THE TWELFTH MAN
HDCA – A Grade
PIGEON Ponds suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of arch-rival Casterton District in round 10 of the Hamilton and District Cricket Association A Grade competition, at Pigeon Ponds Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
The home side was missing many of its first-choice stars for the match but there were enough regulars in the match to take the game to the visitors, but the Pigeons still lost by 160 runs.
Play resumed on day two with the home team on 0-10 as skipper Hamish McCrae and Jack Beaton took strike to get the day under way, but McCrae only managed to advance his score to nine and the team tally to 16 before Logan Gibbs forced the error and Fletcher Bright held the chance offered.
Simon Close joined Beaton in the middle and the champion all-rounder had been confident that his team would chase down the huge 326 the visitors had posted on day one and he did everything within his power to see that happen.
He and Beaton refused to hand their wickets away cheaply and the pair took that tally past 50 and onwards to 85 before Beaton (22) lost concentration as Kane Forbes held onto the catch from the bowling of Kaden Humphries.
From there though, it was only Close that offered anything towards the home sides coffers as wickets tumbled with Pigeon Ponds losing the last nine wickets for only 81 runs to be all out for 166.
Close posted his third century of the summer and his second in succession with a brilliant 106 from only 113 balls with 12 boundaries and a maximum that took no prisoners of the Casterton District bowling attack.
All he required was one or two other top order batmen put up knocks of 40-50 in support and he would have guided the Pigeons to a much-needed victory, but the visitors were relentless with their line and length to restrict the total.
Gibbs was the destroyer and his six wickets was the stand out performance for the Maroons as Carey Megaw offered support with 2-48 as the home side was routed inside 48 overs.
Unfortunately, an umpire’s mistake in calling the rest of the day’s play off robbed the visitors of the chance to add valuable bonus points in its hunt of a finals spot, and its to be hoped that this does not stop Casterton District from reaching the finals in seven weeks’ time.
Next round sees Casterton District begin a tough run to the finals with a home game against ladder leader Tyrendarra at Island Park turf where it is to be hoped the Maroons can inflict the first defeat of the summer on the defending premiers.
Pigeon Ponds has the bye for the next two weeks.
Rarest result
THE rarest result in the two-day format of the Game was achieved by Tahara and Hamilton on Saturday as the two teams played out a first innings tie at Tahara Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Hamilton had been bundled out for only 112 on day one, but Tahara had slumped to be 5-70 by stumps on the first day with all results possible at the start of day two.
With Hamish Myers and Sam Brewer at the wicket to start the day, Tahara required a further 43 runs to claim the first innings points, but both fell cheaply on day two with Brewer (15) and Myers (26) failing to add significant runs to their overnight tallies.
Cameron Templeton had made the vital breakthroughs of both overnight batsmen with the score at 7-92, Nathan Slaughter stood in the way of a Hamilton win and the all-rounder added 21 runs but could not drag his side across the line.
He departed with 106 on the board as Jake Lang held onto his fourth dismissal of the innings and Tahara required five runs with two wickets in hand.
With the scores tied on 112, Read had Liam Tonissen (two) caught by Isaac Shaw and then Hamish Kearney saw the ball nestle into the safe hands of Lang behind the stumps as the keeper completed his fifth dismissal with the catching of Jack Rhook (Five) and the tie was achieved.
Templeton and Read grabbed three wickets apiece for the visitors and Kearney two as the Hamilton bowlers hunted as a pack.
Hamilton then went about pushing for an unlikely outright result by looking to score enough runs quickly and ask Tahara to try and chase down the target in the time remaining.
Mitch lang (52) and Nick O’Brien (44-not-out) were the stand out performers for the Blues as Templeton called a halt after 38 overs with 5-147 (dec) on the board, leaving Tahara as many overs as Hamilton could deliver in the time remaining to chase the 148 required to claim the outright points.
One thing the Blue Caps could do when they dominated B grade was score quickly, but on A Grade it is a different matter as the bowlers are better and the pressure if different to that of the lower grades.
Templeton had two wickets with those of Kieran Barker (one) and Brad Gauci (one) and then Kearney chiming in with those of Taine Morris (seven) and Hamish Myers (six) all back in the pavilion, the hunt for an unlikely victory was on in earnest.
Tahara slumped to be 6-40 with a little over seven overs remaining, but Slaughter (seven-not-out) and Rhook (14-not-out) refused to be bowed by the Blues attack and the final score of 6-61 meant the honours were shared.
Tahara now plays College away from home and Hamilton hosts second placed Macarthur at Dahl Turf in the next round.
In other games …
SHANAKA Silva (5-23), Will Oakley (3-24), and Artie Hearvey (2-12) combined to dismiss Grampians for only 175 in reply to Portland Tigers 226 on day one.
Carl Joyce (75) and Donald Collins (45) were the main scorers for the Pumas as the home side failed to take advantage of its home ground knowledge.
Portland Colts (6-260) almost defeated South Portland outright as the Colts fell two wicket short of securing maximum points against the Demons at Henty Park.
South Portland was routed for only 76 as Lachie Warburton (23) was the only batsman to reach 20, but after being sent back in South struggled again to be 8-102 when stumps were called after Oscar Barbary grabbed 5-25 as Scott Martin added yet another 50 to his season stats at the top of the order.
Tyrendarra also searched for an outright victory after it dismissed St Andrews for one of the Drews lowest ever A grade totals in the first innings, 57.
The unavailability of Brendan Huf at the top of the order was instrumental for the visitors as wickets tumbled at Tyrendarra Recreation Reserve with Will Kirk grabbing 5-14 to rout the visitors.
The batsmen performed much better the second time around to be 2-94 when stumps were called.
The final game of the round had Macarthur claim the points and hold down second spot on the ladder with an emphatic 76 run victory against Gorae-Portland.
Chasing 259 for victory, the Go-Ports players looked to their skipper, Nick Wills (82) to lead the way but could not manage to bat around him as no other batsman reached 30 in support with Kyle Smitten and Michael Brilley grabbing three wickets each.
Macarthur posted 4-93 in a chase for very quick runs that amount to vital bonus points in the 18 overs that were left in the day.
B GRADE
Cardinal Sin Hampers Maroons
THE cardinal sin of not batting out the allotted overs has cost Casterton District a possible victory in the Hamilton and District Cricket Association B grade competition against Hamilton at Dahl Turf on Saturday.
After losing the toss the Maroons were sent into bat and the early wicket of Tim Holmes (two) was a setback, but Justin Carlin (42), and Jake Tomkins (37) were the main contributors among the top order.
Six of the top seven batsmen in the line up managed to reach double figures without anyone going on and posting 80-100 runs and the team was dismissed for 159 with 15 legal balls remaining in the innings.
Brody Gibbs and Ethan Cook grabbed three wickets apiece for the home side, but those extra 15 balls may have seen the final tally reach as high as 190.
When Hamilton came to reply, Kyle Carlin and Tomkins grabbed an early wicket each for the Maroons, but Robbie Cook (42), Bailey Borgmeyer (37) and Mark Lee (38-not-out) guided the Blues to victory with the winning runs coming inside 32 overs for the loss of seven wickets, as Justin Carlin and Josh Jones grabbing a brace of wickets each.
A run-a-ball 47 from Josh Evans could not help St Andrews (10-152) get the points against Grampians at Clem Young Oval as Thomas Gordon (43) and Daniel Jones (34) guided the Pumas to the target inside the penultimate over.
