By Jonty Ralphsmith
Emerald has pulled off a stirring comeback in a dramatic tie with Cranbourne Meadows during round 2 of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) District competition.
Chasing 208 for victory, Cranbourne Meadows’ batting was typically turbulent.
After reaching 2/114 inside 17 overs, the hosts then collapsed as Lawson Cocks and Trent Rolfs dried up the run rate before off-spinner Harry Closter and seam-bowler Ethan Crosher did the damage late.
The pair bowled in tandem for the last 16 overs of the innings, combining for six wickets.
Crosher bowled the 39th over, with Cranbourne Meadows needing five runs to win.
Mandhiraj Singh smashed a straight drive for four to start the over before looking to hit one through the legside infield, but managing only an edge which was caught by Michael Hoban at fly-slip.
That was the ninth wicket to fall, with Agyapal Sidhu only available for the first innings of the match, leaving the Cranbourne Meadows line-up one short.
“It was a bit hollow knowing we had tied the game but it was a great fightback,” said Emerald’s Michael Nell.
“We bowled to try to test their patience and have learned from playing them over the last few years that (they’re attacking), we just have to go in with a plan to combat the way they go about it.
“Just before the drinks break we brought everyone in and said ‘listen, let’s go, let’s fight this at the death, we know we can get a clump of wickets in a hurry, just keep testing them.’
“Wickets started coming our way and belief started getting bigger and bigger as each wicket passed.
“We felt we weren’t far away early on and a few quick wickets got us right in it.
“We held our chances, bowled to the plans we set so we knew we were a chance and it eventuated.”
Earlier, Nell anchored the batting innings with 97, helping his team reach a total which it believed at the halfway mark to be “about 20 short”.
He took the shine off the new ball with Ethan Crosher, stabilised after two quick wickets, used the pockets of space at the big Lawson Poole Reserve to turn the strike over with Hoban (25) and Rolfs (40) before accelerating at the back-end.
The club hopes that the tie represents a significant step forward for them, after finishing last season with just three wins, the first of which didn’t come until the last round before the Christmas break.
“In preseason, we put a big emphasis on being a lot fitter so we could play out games a lot better and working on doing everything quality-wise rather than focusing on quantity,” Nell said.
“The professional standards have been raised in the last two years from where they were previously which (coach) Owen Thorne has built.
“There has been a junior development squad which has been integrating with the seniors in preseason.
“We want the club to develop young cricketers to be First XI cricketers and play higher cricket so that’s a philosophy we’re trying to set and standards have improved off the back of that
“We’ve put a fork in the road and said ‘this is the time we need to see results’ and we’re starting to see the reward for the effort that is being put in.”
Elsewhere, Lang Lang chased down Melbourne Sixers’ 218, Jaan Balasuriya bowled Carlisle Park to a 56-run win and Jonty Bennie led the way for Officer in its victory over Pakenham Upper Toomuc.
