First innings points are within both teams’ grasp at Greaves Reserve following the end of what Dandenong West captain coach Anthony Brannan described as a “crazy” first day of the Bulls’ contest against Springvale South in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 competition.
One way or another, the result will be determined in the opening handful of overs; the Bloods need just eight more runs, while Dandenong West need a further two wickets to complete the first half of the equation.
18 wickets fell in 73 overs with 17 falling to seam bowling, as Springvale South reached stumps at 8/99 in pursuit of 106.
Tail-end trio Nick Boland, Jarryd Straker and Josh Dowling will have their batting expertise thrust into the spotlight, the sole options remaining tasked with notching the final eight runs.
The Bloods looked set to finish the day in a commanding position and with the possibility of an outright victory in their sights next week after bowling the home side out for just 106 in 43 overs.
Opener Shaun Weir (27) was the only batter to make a double figure score in the Bulls’ top six, needing starts from Bailey Howarth and Matthew Collett to push them to triple figures later in the innings.
Boland, Sketcher and Baxter were the key figures behind the capitulation, combining their unnerving accuracy and stump-to-stump lines to rattle Dandenong West’s top order.
The Bulls lost 5/25 including the key wickets of Weir, Venuk Hemachandra and Brannan in a brutal 15-over period, after the openers combined to effectively see-off the threat of the new ball.
The Bulls could easily have rolled over, but as Brannan reiterated, that attitude is not how his side plays its cricket, and not what has brought them back-to-back premierships in the last two summers.
“(I was) immensely proud and that was the comment in the rooms,” he said.
“106 is not enough nine times out of 10 and it still might be one of those times – we’ve still got to get two wickets – but every now and then, and we’ve been involved in a couple of these over the last few years, 106, 115, 120 has been enough and we’ve managed to scrap our way over the line.
“We use the mantra of ‘play the overs’, we don’t drop our bundle because one innings hasn’t gone our way, we stick at it and I’m immensely proud that our boys continued to show up in the field as bowlers and batters when things aren’t going our way, and try to spin the game in our favour.
“It’s probably the thing that’s held us in good stead this year – we don’t give up, we don’t worry about what’s happened in the first innings, it’s done and we move on really quickly and get to work.
“We knew we would create chances, we create chances every week, it’s just about taking those chances and putting the middle order under pressure was our big go.”
Springvale South’s middle and lower order capitulated after a 68-run partnership between Mitch and Cameron Forsyth.
The two took the Bloods from 1/2 to 1/70, before seven wickets fell for the addition of just 23 runs as the Bulls roared back into the contest.
Mitch was the first of the Forsyth brothers to be dismissed, caught off the bowling of Adam Reid for 25, before the next over from Nuwan Kulasekara removed Cameron for 34 and the potent Jordan Wyatt for just a second ball duck.
With Jordan Mackenzie and Blade Baxter also coming and going for brief spells at the wicket, Paul Hill and Jackson Sketcher were forced to defend avidly for the best part of an hour to get the Bloods to a position of stability.
Both departed in the space of five deliveries with stumps on the horizon, however, leaving Boland and Straker to close the day out.
“Once we got Mitch (Forsyth) and Cam (Forsyth) inside seven balls and followed it up with ‘Jordy’ (Wyatt) a couple of balls later, it quickly spun where there was some pressure put on their batters,” Brannan said.
“We understand that there’s some blokes in that side that have not batted a whole lot because their top order is pretty dominant at the moment.
“At one point we could have had them 3/10 but we dropped a catch and we took a wicket off a no-ball, which was a little deflating.
“Our bowlers are going to be fresh and ready to go, which is a plus for us – it’s not like we’re bowling the 40th over in succession, we’re bowling them after having a week’s break.
“The ball is still really good, it’s still swinging because of how much grass is on the wicket and that’s why we haven’t bowled any spin.”
Snatching an unexpected six points would do wonders for the Bulls’ finals chances and throw a major spanner in the works for Springvale South, which could lose its grip on outright second, pending other results in Turf 1.
Play will resume at 12.30 and it would pay to ensure those planning to attend are in their seats for the opening delivery.
