By David Nagel
Merinda Park (8/166) bid farewell to its traditional home ground at Donnelly Reserve on Saturday with a competitive performance against Kooweerup (175).
It was a game that sort of summed up the Cobras recent history since residing at the ground…being competitive against some of the best teams in the competition but eventually falling short.
Kooweerup skipper Chris Bright won the toss and elected to bat first…with openers Jess Mathers (6) and Luke McMaster (6) both back in the sheds with just 14 runs on the board.
Bright then strode to the crease and played his usual role for the Demons…holding the innings together like a truck-full of adhesive!
Bright has been one of the shining lights in the WGCA Premier Division this season, but has had to do most of the scoring off his own bat.
Bright has scored 463 runs for the season, with Luke McMaster (269) also making a fine contribution before things quickly slip away.
Matt Davey (136), Cody Miller (136) and Chris O’Hara (130) are next best on the batting list.
Given the scoring dominance of Bright and McMaster, some would suggest that a large chunk of Demons have been starved of opportunity this season…but most players through the top-to-middle-order have had ample opportunity to showcase their skills on centre stage.
Bright controlled the tempo for the Demons on Saturday, sharing important partnerships with Mitch Davey (12), Cody Miller (30), Matt Davey (9) and Steve Dillon (26), before falling with the score on 153.
Bright saw off some terrific bowling from Tyson Bertrand (4/34) and Josh Phillips (3/25), who took clumps of wickets at key stages to keep the Demons on the hook.
Bright faced just 74 balls and hit five boundaries and three sixes during his sixth half-century of the season.
The Cobras were soon under pressure in reply after second-gamer Joel Anderson (1/20) claimed the crucial wicket of Cobras’ star Dan McCalman (5).
The Cobras looked like crumbling at 4/38, but rear-guard actions from Dustin Peebles (53 not out) and Phillips (27) – and to a lesser extent Jacob Perger (16), Bertrand (13) and Mandhiraj Singh (15) – saw them require 17 runs off the last over for victory.
The Demons survived, with John Bright (2/33) leading the way with multiple scalps and Ayden Mills (1/15 off 6) and Matt Bright (1/24 off 8) bowling tidily.
The Demons – currently second – will be looking for a big home-victory over Clyde this week to apply pressure on top-of-the-table Tooradin. If the Seagulls fall at the last hurdle against Carlisle Park – however unlikely that is – the Demons could still grab top place on the ladder.
Merinda Park, who will more than likely finish fifth, rounds out its season with a visit to an in-form Pakenham.
