Senior Match Reports Round 2
1st XI
It was a beautiful 25 degree day up at Preston, where skipper Ricky lost the toss and Brighton were asked to bowl first.
Luke Shimmin took the new ball and bowled a really good first over, followed by Jayce Morgan at the other end, both backed up by some quality fielding by Darcy Kennelly and Charith Cooray behind square.
After the short burst from the two openers Brad Finch came into the attack replacing Jayce with Sean Wilson replacing Luke. At this stage they were none down, until Wilson struck. An aggressive start from Finch had the batsmen on the back foot with his pace and steep bounce causing them difficulties. As the Preston batters dug deep we had a change of bowling with Jesse coming into the attack and picking up a couple of wickets which got the lads going again. After drinks, Ricky brought spin into the attack where Kennelly picked up 2 wickets in one over, giving the young spinner a confidence boost, however he was put off his lines in the by an aggressive and strange way of batting.
A good display at the end from Wilson, Finch and Shimmin bowling disciplined lines made it tough for the batters to hit out, leaving Brighton requiring 167 for victory.
A change in the batting order as Alleyne joined Anderson at the top of the order with Charith Cooray in at 3. A wicket fell in the second over as Alleyne was clean bowling for 0, a tough start for the tonners but Anderson and Cooray battled through, putting on a partnership of 90 before Anderson was out for 56. A middle order collapse saw Brighton lose 4 wickets for not many runs. At this stage needing 50+ runs to win there was a lot of pressure on Brighton and the young blokes in the middle. A solid performance from both Navin Cooray (18*) and Darcy (35*), however, lead the mighty tonners to their first win of the year chasing the target down with 5 wickets and a couple of overs to spare.
Oh when the tonners……
2nd XI
This week the BCC 2nd XI hosted Preston in a contest for crucial start of the season points, as well as rights to the moniker ‘ tonner ‘. A continuing streak of coin toss form by James Perkins-Stafford saw BCC batting first in perfect conditions at Brighton Beach Oval.
Stuart ‘Snake’ Fairley (42) opened in typical fashion, dealing vicious blows to anything overpitched and along with Jack Rutter (14) saw us get off to a flying start. The highlight of the partnership was a rejuvenated Snake running a four – a real treat and rare sight!
A few quick wickets to the Preston opener, however, put the game back in the balance. Preston looked to take the ascendancy with slow bowling and vocal specialist fielders. A mix of experience and young talent through the middle overs paid off with cameos from Andrew Martin (43), David Salter (24), Liam Stocker (21), and James Perkins-Stafford (22) saw BCC post a defendable 7/183.
After the break and a delightful spread by Gayle, Leroy and Neil bowled well for little reward. It wasn’t until Staffy came on that the ball got rolling so to speak. Tight smart bowling partnerships from Staffy (7 overs 1-22) and an animated Finn Spackman (9 overs 3-24) saw Preston struggle to form the big partnerships required to mount a strong chase. Wickets fell frequently and momentum swung our way with Neil coming back with a strong second spell claiming 3 wickets which saw Preston eventually all out for 162.
This was another strong performance by the boys. Early days but a good start to the year that has us sitting 2nd on the ladder and in good position to mount yet another finals campaign.
3rd XI
After a long drive out to Croydon, the Brighton 3rds won the toss and elected to bat first on a slightly green but good looking wicket. Croydon’s ground, whilst being located amongst the picturesque Yarra Ranges, made run scoring particularly difficult with a lush and slow outfield.
After a solid opening partnership of 25 between Matt Hardy and Charlie Franklyn, wickets fell in a flurry with Hardy (9), Harry O’Brien (4) and Hugh Hamilton (2) all falling cheaply to place Brighton in a precarious position of 3/39 after 20 overs. The arrival of Mitch Finlayson at the crease for his first bat of the season changed the momentum of Brighton’s innings with his hard running and stroke play lifting the intensity of innings. Finlayson and Franklyn combined for an important 97 run partnership before Franklyn eventually fell for 52 and Finlayson for 54. Cameos from Hamish Graham (18) and James Styling (17*) led Brighton to a respectable score of 7/182.
The Brighton opening bowlers Hamish Graham and Jackson Jones started strongly, picking up an early wicket to place pressure on Croydon who were 1/16 after 5 overs. This wicket brought Croydon’s first drop to the crease, who would play what proved to be a match winning innings. He blasted a quick fire 83 including 5 sixes and 6 fours, making scoring boundaries look easy compared to the hard running and patience that accompanied the Brighton innings. This performance was ultimately the difference between the two sides despite the best efforts of Finlayson (2-37 off 9), Walker (1-23) and an excellent spell of (3-19) from young off-spinner Tom Goldsmith, Croydon eventually chased down our total with 7 overs remaining. A disappointing result given the strength in personnel of our 3rd XI team this round, but one we will look to rectify on Saturday!
4th XI
Round 2 saw the 4th XI arrive at South Road on a blustery Sunday. With impending afternoon rain Cam McKenzie showed good early toss winning form and elected to bat. This saw Pidge and Brad Marais out in the middle. Both bats showed early resilience seeing out the new ball with ease, settling in for what looked like, uncharacteristic for the 4’s, consecutive solid opening partnerships.
Croydon had obviously received the memo that it was Pidges birthday providing him with a couple of chances on his way to a solid 62. Brad Marais effort was nothing short of superb, playing a chanceless hand, patiently waiting for the loose ball and dispatching it to the boundary when presented. The maturity beyond his years he showed cannot go unmentioned. The dismissal of Pidge late in the innings slowed the momentum slightly with O’Brien coming to the wicket to contribute his traditional early season LBW for a blob. Oscar O’Brien came to the wicket for his first senior game and rotated the strike to Marais on his way to his maiden century. Tonners finished the innings @ 5/182 which looked like a competitive score given the prospect of impending cyclonic wind and rain.
Following another delightful spread at tea, Croydon openers Johns and Samuel came out with intent needing 4.5 an over, and getting off to a flyer. Magic Mike and Connor V bowled well, with no luck considering the conditions, holding their mettle despite Croydon having a go at them early. Macca made a decisive change bringing Patto and Jasper on to slow the pace and take the momentum away from Croydon. This proved effective as evidenced by Jasper finishing day with 6 overs for just 10 runs. This great spell from his end created the support and pressure for Patto to entice Croydon to try and hit out, resulting in 2 quick wickets. Eventually rain came in to halt play @ the 26th over leaving Croydon short on adjusted results.
A great result for the 4s and it is fantastic to see the young guard stepping up and showing great character to bring home the win.
