Too steep for Hills’ bats

By Marc McGowan
ENDEAVOUR Hills captain-coach Vaughan Baxter set his players a seemingly straight-forward task before Saturday’s game – bat the full 80 overs.
Hills’ openers Justin Merlino and Richard Evans made a solid-enough start to that ambition – grafting 24 runs without loss – until disaster struck.
Elsternwick bowlers John Midwinter (4/36 from 14 overs), Nigel Couzens (3/38 from 13) and Matthew Shimell (2/40 from 17) combined to snare 6/18 and leave Endeavour Hills stumbling at 6/42.
Baxter’s (60 runs) and Shane Peake’s (37) 63-run seventh-wicket partnership went some way to recovering the innings, but when Midwinter trapped the latter in front with the final ball before tea the end appeared to be nigh.
Instead Baxter found another willing ally in Richard Saniga (31) after the break, but there was little resistance once their 56-run alliance ended.
The Hills’ final three wickets fell for just four runs as the Wicks dismissed the visitors for 185 in the 60th over.
Elsternwick’s batsmen had no such worries, compiling 46 runs before stumps for the loss of only one wicket.
Off-spinner Shane Peake was Endeavour Hills’ wicket-taker, following on from his impressive figures of 4/17 in round one.
But Baxter found little solace from his side’s poor day-one display.
“I’m very disappointed. I said to the boys that I wanted them to bat the 80 overs, but then they lost (a combined) 9/22 and it’s not good enough – we were well off the mark,” he said.
“I don’t think their bowling attack was anything special.
“They were okay, don’t get me wrong, but they didn’t have a tearaway quick or someone who was express or did heaps with it.”
Baxter was hoping his bowlers could claim a few wickets before the end of play, but – other than Peake’s solitary wicket – they were unable to penetrate the Wicks’ line-up.
“I wanted everyone to be up for the final 50 minutes and to have a crack and we did, but only got one wicket,” he said.
“Unfortunately, our bowling has been my concern all along.
“Our batting let us down on the weekend, but we just have to learn to bowl in the right areas and not try to take wickets with every ball.”
The two-day clash continues at Elsternwick Park on Saturday from 1pm.