Bardwell 15 (27) and Dallas Wyatt 12 (25) had both retired before the score had reached 73, when Pakenham lost their fifth and sixth wickets.
Bob Phillips 3 (6) was bowled by Phillip Jackson and Les Jones 7 (5) was bowled by Franko Bernabo. Jim Gregory 7 (9) was run-out before the last pair came to the crease, Maurice Esmonde 6 (25) retired and John Moore 4 (8) was caught by David Linton off the bowling of Arthur Steele.
This enabled the retirees to return, Carl Muscat and Peter Bardwell added 20 runs off five overs before Muscat 27 (43) was LBW to the bowling of Trevor Selby.
Pakenham needed the impossible task of scoring 65 runs off 28 balls, but Dallas Wyatt and Peter Bardwell were able to score at a run a ball before the 40 overs were up.
Both batsmen were not out, Bardwell 35 (55) and Wyatt 24 (33) and Pakenham were 9 for 150, 36 runs short of Yarra Valley’s score.
All but one of Yarra Valley’s seven bowlers took a wicket: Phillip Jackson 7-2/21, Trevor Selby 8-2/16, Daryl Chaproniere 8-1/27, John King 5-1/18, Franko Bernabo 5-1/20, Arthur Steele 2-1 /9 and Eric Glazner 5-0/17.
This week Pakenham was defeated by a younger and more agile team, but it was a good game of over 60’s cricket.
This week, if Pakenham Upper can fix the electrical problems at the ground, the game against Bayside will be played there…otherwise it will once again be at Pakenham.
-John Moore-
