By Marcus Uhe
Jake Hancock, Michael Wallace, and a 180-run stand.
It was the vision that Berwick supporters dreamt of over the offseason and witnessed it come to fruition in a perfect marriage at Arch Brown Reserve on Saturday afternoon against Dandenong West in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 competition.
Needing a pair of steady heads to quell the influence of Dandenong West’s opening spell, led by Nuwan Kulasekara with his tail up and the ball on a string, Wallace and Hancock fit the bill like a hand in a glove.
The former Sri Lankan seamer was showing flashes of his former international best, swinging the ball and receiving great support from Amrith Sri Mahan from the other end of a green wicket.
The two had removed opening pair Matthew Hague and Brodie Herkess in the space of six balls, bringing the former Premier cricketers together with their side on the back foot.
Joining forces at 2/27, by the time Hancock edged behind with a century in sight, the complexion of the contest had been flipped on its head.
Hancock whacked his own leg and looked dejected as he trudged off the ground, acutely aware that a second century in as many two-day games had been left on the shelf as he departed the playing field with 94 runs to his name.
It brought to an end a 182-run stand that lasted more than 50 overs and put Berwick in complete control, but the runs did not dissipate with Hancock’s departure.
Wallace would not make the same mistake as his highly-regarded partner, despite surviving a dropped catch behind on 79, cruising to triple figures to elevate consistent early season returns.
With scores of 10, 60, 12, 43, 21 and 69 in Turf 1 so far, Wallace has shown an ability to find his footing in each innings in his return to his junior club.
Saturday’s knock of 126 showed why he was one of the hottest signatures in local cricket this summer, having left Victorian Premier Cricket club Casey South Melbourne, moving to second on the leading run scorers tally in Turf 1.
“It was really tough early but that’s part of the fun – you try to get through that and then enjoy the batting,” Wallace said.
“We were trying to get through the opener’s first spell as much as we could and hoped that it got easier to score after that, because we were really struggling to score for the first 40 balls.
“Kulasekara was bowling really well and it was a challenging period.
“After that it didn’t swing as much, and all of a sudden you could play a few more shots.
“Not necessarily try to take anyone on, but you (could) free the hands a little more, and once you get a little bit of momentum, the scoreboard starts to tick over a little bit easier and you keep going like that.
“Once you get into a rhythm, Jake and I were quite happy to bat the way we were for as long as possible.”
In Hancock, a player he had schemed to bring undone as an opposing captain in Premier Cricket during their previous cricketing lives, Wallace strengthened an already blossoming and burgeoning cricketing relationship that is set to deliver plenty of runs at the Bear cave.
“We’ve really enjoyed our time batting together and we’ve had a few partnerships already throughout the year,” Wallace said of batting with Hancock.
“He’s in complete control out there – you let him do what he needs to do and it makes you feel relaxed knowing he’s in control.
“It makes it easier for yourself and sometimes all you have to do is get up the other end and let him do the work, because he’s so good.”
The wicket of Hancock brought Jarryd Wills to the crease, and the going only got tougher for Dandenong West’s weakened attack.
Missing frontline spinner Malinga Bandara, a dependable bowler capable of holding up an end for long spells and bowling with a probing line and length, the overs were spread further amongst the bowling crop than usual.
Adam Reid, Peter Atkinson and Riley Siwes’ economy rates finished just shy of five runs per over, with only Reid, Sri Mahan and Kulasekara taking wickets out of the seven that rolled their arm over.
Wills, shifted down the order to strengthen the middle of the batting card, came in with the ideal platform to play his natural attacking game, freeing his arms and shifting the tone of the innings.
He made 36 off 44 deliveries and in the process, accelerated Wallace’s innings, whose final 26 runs came off 24 balls.
Jordan Cleland rode the wave of momentum those two created and cashed in with some welcome runs in the dying overs, crunching a boundary-laden 37 from 18 deliveries with four sixes, including one that landed on the roof of the grandstand at Arch Brown Reserve, and another off the final ball of the innings.
The fervent and jolly atmosphere amongst Berwick’s supporter group bolstered the energy at the venue and compounded the frustrations for the Dandenong West players who appeared helpless as their opponents piled on the runs.
Finishing the day at 6/354, after having their opponents on the ropes in a crucial contest, the Bulls the Bulls now are tasked with one of the biggest run chases in recent years next week.
Beginning the year with three straight losses, Berwick is now humming, with a settled playing 11 and three straight wins to their name.
Should the bowlers do the job this week, they’ll enter the Christmas break as the competition’s form side, and with a one-game gap between themselves and fifth place
“I feel like we’ve started to gel and we’ve got that winning momentum and belief,” Wallace said.
“Probably with a few older players like myself, getting to know each other and gel, hopefully that continues.
“We’ve beaten some good teams in the last few weeks and hopefully that keeps rolling on this weekend and after Christmas.”
