Casey-South Melbourne opening bowler Matthew Hawking was unable to claim a victim in his 10 overs against Carlton on Saturday.
By Marc McGowan
CASEY-SOUTH Melbourne is already looking towards next season after a crushing six-wicket loss to Carlton in smoky and extreme conditions at Casey Fields on Saturday.
Captain-coach Roger Sillence signalled his attention to plan for the 2007-08 season, with his side looking up on every other team in the competition.
The Swans resumed at 8/282 but were quickly dismissed for 291, with Carlton captain Tim Welsford (4/36 off 18 overs) combining with wicketkeeping dynamo Nathan Pilon on both remaining wickets.
It proved to be a foreshadowing of the day’s play, as Welsford and Pilon became the pivotal figures in the victory.
The former opened the batting with the struggling Michael Allen, who shared the Jack Ryder Medal for player of the season with St. Kilda batsman Graeme Rummans in 2005-06.
After a solid opening partnership, Sillence removed Allen for 17 but it was to be Casey-South Melbourne’s sole wicket in the first session and the only time it was still in the game.
Jeremy Brown (50) cracked a quick-fire half-century as part of an 84-run alliance with Welsford and his dismissal handed the reins over to the destructive Pilon.
Welsford and Pilon carried the score from 2/125 to 3/261, when the Carlton captain was finally removed on 99.
Despite Casey-South Melbourne also capturing the scalp of Pilon (84 off 80 balls) on the same score, the match was as good as over, and Benjamin Fletcher (seven not out) and Evan Gulbis (20 not out) took their side past the target.
Sillence provided another reminder of his all-round talents with a courageous but expensive spell of 2/73 from 15 overs and 17-year-old Clive Rose (2/76 off 19.2 overs) impressed again, but it was to no avail.
Sillence was understandably downbeat after yet another defeat but was as defiant as ever.
“Sometimes you come up against good players. Timmy Welsford is a very good player and Pilon is also a very good player – they would both be knocking on the door for Victoria,” he said.
“I thought we bowled okay, although it was not the best performance we have put in.”
The Swans’ captain believes the problems in the bowling stem from inexperience.
“We didn’t create enough chances, because we didn’t have enough balls in the area,” he said.
“It is more of a learning curve. The good players will leave the ball and wait for you to bowl a bad one.”
Despite there being half a season left, Sillence conceded that he is hoping to blood some young players as he looks towards next season.
“We need to give the guys in the twos at least a taste of premier cricket, so that if they are called on in 2007-08 they are ready to go.”
The first of those elevations will come this week in the form of 21-year-old batsman Adam Thornton, who scored the first hundred on Casey Fields and will be the latest to step into the opening role.
He made his debut in Casey-South Melbourne’s top side in the Twenty20 match against Dandenong last night (Wednesday) and will crack the two-day line-up against Camberwell at Camberwell Sports Ground this weekend.
