Run chase will test Swans

By Marc McGowan
CASEY-SOUTH Melbourne will have to buck its season-long batting woes to overcome Geelong after a long day in the field in its two-day Victorian Premier Cricket contest at Geelong Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The Cats compiled an enormous total of 7/429 from the day’s 100 overs and will be confident of emerging victorious in a match-up of the bottom sides in the Neil Buszard Group.
The Swans will have to chase the imposing target with a revamped batting line-up with all-rounder Lucas van Raay (social commitment and sore left ankle) absent and Adam Thornton sent back to the seconds.
Stephen Nicholls will take van Raay’s spot in the middle-order and debutant Jye Sampson will be thrust into the opening role.
Casey-South Melbourne made a spirited start to the match and had Geelong struggling at 4/49 on arguably the flattest wicket the Swans have come across this season.
Lanky opening bowler Matthew Hawking (3/106 off 21 overs) snared three of the early wickets and captain-coach Roger Sillence (2/102 off 26 overs) continued his hot form with the new ball to capture the other one.
The complexion of the game then changed with Thomas Elliot’s (62 off 122 balls) introduction to the wicket and he combined with Clinton Peake to construct a 147-run stand.
Peake, a former Victorian Bushranger and Australian under-19 captain, has been in torrid form of late and his 134 from 180 balls (17 fours) was his second consecutive century and fourth of the season.
It could have been different with the Cats batsman dropped by Robbie Elston off Sillence on 37 and he also survived a run-out chance when he was in the 80s.
Compounding the pain for Casey-South Melbourne was the fact that injured fast bowler Troy Ryan (achilles), who will not play again this season, removed both batsmen cheaply in the teams’ one-day encounter on 6 January.
The batting kept on coming for Geelong, with captain Andre Borovec (118 not out off 154 balls, with 11 fours) the best of them in making his maiden ton at this level.
Borovec was out stumped on 97 off Craig Entwistle, but unfortunately for the Swans it was a no-ball.
The other batsman to impress was Adam Burns, who cracked an undefeated 42 from just 38 balls.
Sillence rued his squad’s fielding effort, but is confident of making the runs this weekend.
“It was a very flat track, a very fast outfield, and a couple of them made good starts,” he said.
“It is a little bit disappointing; we made a few errors along the way and on a flat track and outfield you need to take all of your opportunities.
“I just said to the guys that in a hundred overs, four an over is not that hard on this wicket.”
Entwistle will have the perfect platform in his chase of Roy Howard’s club runs record, but the Swans will also need a big score from their captain.
“I’ve been bowling really nicely after Christmas, but I have not been batting so well,” Sillence said.
“It would be nice to get among the runs, but as an all-rounder I’m never going to be performing both skills each week.”