VISITING player Matt Peake helped win the game for Merrivale against Dennington in round 10 to catapult the Tigers into the top four - but he arguably should not have even played. Peake, from the Ballarat area, was given an out-of-radius permit by the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) for the January 23 clash. He proved to be a matchwinner, with the tailender contributing 22, including the winning runs, in the two-run victory. But
The Standard has learnt that Merrivale unknowingly applied for the permit after the cut-off point and should not have been granted the application by the WDCA. The association's by-laws state "any player outside the radius of 60 kilometres must apply to the general manager by 31 December for a permit to play with any member club in the association". Dennington questioned the situation but the original result stood. The association was not willing to divulge any other information except that "the matter has been resolved". The controversial slip-up has undoubtedly helped Merrivale, which now sits in fourth position. If the result was reversed, it would be Dennington sitting in finals contention instead of in lowly seventh, with the Tigers sixth.
COBDEN's Zack Merrett was this week announced as the player of the tournament at the under 14 state championships. Zack was prominent with both the bat and ball for Western Waves at the titles, which were a fortnight ago. He averaged 29.5 with the bat and grabbed a total of nine wickets. The teenager's best match was against Central Highlands, where he contributed an unbeaten 40 and claimed 3-25 off seven overs, which included two maidens.
IF you ever think you're on the back foot in cricket, just remember you never know what's around the corner - ask Dennington's division four side. The Dogs set 8-164 on Saturday, with Nestles 1-41 in its chase. The Factory then lost a disappointing 6-6 to eventually see them finish their 40 overs on 7-115. Dennington's Michael Williams had a day out, the medium-pacer finishing with an exceptional 6-18 off eight overs. Dogs captain Jamie Sabo described it as "a one-man show".
FOR a keeper, most of their running comes from pacing between wickets between overs. Brierly Christ Church's Josh Squires defied the trend on Saturday against Wesley CBC. The Bulls' glovesman chased a ball to the boundary directly behind the wickets. But that wasn't the impressive part: Squires proceeded to throw the ball back to the striker's stumps and although it wasn't a direct hit, it brought about a run-out.
UMPIRES aren't particularly popular in most sports, which is why it's strange that a couple of WDCA clubs have welcomed them to their training. The association has an initiative in which umpires attend a club's Thursday night training session. They stand in the nets or in the middle of the ground and make decisions like they would in a game. The practical training - which should improve the relationship between players and umpires - will continue for the rest of the season.
CRICKET Victoria fast bowling coach Tim McCaskill will headline a seminar in Portland on Wednesday for umpires, association officials and interested cricketers. He will focus on illegal actions due to an increase in the number of reported suspect actions over the past year. Western Waves regional manager Stephen Field said the seminar will also give participants an opportunity to ask questions in relation to bowling actions and remedial works. Hanlon Park will host the event, which starts at 8pm.
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