Swans make willow sing

By Paul Pickering
A COCKY pre-match address backfired on Northcote on Saturday, inspiring Casey-South Melbourne to a memorable 10-run win at Bill Lawry Oval.
The Dragons were overheard discussing the prospect of an outright victory before play began on day two, needing just 113 runs to pass the Swans’ total of 162.
If the visitors needed any extra motivation, that was it.
Disrespected for so long, the resurgent Swans let their cricket do the talking en route to their third win of the season and ninth place on the Premier ladder.
Coach Mark Ridgway described it as a ‘very sweet win’, having joined his charges in a louder-that-normal rendition of the club song after the match.
“If teams want to make those sorts of statements, they need to be able to back it up,” he said.
“When that gets back to you, you say ‘well okay, let’s just see how good you blokes really are’.
“A lot of clubs think that against us, but I keep saying that they can think that at their own peril, because our team’s pretty good.”
There’s no doubt that the Swans’ bowling stocks are healthier than ever.
Left-arm spinner Clive Rose made an emphatic return to form by taking 3/38 from 23 overs, while Tim Dale (2/7 from 12), Matthew Hawking (2/35) and Jayde Herrick (2/56) bowled eight maidens apiece in a consummate team performance.
Hawking struck the first blow of the day when he snuck a delivery through the defenses of Northcote’s Andrew Sturgess, who had survived a couple of confident lbw shouts in his labour-intensive innings.
From there the Dragons slumped to 9/134, before number 11 Darren O’Shea (14) went on the attack to bring them with reach of victory. O’Shea was run out as he looked to bring the deficit into single figures, sparking raucous celebrations from the visitors.
Ridgway was delighted with the control and patience exhibited by his bowlers.
“It’s a pretty easy game cricket, (because) if you bowl enough maidens you put pressure on and you get wickets,” he said.
“(They) did that exceptionally well on Saturday.”
The game plan will be the same against reigning premier and ladder leader Ringwood this Saturday, when the Swans finally return to Casey Fields for their first home game of the season.
This weekend’s two-day fixture will be followed by clashes with Melbourne and Prahran – occupying second and third place on the Premier pecking order – before the Christmas break.
Ridgway is hoping for at least one victory in those three matches to give the Swans a platform to build upon in the second half of the season.