By Marcus Uhe
Narre South coach Matthew Brooks said this win over Springvale South was “up there” in consideration for one of the best he had been involved in during his time at the club.
And given the circumstances the result, it’s difficult to find fault with the assessment.
This weekend’s round 13 Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 1 clash was shortened from a two-day contest to a one-day contest, given the state of the wicket on Saturday morning.
That played into the visitors’ hands, having won the last two Turf 1 flags in the format, and having not lost a one-day game in the home-and-away for two years.
The logjam at the top of the ladder meant Narre South had to win to win to keep hopes of returning to finals alive, against the best team in the last two seasons.
Skipper, Kyle Hardy, was on limited sleep as he juggled cricket with the dreaded night-shift at work.
Last week’s shoulder injury to star import Callum Nicholls ruled him out for the remainder of the season, Harsha de Silva was forced to withdraw so that he could play in a Sunday league grand final, and Adam Snelling was unavailable, forcing the Lions to call on reinforcements.
Harrison Barndon played his second game at Turf 1 level for the season, Stephen Brooks his first, and Brad Parker answered an SOS, having announced his immediate retirement earlier in the season.
That’s all before they fell to 3/25 in the 12th over after an excellent opening spell from Jackson Sketcher that saw Hardy, the in-form Vineth Jayasuriya, and Riley McDonald removed for single figure scores.
“Probably, at the start of the year, we wouldn’t have won a game like that,” Brooks said.
“I think now we’ve won three in a row and after Christmas they’ve really started to gel really well.
“Next week is obviously a big week, but I think to have a scalp like Springvale South is big.”
Alex Cruickshank, batting at five for the first time this season, and Jeevan Mendis then added 111 to drag them to a position of stability, before Cruickshank fell for 50.
Mendis was the next to fall for 76 at 5/188, as he and the returning Parker looked to lift the intensity in the closing overs.
Parker smashed four sixes and a four in his unlikely cameo, helping the Lions reach 8/211 from their 45 overs.
Sketcher finished with 4/35 in a season-best bowling performance, while leading wicket-taker Jarryd Straker bowled his first wicket-less innings of the campaign.
The defence started perfectly for the hosts, as Cruickshank and Callan Tout had opening pair Mitch Forsyth and Ryan Quick dismissed with two overs.
Jordan Wyatt played the corresponding role of Mendis to anchor the innings with a boundary-heavy 75 but the Bloods were left wanting for other contributors.
When he fell to Mendis for 75, it sparked a collapse of 5/58, as Jordan Mackenzie (28), Blade Baxter (five) and Jackson Sketcher (13) failed to make major impacts.
Hardy’s changes of pace proved incredibly effective on the tricky surface, as was Mendis’ leg spin where Cruickshank and Tout’s express pace was by comparison, underutilised.
When Jarryd Straker departed in the 37th over, reducing the visitors to 9/161, and giving a sleep-deprived Hardy a fifth wicket, all hope looked lost for Springvale South.
The Bloods needed a further 50 from the final wicket partnership of Paul Hill and Josh Dowling, two players who had hardly been required with the willow to date this season, in the remaining eight overs.
Hill, however, refused to go down without a fight.
He backed himself to clear the leg-side boundary despite the circumstances and with Hardy stationing fielders on the rope, and manipulated the strike to protect his number 11.
He reduced the equation to 16 required off the final 18, and with Hardy and Mendis bowled-out, the Lions were forced to turn back to their quicks.
A brazen six from Hill off Jawed Hussaini cut the target to 10, and the second-last over started with nine required.
Tout was the man chosen and he well-and-truly delivered, an exceptional set of six yielding just one run as the Bloods tactically turned-down singles.
Hussaini stepped up for the final over, needing to defend seven runs, with Hill on strike.
He bowled two dots, to make it six in a row for the Lions, before Hill holed-out at the cow-corner boundary for 44, appropriately finding Hardy, who finished with game with a safe pair of hands.
Considering some pregame tension, it was a result in the regular season that meant more than just the six points, a sense of pride and achievement ruminating from the victorious change-rooms and jubilation from the supporter base.
From third last week, the Lions now sit proudly in second with one week to play, a point clear of Buckley Ridges and Hallam Kalora Park breathing down their necks.
For Brooks, there was an immense sense of relief; close games had proven hard to win for his side in recent times, from a one-wicket loss to Buckley Ridges to a pair of one-day games against North Dandenong and Berwick, when the contests were in the balance.
While climbing the hurdle of defeating sides above them on the table, had too proved elusive, outside of the nail-biter against Berwick last week.
“It’s a really galvanising win for us,” Brooks said
“To win that game, especially after being 3/20 at the start of our innings and missing a few key players, that’s a huge result for us and shows great character.
“Our club has huge respect for (Springvale South), which they deserve; they’ve been the best team for only the last two years, but probably the last three or four.
“I think it will give us belief that we can match it, and from whatever situation, we can keep ourselves in the game.”
Despite the result, Berwick’s loss means the Bloods secure top spot on the Turf 1 ladder for a second consecutive year, ensuring home ground advantage for the first two weeks of finals, should they require it.
