By Marc McGowan
IN an already dismal season, Casey-South Melbourne stooped to a new low in its 349-run defeat at the hands of Geelong in two-day Victorian Premier Cricket action at Geelong Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The Swans endured a tiring and confidence-sapping day in the field the previous weekend as they watched the Cats pile on 429 runs.
Despite Casey-South Melbourne captain-coach Roger Sillence talking tough after Geelong’s innings, his side failed to respond on the weekend.
“We played like a bunch of idiots,” Sillence bemoaned.
An astonishing six players fell for ducks, including four by recognised batsmen, and star all-rounder Craig Entwistle (21 from 45 balls) was the sole player to top 20 as the Swans were bowled out for 80.
The performance reached comical proportions when the score went from a somewhat stable 2/53 to 9/56 – an unbelievable collapse of 7/3 – which began with the departure of Entwistle.
“Twister (Entwistle) and I were going along quite nicely then he went out and I fell just after drinks,” Sillence said.
“I went in and took my kit off and all of a sudden everyone was going out within a couple of balls of each other and we were all bowled out.
“It was very, very bizarre. I’ve never seen it before.”
The pathetic effort from Casey-South Melbourne’s batsmen was highlighted by number 11 Lukas Hoogenboom’s ability to make 12, which he scored in a 24-run final-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Robbie Elston (14 not out).
Grant Lindsay (4/8 off 6.5 overs) and Trent Walerys (4/30 off 12 overs) gorged on the Swans’ meek batting line-up to be the pick of the bowlers.
The woeful display was magnified when Casey-South Melbourne was sent back in, and despite losing Jye Sampson for yet another duck, the team managed to finish on 2/190.
Michael Hansen (101 from 161 balls with 10 fours and a six) smacked his second ton of the season and combined with Entwistle (75 from 87, with seven fours) for a 170-run partnership, but not before the side received a rocket from Sillence at the lunch break.
“I had a bit of a go at them. I wasn’t in the best of moods,” he said.
“The guys came out after lunch and performed really well.
“If we’d done that in the first innings we could have been pushing for the win.
“It’s really disappointing because we wanted to try and win down at Geelong, but we didn’t come anywhere close.”
The only positive to come out of the day was Entwistle’s charge towards the club’s long-standing club record for runs in a single season.
He began the day 140 behind the figure, and courtesy of his first innings 21 and slashing 75 in the second dig, Entwistle now requires just 45 runs to break the record with at least two innings to come.
The run chase will resume this weekend when the Swans take on Dandenong in a two-day local derby at Casey Fields on Saturday.
“We’ve always been chasing the game and if we want to win games next year, we need to set the standard and let sides chase us,” Sillence said.
“Hopefully this weekend the guys will take that on board.”
