By Marcus Uhe
87 balls of chaos may very well play a key role in seeing Berwick miss finals action in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1, having been entrenched in the top four for much of the season.
Traditionally viewed as a ‘Devil’s Number’ in Australian cricket for batters, due to being 13 runs away from triple-figures, those at Arch Brown Reserve may come to associate it with a different aspect of the game in the years to come.
At 1/196 in just the 39th over with Matthew Hague rolling, having hit his first hundred for the Bears, and with the brilliant Jake Hancock keeping him company, Berwick looked set for a monster first-innings total against Buckley Ridges, cashing-in on the small confides of Park Oval that saw 726 runs scored in two innings in round 12.
Hague and Wills played with their signature intent, adding 96 for the opening partnership as Wills notched his third-consecutive score above 50.
But the loss of Hague triggered an avalanche of wickets, Berwick’s batters becoming lost in the mountain of snow engulfing them as the innings came to a crashing halt.
There were no runs scored for the next 28 deliveries, but three batters perished in the face of Ishan Jayarathna’s reserve swing and the class and guile of veteran spinner Westley Nicholas.
Hancock departed for 29, then Jordan Cleland and Matt Robertson for ducks, the scoreboard inexplicably reading 5/196 after 43 overs.
As batting coach, Hancock did his best to instruct his teammates in the face of such pressure, but the wickets simply kept falling.
It’s a second-consecutive week in which the middle order has failed to capitalise on such a promising start, having lost 4/16 against Narre South in round 12.
No batter beyond Hancock reached double-figures in the chaos as the Bears innings came to a close in the 54th over, dismissed for just 221.
That’s a collapse of 9/25, a staggering turn of events from a position of such authority.
Jayarathna and Nicholas both finished with four wickets and Michael Davies claimed the other two for the home side.
Berwick captain Jarrod Goodes said his side missed a “great opportunity” to set the game up with a massive score.
“Not to capitalise on that (start) and not get 300 was very disappointing, and that’s where the game was lost,” Goodes said.
“Our batsmen were neither here nor there, they weren’t committed to defence and were not committed to attack, and that’s where we went wrong.
“Four, five, six, two weeks in a row, just before tea, the same thing; we lost all our momentum.
“These sorts of games, momentum is a big thing and we lost it all just before tea.
“We just, a lot of the time, played the wrong shots to the wrong balls and to their credit, they bowled pretty well.
“Jayarathna was really good, I thought he bowled really well after copping a bit early, and Nicholas bowled beautifully.”
Buckley Ridges completed the chase before Tea on Sunday, with contributions from a handful of key batters.
The new opening combination of Jake Cronin and Josh Holden proved that last week’s glittering start was no fluke, adding 90 for the first wicket thanks to a pair of scores in the 40s.
Cronin (47) and Troy Aust (two) both fell to Hague late on day one, and Holden was bowled by Bears captain Jarrod Goodes early on day three to give the visitors some life, but the home side was able to steady, and did suffer the same fate of their counterparts.
The experienced pair of Roshane Silva (61) and Ben Wright (58) shared in a 115-run partnership for the fourth wicket that erased the majority of the deficit, before Jayarathna returned to finish what he started, this time with the bat.
Berwick’s collapse continues a pattern of minor lapses proving in games proving costly for the Bears, particularly against sides higher or around the mark on the table.
Losses to Springvale South in round five, Hallam Kalora Park in round eight and against Narre South the week before, each featured small but significant stretches in which Berwick was outmatched, and ceded momentum as a result.
For Goodes, it’s matter of consistency.
“We’re competing hard, and maybe we’re just a little bit off in terms of talent compared to some of these teams, but we’re having a crack.
“With Hague, Wills, Hancock, (Robertson) and Cleland, we’ve got some firepower, we just need to put it all together on the same day.
“With the ball, we’re steady; we haven’t got any tearaway quicks or blokes that spin the ball miles, we’re competitors who have a crack and try to limit the damage when you’re playing against a team like that on a good wicket.”
It heightens the importance of next week’s clash against Springvale South, a clash that appeared to be a great finals tune-up a few weeks ago, to now a must-win.
Having fallen out of the top four on points, Berwick must secure the six points against the ladder-leaders – or hope for rain and have results go their way – to qualify for finals action.
Buckley Ridges, meanwhile, continues its late-season revival and appears to have found a best XI suited for finals cricket.
They face Narre South at home next week with a chance to snatch the all-important second place, and with it, the double chance.
