By RUSSELL BENNETT
WGCA PREMIER DIVISION
REVIEW – ROUND 4 (Day 2)
WHILE rain put a dampener on some teams’ hopes of victory on Saturday, it couldn’t stop Merinda Park from storming to victory against reigning WGCA Premier champions Kooweerup off the back of a brilliant bowling performance from spearhead Jess Mathers.
It was raining when the Cobras and Demons arrived at Lakeside Oval in Pakenham but Cobras player-coach Jamie Smith said his side was wary of Kooweerup’s batting line-up and its ability to score quick runs.
“We had 275 on the board, but on the other hand these guys are the reigning premiers,” he said.
“They can really get away from you if you’re not careful.”
But Mathers struck early – removing Demons skipper Michael Giles leg-before for a duck; the first of three wickets before the first rain delay.
With little more than 50 runs on the board and six wickets down, the Demons were staring down the barrel of defeat but the Cobras still had to take four wickets following the final rain delay.
“Ron Bright (22) and Cody Miller (41) batted really well but Grant Pearson changed the game for us – he bowled one over and got Ron out second ball and Miller out with his last.”
Smith said Mathers was “outstanding all day” in taking his first major haul of wickets for the season. In fact, he only had one wicket to his name heading in to round four.
“He just bowled off four or five steps all day,” Smith said of Mathers, adding that in one sense the conditions might have helped his rhythm.
Tooradin, meanwhile, would have been licking their lips at the prospect of outright victory in round four but Saturday’s conditions meant they had to settle for first innings points against Beaconsfield.
Chasing the Tigers’ 107, the Gulls resumed on day two on 0/72 with openers Tom Hussey and Brenton Adams looking at ease at the crease.
They continued where they left off on Saturday, with Tooradin skipper Hussey (80 not out) scoring a practically faultless half-century and Adams, too, pushing towards the milestone but it was clear with the constant interruptions that they wouldn’t have the chance to go for outright points. Play wrapped up early with the Gulls (0/129) cruising to a 10-wicket first innings win.
