By RUSSELL BENNETT
WEST GIPPSLAND CRICKET ASSOCIATION
REVIEW – ROUND 12 (day 2)
THERE’S still two rounds left before the finals, but we’re calling it; Cobras coach Jamie Smith delivered the biggest understatement of the season when talking about Merinda Park’s (77 and 4/117) astonishing reverse outright win over the hometown Upper Beaconsfield (98 and 94) on Saturday.
“Cricket is a funny old game,” he said.
Though, it’s hard to imagine the Maroons seeing the funny side of it – having bowled the Cobras out for just 77 in their first innings, yet still going on to somehow lose the game.
In all, there were 34 wickets taken for the game … for a combined total of just 386 runs.
Upper Beaconsfield’s batting form this season has been as hard to read as a Sydney road map.
They made 223 against Tooradin in round six but that was sandwiched between two outright losses, managing totals of just 55 and 87 against Cardinia in round five, and 43 and 80 against Kooweerup in round seven.
They turned that around in round nine, recording a huge 10-wicket win over the Seagulls, and last round recorded another win over Emerald.
But as has been the way all season for the Maroons – their worst is never that far from their best.
With a finals position now secure, the Cobras need to carry their positive momentum into their next clash – at home against Tooradin.
But Smith knows how tough that challenge is. He said the round 13 clash would be a good dress rehearsal for a potential finals match-up, adding: “Whoever loses will finish fourth”.
Meanwhile, Saturday was a real drought-breaker for Seagulls skipper Tom Hussey. Prior to his side’s clash with Emerald, he was still the second highest run-scorer in Premier with 480 runs this season but he hadn’t scored a century since his epic 146 against Merinda Park in the 2012/13 grand final.
He’d made 12 scores above 40 across all competitions since, but hadn’t reaped a triple-figure reward.
But on a lightning fast home ground against a promising battery of Emerald seamers, Hussey made batting look effortless on the weekend – storming to 137 and leading from the front as Tooradin (5/311) chased down the visitors’ impressive 6/307.
The Gulls were always confident of victory, despite facing a chase of over 300. They knew how lightning fast the ground was playing, and the batting firepower at their disposal.
After dominating his opening partnership with Josh Lownds, Hussey combined with a 158-run stand with Michael Ralph (89).
Ralph’s innings was almost as chanceless as Hussey’s, until falling to one of the most bizarre dismissals of the season – out hit wicket swinging at a looping full toss outside off from Julian Scott. With his innings he became just the second player not named Avery, O’Hare or Hussey to score a half-century in Tooradin’s top flight this season (the other being Dylan Sutton with 65 in round five).
Ralph complements the aggression of the likes of Hussey, Avery, and Ben Mantel (28 not out) and his innings came at the perfect time for a Tooradin side still trying to clinch a top two spot. Emerald skipper A.J. Walker tried nine different bowlers on Saturday, with Scott (2/37), Darcy Hellriegel (2/45) and Clinton Marsh (1/89) the wicket-takers. Seamer Tom Baldock broke down with a hamstring injury in his seventh over.
In other WGCA Premier action, Cardinia (9/221) toppled last season’s grand final nemesis Kooweerup (218), and Pakenham (6/171) fought back from 5/13 to defeat Beaconsfield (158).
In District, Devon Meadows (210) had no answer for Cranbourne Meadows (9/331) and skipper Brent Murdoch, who smashed another ton; Lyndhurst Vikings (3/108 and 5/87) defeated Nar Nar Goon/Maryknoll (55 and 4/212); Clyde (191) got the better of Officer (149); and Pakenham Upper-Toomuc (5/121 and 4/89) won outright over St Francis Xavier (79 and 126).
