Bayside Leader Coverage – Round 3

CONSIDERING the strong wind that swept across the Brighton Beach Oval and the outlandish reverse-sweeps employed by Ormond batsman Adam Cragg, it’s tempting to say the Monders swept aside Brighton.
But no. The Tonners also laid siege to the boundary in Saturday’s Sub-District Twenty20 match.
Ormond’s 7-181, however, proved a few clean strikes too many, the hosts coming off with 4-163 on a day when batsmen picked off 24 fours and 11 sixes.

The bulk of Ormond’s hefty total came via half-centuries from Cragg and Neil “The Hurry Master’’ Schlittler, who was coaxed out of retirement for a cameo appearance.
The burly right-hander opened the innings with Grant Chessari and hit the ball hard.
He plonked one delivery on to the railway track that hugs the ground. Soon after he had another rolling along South Rd after going over long off.

“Still happily retired. Young man’s game!’’ he said after his 66.
Englishman Cragg is a busy left-hander. But, outrageously and brilliantly, he hit three sixes with reverse sweeps, one whistling into the playground on the outer bank. And the shots were played against seam bowling, not spin. It was remarkable stuff.

“Some of the best cricket shots you’ll ever see,’’ Monders captain James Wild said.
Batting, and improvising, at No 4, Cragg (57) replaced Wild, who had hit successive sixes, first over long off, then over square leg, the ball thumping on to the roof of the grandstand. He perished to a short delivery, half looking to hook it, half looking to evade it. It probably wasn’t Wild’s only each-way bet in the past few weeks.
In the Brighton reply, new coach David Alleyne and Dan Anderson (27) made a rattling start, putting on 56.
Alleyne went on to a half-century (65), No 3 Charith Cooray made 30 and Ricky Damiano, going in at No 4, was 26 not out. Perhaps the Tonners should have sent out Damiano earlier.