By Jonty Ralphsmith
Former Pakenham captain Dom Paynter guided the Lions to 6/367 against Kooweerup with a magnificent 164 off 168 deliveries at Denhams Road on Saturday.
Arriving at the crease with his team at 3/49 on a typically high-scoring ground, against a stacked batting lineup, he showed no signs of pressure.
Paynter alongside Zac Chaplin put on their third significant partnership of the season, complementing each other well.
After taking 17 balls to get off the mark, Chaplin batted with intent when Paynter arrived, allowing the centurion to find his rhythm before the pair shifted the momentum.
“Zac was definitely getting brutal on anything loose,” Paynter said.
“He wasn’t missing out on anything he could put to or over the fence.
“A big feature of his game has been his ability to get down the other end and keep good balls out, so it was good to see another side of him.
“He’s got such cool head on his shoulders and is fun and easy going to bat with.
“He’s very measured.
“We don’t get caught up with anything, we keep it simple and it seems to be a consistent blueprint for us.”
A 120-run partnership between the pair was followed by another substantial partnership, worth 160 runs between Paynter and Stuart Johnson.
Returning to the First XI for the first time since round 3, Johnson was the perfect foil for Paynter, feeding him the strike and allowing the crisp ball striker to take centre stage with an unbeaten 53 off 85.
“Stu’s knock was crucial,” said Pakenham captain Jack Anning.
“I’ve been clear with what his role was at number six.
“We made a hard decision to leave him out two weeks ago and we had some honest conversations about where his cricket was at and what we needed from him, and his attitude couldn’t have been any better to respond to that and he’s worked hard.
“He hasn’t had a great deal of opportunity, so to spent time at the crease and get a maiden club 50 was great for him.”
Having built his innings steadily, targeting the poor balls, Paynter went on the attack after the milestone, scoring his last 63 runs off just 30 deliveries to take the wind out of the Demons.
According to Anning, he raised his bat for triple figures at 5.05pm and reached 150 at 5.29pm.
“Last year he’d look good with the bat and then would do a little injury, so never got momentum, but he’s been injury-free so far and he’s quality at the crease,” Anning said.
“People have probably forgotten how good a cricketer he is.
“He’s the best captain I’ve played under and in the modern era I would say he is in the best three cricketers Pakenham has had.
“He’s as good as Dale Tormey and Chris Smith, just through his own unselfishness and injury, he hasn’t had the same level of match play as those guys but he’s as good a player as you’ll see.”
It’s Paynter’s second season back on the field after briefly giving the sport away due to repeated knee issues.
Anning indicated the modern Paynter is a “toned down” version of his former self – a sentiment Paynter echoes.
“He’s matured and become more levelled in how he goes after bowlers,” Anning said.
“He’s positive, but not reckless.
“Early on, him and Zac (Chaplin) weathered Jess (Mathers) and Luke (McMaster) who were outstanding, and after that, they were able to take opportunities against tiring bowlers.”
Prior to his injury, Paynter led the Lions to the 2015-16 premiership during a decorated career.
“The decision to come back was timing and opportunity – it was now or never to come back and play with my mates who I played over a decade of cricket with,” Paynter said.
““I probably put myself under more pressure now because I still have another bone to pick with myself.
“I really enjoyed the contest and captaincy and I loved the guys I was playing with, but I was an all-rounder then so if I wasn’t batting well I could bowl.
“My own game always took a back seat so that helped ease the pressure back then.
“I would just go out, be in the contest and do whatever we can to get the win.
“Now it’s different, I don’t have as many touch points in the game or responsibility.
“I can have more fun.
“If I do get tapped on the shoulder then I’ll do my best, but I can allow myself to sit back and enjoy it a little bit more.”
Paynter has won plenty of praise for a series of crucial knocks to start the season, which have contributed to the Lions so-far undefeated record.
Against Tooradin in round 2, he arrived at the crease following a collapse of 3/0 with Pakenham still 75 runs behind, and guided the second half of the chase expertly.
Against Clyde, he arrested a collapse of 3/4 to turn the tide back Pakenham’s way with a calm 42.
Against Merinda Park, Pakenham trailed by 39 with three wickets in hand, and his fearless 32 off 26 lifted Pakenham to victory in a game where the run rate otherwise crawled.
But this was the knock that carried the most substance and meaning.
“I really didn’t think I’d get there again so thankfully I rode my luck long enough to chalk one up and release an internal goal to hit that milestone again,” Paynter said.
Despite being strongly positioned after day one, Anning is aware that Kooweerup chased down 409 against Merinda Park earlier in the season, so is prepared for a tussle on day two.
“We’re happy with how we went about it but it’s not a total we’re sitting back comfortable with because playing Koowee at Koowee in a two day game is the biggest challenge in the competition,” Anning said.
“We know it’s game on and knowing Koowee, it’s not a total where they would be thinking ‘if we have a good day, we might get it’ they’ll be thinking ‘we’ll get these runs, we’re good enough’ so we have to accept that good players will play good shots and score runs.”
