Hills’ finals run all but over

By Marc McGowan
ENDEAVOUR Hills’ gallant run at the VSDCA South/East finals looks over after a disappointing 75-run defeat to Caulfield at Caulfield Park on Saturday.
The match was reduced to a 45-over-a-side affair after excessive heat led VSDCA officials to cancel play across the association the previous weekend.
But a dropped catch – the first of several – in the slips in just the second over of the day set the tone for the Hills’ underwhelming performance.
Ladder-leader Caulfield’s openers provided few worries for Endeavour Hills, but in-form skipper Shaun Richardson (41 runs off 71 balls) and Leigh Baldry (43 off 74) put the hosts on track for a strong score.
Heath Pritchard (51 not out off 46, three fours and two sixes) carried on their good work, which the Hills’ wayward bowling further helped with 18 wides.
Endeavour Hills captain-coach Vaughan Baxter also lambasted his team’s fielding that he estimated cost at least 20 runs.
Only Matt Foenander’s (2/22) and Richard Saniga’s (2/34) efforts restricted the damage.
Caulfield wound up scoring 6/207 and the total proved far beyond the reshuffled Hills’ batting line-up.
Englishman Richard Evans and Chris Peake opened the innings, but managed just nine runs between them.
Just four Endeavour Hills batsmen – Foenander (31), Neil Peake (21), Baxter (12) and Henry Vettivelu (10) – reached double figures on a lacklustre scorecard.
The Hills slumped to 9/91 before 18-year-old Foenander and 15-year-old Lachlan McIver prolonged the end with a 41-run stand.
Foenander’s eventual dismissal came in the 42nd over with Endeavour Hills on 132.
Baxter was a frustrated man after the clash.
“It was very disappointing. Once again we came across a top side and fell well short,” he said.
“I spoke to the boys afterwards and the most disappointing thing was that four or five of them threw their wickets away.
“Our fielding was the worst it’s been all year and we bowled 18 wides and a no-ball – we gave them just over three overs of extras.”
Baxter praised Foenander’s display, but was at a loss to explain his players’ constant failures against the best clubs.
“The fact we haven’t played cricket for three weeks and haven’t batted in four weeks may have had something to do with it,” he said.
“I don’t know if we panic in big games or worry too much about them rather than ourselves.
“I wouldn’t be annoyed if we lost 10 wickets because we were beaten by good balls, but we threw five of them away.”
Baxter rates his team only a ‘million-to-one’ hope of making the finals with two rounds to go.
“Realistically, our only possible chance is to get an outright over Noble Park this week, but it’s very unlikely,” he said.
The Hills locks horns with Noble Park in day one of their contest at Sydney Pargeter Reserve on Saturday from 1pm.