A captain’s innings from Trevor Bauer guided Clyde to victory over Pakenham at Toomuc Reserve in round five of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Premier Division.
Bauer battled at the crease all afternoon and reached a hard-earned 102 not out from 243 balls.
At stumps chasing 184, the Cougars were 1/4, but the skipper quickly asserted himself and dug deep on day two.
Tristan Walton (4), Clyde’s night watchman, departed in the 12th over and Yashan Gunasinghage (10) couldn’t add much damage.
Then, a massive partnership between Bauer and Shamil Samarasinghe got the innings right back on track.
Bauer raised the bat for his half ton, followed by Samarasinghe.
Victory was well in sight for the visitors when Samarasinghe (57) departed but Clyde was at 4/143.
A couple more wickets fell but Bauer inched closer to the ton, bringing it up as the Cougars neared the target.
It was only fitting he also hit the winning runs, going unbeaten all day to fuel the triumph.
“It summed up the ebbs and flows of an innings,” Bauer said of his performance.
“Extremely proud of the knock but more so proud that we got the win, that’s as rewarding of a result that anyone could want.
“To start really well and then feel like you’ve had the handbrake pulled is a mental challenge.
“The longer you’re out there, the more opportunities you will get to score.
“It was a combination of sticking with it when the ebb hits and making the most of your luck as well.”
The win was a big bounce back for Clyde after the Cougars had dropped their previous two games.
It was a result defined by grit, as Clyde was forced to field with 10 fields for a large chunk of day one due to an injury.
“I think we were confident given we gave ourselves the opportunity to win the game,” Bauer said of the mindset after day one.
“We were able to bowl Pakenham out through adversity.
“We were able to band together and perform day one and I think leading into day two we were able to break down some targets.
“I think it’s huge.
“It looks like Tooradin, Kooweerup and Cardy are going to be very strong but fourth position is up for grabs.
“Bouncing back from the two losses against two of the three top sides I feel we were able to assess that.
“I’m proud of the guys for not going to panic stations, we’re still a good cricket side that is learning.
“We were able to take a step forward with the win against Pakenham.
“The takeaway is belief.”
Tooradin remains undefeated after handling business against Kooweerup.
Cal O’Hare (30) and Josh Lownds (37) laid the foundation for Lahiru Jayakody (89) to dominate at Rutter Park.
Wickets in quick succession derailed the middle order for the Seagulls, but Tyler Evans stopped the bleeding.
Evans batted wonderfully, pacing his way to 55 not out off 84 balls, bringing the hosts to victory at 6/261.
Cardinia secured itself the outright result and extra eight ladder points by thrashing Upper Beaconsfield.
The first innings belonged to Matt Welsh, the second belonged to Lachlan Volpe.
The Maroons resumed play on 2/19 and quickly Volpe shredded the batting order.
Dominic Evans (56) and Tyler Astle (24) provided the only resistance as the visitors posted five ducks on their way to being rolled for 98.
Cardinia got to its target in 24 overs, with Matt Welsh (49 not out) and Morteza Ali (21) doing majority of the scoring.
In round five, Kooweerup hosts Cardinia, Devon Meadows welcomes Clyde to town, Tooradin visits Officer and Pakenham travels to face Upper Beaconsfield.
