TWO pre-tournament favourites Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) and South West Cricket (SWC) are facing a virtual elimination final today in a Melbourne Country Week grudge match.
The WDCA and SWC representative sides, second and third at last year’s tournament, suffered opening day losses in contrasting styles yesterday, leaving the loser of today’s match at Princes Park fighting to avoid relegation from division two.
South West produced a “terrible” batting display, according to its captain Steven Castle, dismissed by Hamilton District for just 120 in 39 overs — 68 short of the HDCA’s 9-188.
Bairnsdale, the only side to defeat the WDCA in preliminary matches last year, survived a late fightback from Warrnambool, to claim a four-wicket win on the fourth ball of the 50th over. Set 170 to win, Bairnsdale finished at 6-174.
Captain Ben Boyd rallied his side after Bairnsdale appeared to be cruising to victory at 1-104 off 31 overs. With 11 overs remaining Bairnsdale was 3-138, needing 32 with seven wickets in hand.
But right-arm paceman Boyd (3-12 off 10 overs) produced an inspired spell, grabbing 2-4 off four overs during a dramatic comeback by the WDCA. With Woodford teenager Jake McKinnon (1-21 off six) and leg-spinner Matt Brophy (1-18 off six) keeping it tight, along with Boyd, Bairnsdale lost 5-37 between the 34th and 47th overs, setting up a thrilling finish.
Vice-captain Brett Eldridge (1-34 off eight overs) produced a maiden in the 49th over, leaving Bairnsdale with five to win with Merrivale’s Will Chapples left to bowl the final over. With scores tied after three balls, a single was made on the fourth ball of the over before Bairnsdale iced the match with a boundary off the final delivery.
Boyd was philosophical about the result.
“It was a good comeback, we were just a few runs short,” he said.
“We got awfully close. It would have been nice to have one less over. They had to work hard to get it.”
Boyd said he was upbeat about his side’s performance, especially the form of young bowlers McKinnon, Brophy and Hank Schlaghecke who bowled six overs for 12 before having 10 taken off his last.
Boyd said his side had dropped four catches and while they hadn’t cost significant runs, it was an area that needed to be improved today against SWC.
Boyd said he was putting no extra emphasis on today’s match because of the rivalry with SWC and the state of the standings. “You have to treat them as just another team at country week. We will be familiar with each other.”
Earlier, after Boyd won the toss and elected to bat on a tacky Schramms Reserve pitch at Doncaster, openers Dustin Drew (38 runs off 73 balls) and Chapples (34 off 65 balls) laid a solid foundation with 58 for the first wicket. Despite a solid contribution from Eldridge (28 off 54), only the unbeaten seventh-wicket stand between Allansford’s Josh Parkinson (34 not out off 50 balls) and Woodford’s Jake McKinnon (22 not out off 28) could lift the run-rate. They put on 52 in 54 balls as the WDCA finished with 6-169.
He praised the form of Parkinson and McKinnon, saying their partnership had given the WDCA hope. He said while his top-order had provided a platform, he would have preferred their runs to have been made quicker.
“It was skidding through and it wasn’t a very easy wicket to bat on but that is the way it goes. They did bowl well, bowled really good lines and we didn’t get much of a free-hit, not that you expect it but they went pretty defensive having five out on the boundary very early. Under 200 down here, you would say it’s traditionally not enough.”
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