Round 15 - 13th/14th
February 2010
The
Longley Cricket Club played in four matches this past weekend,
with again an even ledger in the wins and losses account.
Our
A grade boys played Kingston at the Crows Nest and were keen to
make life difficult for the hosts who held fourth place on the
ladder by a small margin. Kingston batted first and formed a good
opening stand of 90 but were restricted by some tidy bowling in
the first half of their innings. After 30 overs the Crows were
1-105. Putting together a classic 50 over innings, the Crows held
wickets in hand going into the final ten overs then launched their
assault, scoring 92 runs off the final ten overs and posting a
healthy 249 for the loss of 4 wickets. Andrew Fenton (2-54) was
the only multiple wicket taker, with Ryan Fielding (1-37) and
Michael Pearce (0-36) bowling ten tidy overs apiece at respectable
economy rates through the middle overs, preventing a blow out in
the total posted by Kingston.
Our
batting started with a stutter and the loss of early wickets meant
we were never really in the hunt. Josh Kline (31) again was the
pick of the batters with Trent Direen (23) also continuing his
consistent run with the bat. With no other scores above 20, and
the best partnership being only 37, we fell short by 92 runs,
bowled out for 157 in the 43rd over. With a bye next week, the A
grade Bunyips have two games remaining and are very keen to finish
on a high note with another win and holding our respectable
mid-table position on the ladder.
B1
hosted Blackmans Bay and were fired up coming off a great win
against Slab Road the previous week. Having won the toss,
Blackmans Bay may have been hoping for another 150 odd total from
the inconsistent Bunyip batting line up and invited us to bat
first. An early wicket saw the dangerous Iain Stewart (104) stride
to the crease keen to improve on his one innings of note for the
season to date. This he did in style, posting his century in quick
time and featuring in three partnerships of around 50 that set us
on our way to a solid total. At the loss of Stewart (4-167)
in the 30th over, a total of anywhere between 200 and 300 was on
the cards depending on the remainder of the batting order. With
Dean Chatwin (57) forming the nucleus of a solid lower order
consolidation and Andrew Fitzgerald (26) providing support, the
total passed 250 in the 46th over. With 254 on the board, and 22
balls remaining, Jesse Arnold (47) strode out with a licence to
thrill. Facing 18 balls, Arnold was devastating and attacked every
ball with confidence and aggression. With seven 4s and two 6s
Arnold put the icing on the cake with his awesome innings, and a
total of 306 for the loss of eight wickets was easily the best
batting performance of the season for the side.
Blackmans
Bay attacked early and looked like they would be going hard at the
target. That changed in the second over. Unfortunately for the
Sharks, the Bunyip bowling and fielding was as good as our batting
performance, and with no dropped catches and some excellent
bowling from the two opening bowlers Damien Smith (5-35) and Caden
Wilson (5-19), cleaned up the Blackmans Bay batting line up and
didn’t give our change bowlers a sniff at having a turn with the
ball. The 250 run win is a huge boost to our growing confidence
and a handy for our percentage and sets us up to hold third place
into the finals and a slim chance of sneaking second spot if we
can maintain this level of cricket in the remaining games. With
around 18 players looking for a spot in the finals team,
competition will be fierce and can only lift the standard of all
players further.
B2
played Huonville away with a couple of players looking to impress
the selectors and put pressure on the B1 team in coming weeks.
Batting first, Longley posted a total of 170. Bowled out in the
40th over, there was obviously a much better score on offer if all
batters had held onto their wicket a little longer and looked to
bat out the innings. James Skabo (50) continued his consistent run
with the bat and Luke Bartulovic (42) also played well. With
consistent wickets after the fall of these two, a below par score
was again posted after a solid start to the innings.
Huonville
started with a 50 run stand for the first wicket, and cruised
along to reach the target in the 33rd over. Euan Rodgers (1-27)
bowled his usual tight line and length but no other bowler posed a
threat to the Huonville batters. With only three games left for
B2, the challenge for the team is to post their first win for the
season and for individuals to put pressure on the higher grade
players to keep them performing at their best.
C
grade secured a handy if unconvincing narrow win away against
Woodbridge, keeping their season alive. Woodbridge batted first
and scored a brisk 154, bowled out in the 30th over. Heath Direen
(3-55) and Mark Millhouse (3-45) enjoyed success with the ball.
John Taylor (2-14), father of our English A grade import Matthew
and on a three week holiday in Tasmania, showed that cricket
skills do run in the family and bowled well to take his first
wickets for the club, then rounded off his fielding performance
with a run out.
We
set about the chase and despite two early wickets were well placed
at 2-79 after 19 overs, thanks to Daniel Woolley (44) and Heath
Direen (22) forming a good partnership of 66 for the third wicket.
The middle and lower order then made hard work of it and lost
wickets regularly to make a nervous man of captain Mick Dakin.
Taking matters into his own hands, Dakin (12) then held his nerve
while wickets were falling around him to be not out in securing
the win with 9 wickets down.
The
club has had the pleasure of the company of John and Jan Taylor
over the past two weeks. From the UK and visiting their son
Matthew who is playing with the Bunyips this season, the Taylors
have impressed all at the club with their friendly nature and
quickly become part of the Bunyip family. Apart from John’s less
than imaginative dressing in whites and claiming to be James
Anderson at the dress up party last week, they have been great
company and helped to develop what we hope to be an ongoing link
with the UK in coming years.
A
grade and B1 both have the bye next week and will be out in force
cheering on B2 at home looking for their first win. The following
week on Saturday 27th October we will be having our annual ‘Past
Players Day’ and extend an invitation to any past players of the
club to come along and meet up with old team mates to share their
war stories while cheering on our B1 boys taking on ladder leaders
and flag favourites Kingston in what will be the biggest test yet
of their recent form surge.
View
the scoresheet.
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