Illness and injuries couldn’t prevent the West Gippsland Wombats Over-70s from putting in a competitive performance against the Gippsland Goannas as Toongabbie on Tuesday 30 January.
The Wombats had 13 players the day before the contest, but Barry Cain contracted Covid and Graham Davey was stung by a swarm of wasps and they both had to miss the game.
That brought the Wombats numbers down to the bare 11, and this became an issue as five players injured themselves during the game and had to field and bowl even though they had trouble moving.
The Wombats welcomed Neil White into the over 70’s – playing his first game – while skipper John Moore won the toss and decided to bat first.
It was a disastrous start for the Wombats, with Jeff Phillips 0 (5) bowled by Gordon Cowling in the first over and Russell Ferguson 4 (8) bowled by Neil Meridith in the fourth.
Fred Debono 1 (15) was then bowled by Cowling in the seventh over and the Wombats were 3/8.
Pieter Loos then rescued the situation, scoring 23 of the next 24 runs before he was bowled by Andrew Smith.
Carl Muscat watched all the carnage from the other end, while only scoring one off the first 21 balls that he faced.
A youthful (70-year-old) Neil White score one off three balls before he was also bowled by Smith.
The Wombats were in big trouble with score being 6 for 54 in the 17th over when Carl Muscat 17 (38) was stumped by Ian Gibson off the bowling of Dick Noble.
But a 61-run partnership between Keith Houghton and Mike Newton added some respectability to the score.
The partnership ended when Houghton 40 (46) retired after his fine knock.
John Moore then faced his nemesis, Phil Higgins, and was bowled first ball.
When Brendon Thomas 1 (4) was bowled by Phil Higgins the Wombats were 8 for 121 in the 32nd over.
The last pair were at the wicket, Mike Newton and Jim Gregory, and on the last ball of the 40th over Gregory 21 (27) was run out and Newton 38 (60) was not out.
The pair had added 33 in eight overs to take the Wombats total to 9/154.
This was an excellent result considering the position the Wombats were in earlier in the innings.
Goannas Bowling: Gordon Cowling 8-2/17, Dick Noble 7-1/36, Andrew Smith 5-2/17, Phil Higgins 4-2/18, Neil Meridith 5-1/11, Ian Southall 3-0/16, Barry Nunn 4-0/19, and Don Cambell 4-0/17.
Ian Southall became the second captain in this match to be bowled first ball, when the Wombat’s Man of the Match Jim Gregory removed him in the first over.
The Goannas were 2/30 in the 12th over when Keith Houghton caught Warren Dummett 15 (30) off the bowling of Neil White (his first wicket in over 70’s).
The Goannas were 3/60 in the 18th over when, playing his first match for 30 years and becoming the Goannas Man of the Match, Don Campell 33 (48) was bowled by Newton.
The next wicket to fall was Ian Gibson 33 (50) bowled by Houghton.
Neil Meridith 31 (33) was Houghton’s second victim when he was trapped LBW, the score now 5/128 in the 31st over, and the Goannas’ needing 26 off 9 overs.
They lost Dick Noble 7 (9) in the 34th over when he was bowled by Fred Debono.
Still needing 15 off six overs, Andrew Smith joined Gordon Cowling.
In the 37th over they both retired, Cowling 22 (36) and Smith 4 (6), the Goannas were 6/157.
The Goannas wanted to give their other batters a hit for the last three overs.
Jim Gregory bowled an over and Brendon Thomas bowled the last two overs in succession.
During this time Wayne Tatterson was run out without scoring; with Barry Nunn and Bob Duilas both not out one off eight balls and the Goannas were 7/160 after 40 overs.
Wombats Bowling: Keith Houghton 6-2/19, Jim Gregory 7-1/17, Mike Newton 6-1/25, Neil White 7-1/25, Fred Debono 6-1/23, Pieter Loos 4-0/26, Brendon Thomas 4-0/16.
This was another great game of over 70’s cricket that could have gone either way and was only decided in the third last over.
The Wombats next play Mornington/Canterbury at Frankston.
-John Moore-
