Endeavour Hills teenager Ryan Pearson had no answer for this Jehanzeb Ashraf delivery at Sydney Pargeter Reserve on Saturday. Picture: Luke Plummer. By Marc McGowan
ANOTHER dismal batting display has Endeavour Hills in trouble in its Victorian Sub District Cricket Association contest against Yarraville at Sydney Pargeter Reserve.
But last week’s magnificent performance by the Hills attack to defend a small total has given captain-coach Ben Maroney hope.
“We’ve got Simon Black, Matty Hutchinson, Karl Turner and Ryan Kitchin who are all quicks, so they’ll have to work pretty hard for their next 90 runs to get (the win),” he said.
“I’m still confident if the boys can get a couple of early ones.”
Even if the quartet can pull off another unlikely triumph, it does not mask the continued ordinary output of the team’s batting line-up.
Endeavour Hills’ top score of 6/159 this season came in the one-dayer that opened the year, and the team will need to improve significantly if Maroney’s finals aim is to be fulfilled.
Batting stars Turner, Ryan Pearson and Maroney were back in the pavilion with just 19 runs on the board and there was little fight from the middle order.
Brett Wilkinson (4/39 off 23 overs) started the rot for Yarraville and Tim McRae (4/31 off 15 overs) was just as lethal with the leather.
At 7/61, the Hills needed a hero, and Hutchinson strode to the crease.
A quick-fire 16 runs from 11 balls was the result before what Maroney described as a dodgy lbw decision went against him to leave Endeavour Hills 8/79.
The defiant Justin Merlino (17 from 113 balls) followed soon after, and a double digit total looked the likely scenario.
However, last men standing Black (35 from 85) and Kitchin (12 from 36) had other ideas.
There were swings and misses and plenty of lbw shouts, but they stood strong and became more comfortable as the partnership developed.
Black slammed two boundaries and looked a chance at a half century before Alex Hewett removed Kitchin to end the Hills’ innings at 134.
Hutchinson and Black then opened the bowling for the home side and were measly in conceding just nine runs from seven overs, including three consecutive maidens to Hutchinson.
But Maroney’s off-spinners were just what Yarraville slasher Leigh Holmes (30 from 44) wanted.
Holmes cracked two fours off Maroney to instigate a spree of 31 runs from the next five overs.
Despite receiving a battering himself, Kitchin had the last laugh and removed Holmes with the last ball of the day to leave Yarraville 1/46 at stumps.
Endeavour Hills’ bowlers may need to pick up the slack several more times in 2007-08 because Maroney predicts more struggles – but also good times – ahead.
“I’m a little bit disappointed with the batting performance. They just need to be patient and that will come with experience,” he said.
“The beauty of inexperience is they could come out next game and post a 300-plus score next week, but maybe another 150 the game after – it’s the same as last year.”
The match continues at 1pm on Saturday.
