By David Nagel
The dream of extricating maximum points may not have eventuated as planned, but Merinda Park (3/232) can be well pleased with a dominant eight-wicket victory over Carlisle Park (107 and 2/91) on Saturday.
The Cobras began day two at 2/85, requiring just 23 runs to secure their second victory of the season after a five-wicket haul to Tyson Bertrand (5/26) had them firmly planted in the box seat.
Liam Bertrand (66) began the day on 44 not out, with Cambell Bryan (76 not out) on five.
The plan for Mat Campbell was first to secure victory – with the Cobras capable of some mammoth collapses last season – before lifting the run-rate to build a strong lead, and leave enough overs to have a proper second crack at the home team.
The Cobras started steadily enough, before Bertrand gave a sign of things to come by hitting three boundaries off Ryan Zealley in just the fifth over of the day.
Bertrand would soon be on his way, having cracked nine boundaries in his 81-ball half century, before handing over to Bryan and Dan McCalman (50 not out) to finish off the job.
The pair, who put on an unbeaten 115-run partnership for the fourth wicket, really lifted their rating ahead of the declaration.
Bryan and McCalman cracked 63 runs from their last eight overs at the crease, with Campbell calling his players in after McCalman chalked up his fifty off just 62 balls.
Bryan slapped six balls to the boundary in his 95-ball journey, while McCalman banished four to the picket fence.
The Cobras declared; leading by 125 runs and leaving 49 overs to secure outright victory.
Early wickets would be key for the Cobras, but it took until the 11th over for Jude Johnstone to force David Nutting (0 off 27) into a false shot.
Nutting didn’t trouble the scorers, but his occupancy of 27 balls was far more important in the circumstances.
Hasintha Jayasuriya (58) and Kasun Balasuriya (32 not out) then batted beautifully, scoring 77 runs for the second wicket before Liam Bertrand trapped Jayasuriya in front.
With just 18 overs remaining, and eight wickets required, Campbell agreed to shake hands and settle for first-innings points.
Jayasuriya smacked nine boundaries in a classy second-innings display.
The Cobras will be thrilled with their victory, their first since round one, which sees them equal on points with fourth-placed Devon Meadows…five rounds into the season.
Campbell and his team face a massive assignment over the next fortnight, hosting a red-hot Tooradin, before rounding out the first-half of the fixture with a game against bottom-placed Clyde.
A win this week will be tough, but victory against the Cougars would likely free them from the relegation zone before Christmas.
It’s a relegation battle they were firmly entrenched in last season…and something that Campbell won’t want a bar of 12 months later.
The Vikings have won just the one game, plonked in the middle of four losses, and face a huge task at Kooweerup this Saturday.
Ben Perry and his team will take some strength from their second-innings resilience on the weekend, but they’ll need it in spades against a quick and dangerous Kooweerup attack.
CARDINIA V TOORADIN
Exciting Tooradin (8/256) all-rounder Brad Butler certainly makes things happen; and his express pace proved too hot for Cardinia (145) to handle at Gunton Oval on Saturday.
Butler claimed 4/44 off 13 overs, including three wickets in a fiery five-over spell, after a change of ends from skipper Mick Sweeney.
The high-energy Butler had a great battle with Bulls’ opener Morteza Ali (25) in the early overs of day two, as the Bulls looked to hunker down for the long journey to victory.
Ali exploded in the fifth over of the run-chase; cracking Butler for a superb lofted cover drive for six, and then a pull shot for four off the next delivery.
Meanwhile, Alex Nooy (5) was playing the sheet-anchor role…similar to the tactics employed by Josh Lownds and Cal O’Hare on day one.
Ali and Nooy were scoring steadily enough at 0/34 as the last ball of the 12th over was bowled by Russell Lehman (11-2-29-1).
Prior to the delivery, Seagulls’ keeper Ben Parrott moved up to the stumps for the first time all day…and his near presence with Ali paid immediate dividends.
Ali was trapped on his crease by Lehman…and the Seagulls had secured their breakthrough.
Their second wicket, just three balls later, was a gift that was gleefully accepted by Tom Hussey.
With just his second ball at the crease, number-three Dan Salvato (25) pushed one directly to Hussey at cover-point…with the in-form Seagulls’ veteran scooping the ball up cleanly – and throwing perfectly – to find Nooy short of his ground.
His patient innings, from 40 balls, had to come to an end in the most frustrating way possible.
Salvato and Travis Wheller (8) then steadied the ship for four overs, before Butler changed ends to bowl from the far end of Gunton Oval.
Sweeney’s decision to bring him on had a sudden impact, with Wheller fiddling with a wide loosener off Butler’s first ball and chopping on to his stumps.
Three overs later Butler was simply too quick for Jacobus Hynes (3); rattling his timber before bat could get to ground.
Matt Welsh (5) then flayed at a wide delivery, edging to Parrott behind the stumps and the Bulls were 5/80 and in all sorts of trouble…and Butler had three.
In the very next over, Travis Welsh (4) was trapped in front by left-arm offie Peter Sweeney (11.2-2-17-3) …the Bulls 6/85.
Butler then claimed his fourth, with Salvato hitting a widish delivery to Tyler Evans at point, before Bradey Welsh (34) and Josh Grogan (14) dug in to put respectability on the scoreboard.
Welsh played some beautiful shots, including two pull shots for six off Kallan Braid-Ball and Evans to give Bulls’ supporters something to cheer about.
Welsh and Grogan put on an innings-high 39-run stand for the eighth wicket, before Grogan hit Pete Sweeney to Hussey at mid-wicket for a soft dismissal.
Welsh then hit another simple catch to Hussey at point, before the Sweeney/Hussey combination finished off the job when Bulls’ skipper Dean Henwood (0) hit Sweeney to Hussey in the covers.
This was a methodical victory for the Seagulls, who batted slowly early on day one before ramping up the pace after tea.
They clearly have the batting depth, with Liam Simpson making 34 from number-10 on day one, while Butler and Lehman are equal leading wicket-takers in the competition with 11 wickets apiece.
After a lifetime of turf cricket, Pete Sweeney has also found his rhythm on the synthetic…taking five wickets in his last two games.
The Gulls appear to have all bases covered at the moment; and take the show on the road to Merinda Park this week, before returning home for a blockbuster home game against Kooweerup in round seven.
Cardinia knows the secret to success, with big knocks from Wheller (104) in round two and Ali (99 not out) in round four leading to its only two victories of the season.
The Bulls will be looking for big scores from their top-order when they head to Clyde this week to take on the winless Cougars.
