BERWICK’S dreams of winning the Turf One division in the Dandenong and District Cricket Association were a reality in the early overs of their do-or-die semi-final clash with raging favourite Buckley Ridges on Saturday.
That’s when James Davies backed up the supreme season he has had by striking twice before the score had ticked over for the home side.
However, 141 was added for the third wicket and the going got tough for the Bears bowlers, as Buckley showed why they were the top team all year.
Crosby this time was the instigator of the third wicket and Davis hit again straight after to make it 4/144. The Bears won out in the third session to sit Buckley on the haunches, struggling to keep their heads above water at 7/202.
Davies (24-6-4-80) was the pick of the bowlers, showing why he was among the first-picked when the league selected their team of the year. Jarrod Goodes and Matt Crosby both collected two wickets while Cam McDonnell toiled without luck for 24 overs.
The Buckley bats got on top in the final overs, the scoreboard racing uncontrollably to 337 before stumps were drawn.
The postage stamp-sized Park Oval meant Berwick held hopes of picking off the required runs and Gavan Wills (33) and James Davies with a devastating 45 off 39 balls sent Berwick rolling in the right direction, however as the heavens opened, Berwick’s momentum was halted.
Paul Evans and Ryan Crawford were the mainstays of the Berwick middle order, but when play resumed on the spare day, Evans’ innings of 28 was finished with a judgement of lbw leaving him devastated and Berwick’s hopes depleted.
Crawford fell for a well-constructed 38 with a nick behind and the Bears’ tail wagged with Josh Holden justifying his selection with 23 and Matt Crosby clinging to hope with 33 before the Bears were dismissed, still 77 runs short.
The better team may have won through but the Bears can hold heir heads high with pride and look forward to some exciting prospects next season.
@BT Sub Sport News:A GRADE
Second-placed Berwick took on third-placed Buckley Ridges at Berwick’s home soil at Edwin Flack Reserve with the Bears taking advantage of the hot conditions on day one by winning the toss and electing to bat first.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the top order who folded under the pressure applied by the Buckley quicks, Berwick 3/22 in a flash.
Damien Quinlan came together with Sam Curtis and the pair steadied the rocking Berwick ship with a 76-run stand to get the Bears back in control.
Things took another tragic turn when Quinlan lofted drive was stunningly snatched by a Buckley sweeper at full stretch in the deep, setting off a stream of Bears wickets that saw them slump to 7/119, Quinlan gone for a promising 37.
Curtis held strong throughout the downturn and paced his way to a half-century before a lapse in concentration caused his downfall, leaving Barnard to pick up the pieces of the wiltering Berwick tail.
Barnard eventually succumbed to the pressure, caught for 20 and the Bears were all out for a sub-par 153, with 19 overs remaining.The Berwick bowlers set Buckley back on their heels with a ferocious spell, Quinlan capturing three vital wickets with 41 on the board for the visitors.
The game was poised evenly at the end of day one, and three more wickets at the start of day two put Berwick in a winning position at 6/66 with Quinlan taking a magnificent catch low-down at slip and Barnard joining the party with a pair to his name.
Trevor McGeachin (13-4-2-32) was piecing together a sterling spell, his second wicket putting Berwick in the box seat, and Pete Haxell was introduced with devastating effect, two priceless wickets the icing on the cake.
The final glory was for Quinlan (17-2-3-35) and Barnard (25-3-3-64) who capped off a gutsy win for the Bears who win their way through to a grand final against Parkfield at Carrol Reserve.
@BT Sub Sport News:E GRADE
Berwick’s ‘E-machine’ took their stunning season to a higher level with a resounding win against Southern Pirates on their home track to win through to a home grand final.
Day one saw Berwick bowled out for a meager 128, despite a confident opening of 2/83, with Mitch Pugh falling for 16 and Damien Cooper doing the majority of the scoring.
Cooper plundered all that came his way, his run-a-ball 69 littered with boundaries, many of which disappeared towards the square leg fence. Coopers’ demise was the catalyst for an all too familiar middle order slump that left the Bears’ finals hopes hanging by a thread.
The Bears squandered their powerful start to fall to 9/108, before the youth pull them up for breath with Tom Goodes and Nathan Workman knocking up a telling 20-run last-wicket stand. In reply the Pirates were 2/22 overnight with Workman and Ananta doing the damage to give Berwick a glimmer of hope in defense of their paltry 128.
Youth pulled them through when play resumed with all but two of the 10 wickets falling to the Bears’ strong contingent of youthful bowlers, Hemath Ananta (13-2-3-39) worked tirelessly when asked by his skipper and Tom Goodes was unplayable with his variation in swing and pace, 14-9-3-13 his reward and a birth in a grand final the fruits of his labour.
Workman’s two wickets can not be overlooked and went a long way towards Berwick routing the Pirates for 94, the Bears living to fight another day with a head full of steam for a shot at the ultimate success.
