By Paul Pickering
A BLAZING double-ton from Geelong opener Liam Buchanan floored Casey-South Melbourne at Kardinia Park on Saturday.
The 28-year-old brute and former Bushranger smashed 31 fours and six majors in his extraordinary score of 245, single-handedly surpassing the Swans’ total of 241 from the previous weekend.
He found willing accomplices in Clinton Peake (56) and Tom Elliot (48 not out) as the Cats progressed to 4/357 declared, before having the Swans at 3/97 in their second dig.
It was a nightmarish couple of sessions in the field for the Swans, with left-arm orthodox spinner Clive Rose (0/110) and new-ball weapon Jayde Herrick (2/92) copping the brunt of Buchanan’s wrath.
They suffered in the absence of skipper Damien Wright, who tore a hamstring playing for Victoria during the week and will likely miss the next month.
The Swans also dropped Buchanan twice during the day, but coach Mark Ridgway said the damage was done on day one.
“Where we lost it was the week before, when we only made 241,” he explained.
“On a flat wicket, with a fast outfield, it certainly wasn’t enough runs.”
Ridgway praised Buchanan for his one-man demolition job, but questioned the nous of his own bowling attack.
“He’s a wonderful player and he’s too good to be playing Premier Cricket, but that’s what you have to put up with sometimes,” he said. “Our bowlers need to learn that on a flat wicket, you need to work really hard, bowl maidens and tie a batsman down, and we didn’t do that. I think we learnt a valuable lesson out of it: that if you keep doing the same, you’re gunna get the same.”
In the search for positives, the Swans will see Rohan Blandford’s unbeaten half-century in the second innings as a welcome return to form. The boy from Bairnsdale had cooled off considerably since his 95 on debut this season.
Alternatively, Ridgway could certainly take some heart from his side’s rebound victory over Frankston Peninsula in the opening Twenty20 clash of the season on Sunday.
The Heat, coming off an outright victory over Prahran the previous day, won the toss and careered away to 0/75, with skipper Nick Jewell (34) and Chris Dew (47) setting a strong platform.
That fell through when Jewell provided high-profile Swans recruit Matthew Wade his first dismissal in the club colours, gloving the ball nicely off the bowling of Matthew Hawking (1/36).
Frankston went on to make 6/145 from their set of 20, with Tim Dale (1/22) and Craig Entwistle (1/31) the only other wicket-takers.
Wade then joined Robbie Elston to lead the Swans’ run chase and the pair looked set to make light work of their target until the Bushrangers ’keeper was bowled on 26 (from 18 balls).
Elston continued on to play the crucial innings; his 50 from 41 balls including eight boundaries.
The Swans still needed around a run a ball in the last few overs, but some lusty hitting from Herrick (23 from 20) got the job done with three balls and four wickets in the bank.
So despite Saturday’s debacle, Ridgway is comfortable – if not content – with his side’s progress.
“Our faults are that we’re just not sharp enough in some areas and we let momentum turn pretty quickly, but in saying that, gee we’ve improved,” he noted.
The Swans begin a two-day game against Northcote this weekend, which should provide a good gauge of that improvement.
“We think we’re about that standard,” Ridgway said. “About mid table.”
GEELONG V CASEY-SOUTH MELBOURNE
At Geelong Cricket Ground.
CASEY-SM 1ST INNINGS – 241
GEELONG 1ST INNINGS (resumed at 1/6)
L. Buchanan, c. Hawking b. Watkins 245
M. Harrison, c. Hussey b. Herrick 0
A. Borovec, lbw Hawking 3
C. Peake, c. Rose b. Herrick 56
T. Elliot, n.o. 48
Sundries 5
Four wickets (dec) for 357
Fall of wickets: 6, 29, 184, 357.
Bowling: D. Wright 1-0-6-0, J. Herrick 22-3-91-2, M. Hawking 11-0-32-1, C. Rose 17-1-110-0, B. Eddy 7-0-57-0, B. Watkins 4.3-0-24-1, T. Dale 5-0-34-0.
Overs: 67.3.
CASEY-SM 2ND INNINGS
C. Rose, c. Borovec b. Walerys 5
R. Elston c. Borovec b. Carson 11
B. Watkins, lbw Hart 4
R. Blandford, n.o. 56
T. Hussey, n.o.18
Sundries 3
Three wickets for 97
Fall of wickets: 6, 13, 60.
Bowling: M. Carson 6-0-33-1, T. Walerys 5-0-21-1, J. Hart 6-2-22-1, A. Di Giacomo 3-0-19-0.
Overs: 20.
Geelong won by 116 runs.
