Round 5 Match Reports Vs Bendigo December 2nd & 9th
by
Lain Pocock
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Monday, 11 December 2006
1st XI @ QEO
The 1sts returned to the QEO with last rounds missed opportunity still in the back of their mind and eager to get some points to show for their solid start to the season. Returning Captain Mark Keck did the right thing in winning the toss and elected to bat in favourable conditions. In the absence of recruit Brock Fletcher, Kecky was elevated to open the innings with Nick Scullie. What proceeded was Four and a half hours of pure brilliance.
Reaching 0 for 226 at Tea after 42 overs, people were reaching for the record books, determined not to let such a fantastic start go to waste and with a deflated opposition wilting in the heat, Kecky & Nick broke numerous records on their way to a 304 run opening stand before Kecky was finally dismissed for 160. The destruction did not end there with Dutchy (65) and Nick adding 109 for the 3rd wicket in quick time and unbeaten 6th wicket stand of 67 between Nick &Joel Schneider applied the final touches to the most memorable of days for Sandhurst.
Numerous club records were broken by days end with Nick & Kecky’s 304 the highest partnership for any wicket in club history, the 5/493 total the highest known score in league history for an 85 over innings and Nick Scullie who batted all day for 225no the highest score by an individual batsman in club history.
Day 2 of the match rolled around and the unthinkable happened, bushfires across the state meant at approximately 9.30am Saturday morning the entire afternoon’s cricket in BDCA was abandoned for health and safety reasons from the heat and smoke filled air and all matches not yet complete declared a draw.
All the boys and officials were understandably shattered and spent the afternoon at the sponsors thinking they had been robbed of 3 competition points and an all important win.
Nick Scullie’s Marathon innings of 225no earned him Man of the Match.
2nd XI @ Weeroona Oval
The 2nds lost the toss at Weeroona Oval and were asked to bat. They quickly found themselves in trouble, with a combination of bad batting and bad luck leaving us 4/11 in the 11th over. Jason O’Neill (22) & Brad Fawcett (31) launched a rescue mission adding 60 for the 5th wicket before two quick wickets left us again looking down the barrel at 6/74.
Darren Craig & Matt Felini fresh off their match winning partnership against Eaglehawk then combined for a superb 114 run partnership to get us back in the game. Craigy (16) provided the support while Matt Felini again delivered when his team needed him most and blasted the bowling to all corners falling agonisingly close to his maiden century caught behind for 99 off just 92 balls. The tail added some handy runs before we were bowled out for 217 in a disappointing 54.1 overs.
The advantages of batting 1st were again apparent as Bendigo were left with a testing 25 overs to bat and Matt Felini got us off to the perfect start picking up a wicket in the 1st over of the innings to have Bendigo 1 for 0. Just when Bendigo looked to be heading for relative safety at stumps on day 1, Darren Craig picked up wickets in both of his first two overs and when Stinger playing his 1st 2nd XI game for the club followed with two more wickets Sandhurst could sense a kill and only stumps could stop the momentum the boys had grabbed late in the day leaving Bendigo 5/58 still needing another 160 for victory.
Again due to the bushfires Day 2 was abandoned and the match deemed a draw, and leaving the side disappointed they could not press for a 4th straight win of the season.
Matt Felini claimed his 2nd Man of the Match for the year with 99 & 1/19.
3rd XI @ QEO
The thirds were looking to get their season back on track, but after losing the toss and being asked to field, the boys faced an uphill battle against a strong Bendigo batting line-up and a pitch that resembled a block of concrete and an outfield getting faster by the week. Although all bowlers worked hard, most went unrewarded with only Tim Williams (1/39) down from 1st XI & James Rickard (1/47) the only successful bowlers as Bendigo finished their 50 overs 3/233.
Based on their batting performances too date this season 233 looked a very difficult total to chase down, and when we lost two quick wickets early to be 2/23 and in danger of dropping another game. Captain Dean Trew & Tristan Bayliss started to turn things around and got us to 2/74 off 17 overs. It was then word had filtered through that the afternoon’s matches had been abandoned and a bizarre 15 minute drinks break took place in which team captains, players and umpiring officials decided between them that the match would continue.
Trew & Bayliss’ partnership was broken at 83 and runs and wickets continued at a steady pace to leave us needing 60 from 11 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Leigh Draper was the mainstay of the innings and whilst he was at the crease the target always looked gettable but when he was dismissed for 62 we were left needing 16 from 15 balls with two wickets in hand. The task was made that much easier when with the 1st ball of the 49th over Leigh McDonald decided to take on the fielders arm and turned a risky two into a crucial 6 when the wayward throw went for 4 overthrows.
Needing 6 from the final 5 balls, Leigh McDonald proved the match winner when he dispatched Bendigo’s opening bowler over Mid Off for 4 and then Mid wicket for 4 to win the match with just 2 wickets and 3 balls to spare. In by far there best batting performance of the season the boys finished 9/236 off their 50 overs to salvage a win in a tough weekend for the club as a whole.
In a close decision that could have gone to a number of batsmen Leigh Draper won Man of the Match for his 62.
The boys next face a 2 day match against White Hills leading up to the Christmas break with the 1sts & 3rds third consecutive game at the QEO whilst the 2nds are at Scott Street White Hills. Let’s use the win of the 3rds and the disappointment of the No Result in the 1sts & 2nds as motivation to go into Christmas on a high celebrating wins in all grades.
- The Giraffe