By Jonty Ralphsmith
Cranbourne’s season so far has been a riddle.
The Eagles have won just two wins from seven completed games in Turf 2 of the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) despite entering the season in most people’s eyes as premiership favourites.
After finishing in the top two in the past two seasons, Mick Sweeney’s men sit sixth, equal on points with bottom-placed Parkfield, and two games outside the top four, yet have the fourth best percentage.
They are yet to be comprehensively beaten, the heaviest loss being a five wicket defeat to Doveton which the Doves won in the 41st over.
Captain Mick Sweeney says it is the little things in big moments that currently lets them down.
“You analyse where you’re going wrong and for most games, when I look back at them, it’s either been a 50-50 game-in-the-balance situation or we’ve been in control and we’ve probably lost 10-15 per cent of the match through two big moments…in contextual, situational and decision-making mistakes, and it has equalled a run of close losses,” the skipper said.
“I think talking about relegation or finals with where we’re at is a moot point; we need to get back to the process and individuals need to have a look at what made them successful in the last two years where we’ve finished in the top two.
“We’re not doing what we were doing in the past two years.
“Maybe I need to change my messaging a little bit, (I don’t want to) get stuck going through the motions of the same message.
“(We don’t want) to overhaul, because we’re putting ourselves in positions to win, so we don’t want to change too much because you don’t want the adverse affect of giving too many players who aren’t ready a go, they flounder, and you lose and lose worse.”
Given they have been in all of their matches, Sweeney hasn’t had reason to make sweeping changes: there has been continuity without reward.
In their first match of the season against Keysborough – this week’s opponent – the Eagles put together their most complete performance, but at least one area has let them down since.
A final ball thriller against Parkfield could have gone either way, but ultimately only one Cranbourne batter went on with their start.
Against Lyndale they leaked too many runs; the spinners got the seam-up bowlers out of jail against Narre Warren; and they’ve suffered batting collapses in each of their last three games which has caught them short.
But, despite having a strong Second XI which sits second on the table, Cranbourne has backed in its personnel.
The only instability has been in the opening pair, with an average first-wicket partnership of fewer than 18 runs.
Matt Collett, Justin Dickinson, Dean McDonnell and Harsaroup Singh have all been tried up top, but the only one whose season with the bat which so far gets a pass mark is Collett.
He’s opened just twice this season before finding his niche as a goer against spin in the middle-order.
The other trio have just one half-century between them – off the bat of Singh – and have a collective average of just 14.66.
Their shortfalls have put pressure on the middle order and the Sweeney brothers have been solid, but haven’t had the Herculean efforts of last year when Peter averaged 79 and Mick 50.
They’ve had starts without winning games off their own bat.
“I have encouraged blokes to take ownership of their own game, do what makes them effective,” Mick Sweeney added.
As well as Collett, Pardeep Boyal is another who has shown glimpses lower down the order which has giving Cranbourne the faith to potentially try him up top.
“Paddy has played very well down the order for us, he’s batted very well for limited opportunity, I’m not sure managing a run rate and chase comes naturally to him and perhaps with more time at the crease and less pressure with the run rate might actually suit him.”
Anthony Galley, a one-day-suited player who goes for his shots, has also given them something to think about with a 75-ball 97 in the seconds.
From a bowling perspective, they have leant heavily on left-arm orthodox spinner Peter Sweeney, who leads the Turf 2 wickets column.
He has multiple wickets in all but one game, building up pressure with his suppressive accuracy.
Cranbourne had hoped he would be complemented by fast-bowling recruits Jayden Scotland and Jakeb Thomas, but that pair hasn’t quite had the desired impact.
Thomas had his best outing on the weekend with 2/32, and he has eight wickets for the season but has battled injury, while Scotland played seconds in the final game of 2022 before missing last week due to an impending childbirth.
On balance, it therefore reads like a steady, if unspectacular, side: floundering opening partnership, compensated by some offerings lower down the order, spinners forming the backbone and seam-up bowlers sometimes chipping in.
With so much experience, particularly at a higher level, the assumption would be that they would be more likely to execute under pressure and win close games.
Albeit, by not landing the killer blow when the game has been there to be seized, the season arguably goes on the line this weekend against Keysborough.
Playing at a batter-friendly Rowley Allan Reserve will give them no excuses with the blade, and with the ball they’ll be tested against a Keysy line-up that finds ways to get runs on the board.
It’s now or never for Cranbourne this season.
