By David Nagel
Are we about to witness one of those weird and whacky moments that only sport can seem to deliver…that not even a Hollywood scriptwriter could dream up?
With only one afternoon remaining in the CCCA Premier Division, only three things are locked in stone.
Kooweerup will finish third, and Cardinia fourth, while a mid-to-late season rally from Carlisle Park has the Vikings entrenched as a Premier Division staple next year.
But that’s it…the remaining chapters have more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie classic!
Do you want the good news or bad news first?
The bad news you say…okay then, let’s have a look at the relegation battle; a battle that has suddenly grown from a desperate two to a frantic and anxious three.
Officer………it is now in danger of relegation.
Heading into round 14 the Bullants had the lowest percentage in the competition, born from the fact that it has lost the most wickets – and claimed the least – of all eight teams this season.
But the Bullants did have a buffer…and two pretty-safe ones at that.
Merinda Park (eighth) would need to defeat second-placed Pakenham, in addition to Clyde (seventh) getting the better of ladder-leaders Tooradin, on the banks of the Westernport, for the Bullants to be in danger.
One, maybe…but both, that couldn’t possibly happen!
Well, heading into day one most pundits would have agreed – but the bottom two are now in those difficult and arduous tasks right up to their eyeballs.
Clyde delivered one of its best bowling performances of the season, rolling a suddenly out-of-form Seagulls batting line up for 151 on Saturday.
Daniel Lever (3/36 off 19) delivered when his skipper Brett Reid (1/18 off 8) needed him most, using his craft and guile to spearhead the Cougars attack.
Openers Kane Avard (2/16 off 11) and Nick Miles (2/20 off 9) were also effective as the Seagulls succumbed on the fourth-consecutive occasion.
The dominant batting team either side of Christmas (7/322, 6/290, 5/302, 7/267, 3/277) has suddenly made batting look difficult.
Their last four visits to the crease read 121, 102, 9/131 and now 151 – that’s 505 runs for 39 wickets lost, at an average of 13 runs per batter!
Only Josh Lownds (31) could work his way into the 30s.
It won’t cost the reigning champs a home semi-final, or maybe even top spot, but it’s a trend that Cal O’Hare and his boys will need to rectify in a hurry.
So, the Cougars now need 152 to win.
Meanwhile, at Pakenham (1/15), Merinda Park (197) endured the worst possible start after appearing to be sent to the gallows by Lions’ skipper Dale Tormey.
Tormey won the toss, sent the Cobras in, with Brad Hodge (0) back in the hut without the scorers having been troubled.
An early flurry from classy import Michael De Iacovo (39) – which contained seven fours and one six – had the Cobras back on track before Tormey (5/64 off 24.3) and Tommy Tyrrell (4/37 off 15) ran riot through the middle order.
The Cobras lost 3/0, slipping from 3/73 to 6/73, before Tormey removed Sasindu Perera (6) to make it 7/88.
See’ya Cobras, you’re time in Premier Division is up…Clyde and Officer – you can breathe easy.
But leadership and character comes in many forms, and Merinda Park stalwarts – skipper Andy Martin (47 not out) and Anthony ‘Crash’ Craddock (41) – restored some pride and hope for the visitors.
Along with Tyson Bertrand (25), Martin and Craddock added a crucial 109-runs for the last three wickets…a weird and whacky moment.
Tormey – $1.10 to win the Terry Stephenson Medal – bowled beautifully for the Lions, while Tyrrell is looming large as a key weapon come finals time.
Tyrrell hits the bat hard, has good control, and is as sharp as he has been all season.
The Cobras struck a vital blow in their eight overs with the ball, with left-hand spinner Perera (1/1 off 4) claiming the key wicket of Lions’ champion Chris Smith (1).
The Cobras have nine wickets to get, and 182 runs to play with…as they into a season-defining day two.
Get Tormey early and this one is really up for grabs!
And the battle to avoid relegation has now found a third home with Starling Road set to be a nervous place to be as the Bullants bunker down for a run-chase against Kooweerup (177) this Saturday.
Although the odds are still stacked in their favour, with Clyde in a winning position and Merinda Park having the runs on the board, the Bullants need to treat this Saturday as a must-win outing.
To avoid relegation on their terms – against a genuine premiership contender – now that’s the way to finish a season!
It won’t be easy for the Bullants, despite a magnificent bowling performance from Kane Hawkins (5/75 off 29) who has been super-impressive since switching from Flinders just prior to the Christmas break.
Hawkins has good pace but can stray in accuracy at times, but had everything in synch as he started his afternoon in style.
Luke McMaster (0) bowled, Cody Miller (19) trapped in front, and Gamini Kumara (31) bowled; Hawkins had three victims as the Demons scraped their way to 4/59.
The experiment of batting Chris Bright (32) at number-five paid off to an extent, with ‘Wombat’ producing a patient display by his own rollicking standards – facing 84 balls – and sharing a 63-run stand with Steven Dillon (45).
Jonty Bennie (3/55 off 20) and Leigh Boyle (2/14 off 7.3) were rock-solid for the Bullants, who will need to overcome in-form speedsters Jess Mathers and Luke McMaster to get anywhere near the choccies.
And it’s rather ironic that Cardinia (203) will be the only team to head into this year’s finals series with consecutive scores of 200 under its belt after the Bulls recovered well to post a competitive total against Carlisle Park (1/15).
The Bulls have been clearly the worst performed batting unit of the top four this season, but 5/276 against Officer, and now 203 against the Vikings, will give Jake Prosser (53) and his team some real confidence heading into next week’s away semi-final against either Pakenham or Tooradin.
They bowl and defend well, and know how to win, but the brittle nature of their batting is something the Bulls will need to overcome to claim their second premiership in three years.
Prosser, returning from a broken hand, dropped himself down the order – and received the perfect acid test ahead of finals.
What a perfect tune up, coming to the crease at 6/99 and having to overcome adversity to get his team to a potentially winning score.
You get the feeling it will have to be that way if the Bulls are to trouble the top three!
Bradey (24) and Matt Welsh (22) showed promising signs early for the Bulls, while Lachie Volpe (10), Josh Grogan (15) and veteran Dean Henwood (19) made some valuable runs to push the total past 200.
It’s worth remembering that Volpe played a crucial lower-order innings in last year’s semi-final against Kooweerup.
If Prosser stays low, Volpe could be the main to stay with him come finals.
While the fate of the Kooweerup, Cardinia and Carlisle Park is clear, and the relegation battle explained, the battle for top spot – and a potential home grand final – is also as tight as a drum.
Pakenham – facing a small percentage deficit to Tooradin heading into day one – currently leads the way, with a percentage of 1.7786 to the Seagulls 1.7353.
But the fact that we’ve had to go four decimal points just shows how close it’s going to be.
It’s going to be a weird and whacky Saturday afternoon!
