REPORTS
PAGE
Premiership
20th-27th January
Yeronga SHS
By Ben (OP 1 Kenobi) Robinson
Day 1
Cricket�s a great game. It demonstrates the perfect balance between the individual and the team � with successes (and failures) by any one player always shared by others in the side.
This was the subject of my apprehension before my first game as a Ranger � basically, don�t let anyone down!
With several big names missing, it was a new-look line-up taking on competition leaders Ned Flanders XI, with two players making their debuts and Asa at the helm for the first time as captain. Shandy, on the sidelines for this match, was green with envy as Asa made his coin toss record 100%, electing to bat.
It was he and Elliot who took first guard against the Ned Flanders attack, who bowled excellent line and length from the outset. With no loose balls to dispatch, runs were hard to come by. Asa was first man out, bowled by a good yorker for 4. Elliot joined him in the pavilion soon after, unlucky to have the ball ricochet off his pads back onto the stumps, out for 7. After Aaron and Chad were both dismissed for brief but entertaining innings of 15 and 10 respectively, a certain debutant listed at number 9 on the batting card really started to feel those nerves.
The Rangers middle order offered little resistance to the good swing bowlers of the Neddys. Varun played a valuable innings, having more lives than a cat before his luck ran out on 21. A good old-fashioned collapse saw Ben �Duncan� Hollis, Varun, Poe and Jamie lose their wickets, bringing the two debutants � myself and Michael �Junior� McDonald � to the crease at 8 for 75. Triple figures for the innings looked doubtful.
My nerves evaporated upon arriving at the crease, and I was feeling very comfortable. We adopted the simple strategy of respect the good ball, punish the bad ball. Survival was our main priority to begin with, but as the overs went by and the wind went out of the Neddys sails, boundaries began to come easier, with Junior seeing the ball particularly well. I was happy just being at the crease again after almost two years away from the game. The occasional four made my debut innings even more enjoyable. By the time I was run out (obviously I�m not as fast as I remember!) for 29, we had set a Ranger record 9th wicket partnership of 73, and the score had mover to 9 for 148. Michael was dismissed in the next over, caught trying to bring up his maiden Ranger 50, out for 45. Our first innings was over, with the total of 148 looking better than it could have been. Junior and my scores were Ranger records for numbers 10 and 9, but, more importantly, our resistance had lifted the heads of our team mates for a crucial fielding session late in the day. Cricket at its best.
Shandy had made us all aware of the strength of the Flanders top order, This alone impressed me � pre-match plans demonstrate a professionalism I had never experienced in cricket. Unfortunately the opposition lived up to expectation, taking to the bowling early. However, tight bowling from Varun and Elliot led to the run out of the more damaging batsman. Then, on the last ball of the day, Jamie fooled Nationals captain, Exelby in flight, who granted Varun�s request for a catch. The celebrations were extravagant and thrilling, with the whole team joining in.
This left Ned Flanders XI at 2 for 80-odd at the end of Day 1. We would have to be at our best in a week�s time to be in the running for first innings points, or even to restrict the deficit.
Day 2
The prospect of a long day in the field didn�t appeal to the Rangers on a sweltering summer day, underlining the importance of fielding well. We would all have to be switched on, every ball.
Well, switched on or not, our fielding was nothing to write home about, making it difficult for our bowlers to build pressure, despite the pace men giving it their all. After a lively spell from Varun, and Elliot �Doctor Swing� Cowan living up to his name, the Hart brothers combined for the first wicket of the day, caught Heath, bowled Chad. A big partnership followed, featuring some lusty hitting from the Neddys batting aces Dillon and Derkson. Already counting the opposition�s lead, Ranger heads were down.
However, it was good that the bowlers copping some stick could have a laugh about it, in what I�m told is in true Ranger form. With Asa deciding to take the pace off the ball, the off spin of Clintoff was called upon. Three sixes from the first three balls ensured that this would be his only over of the innings, taken for 24 runs by quality batting. It was at this time that I decided to debut my glasses in the outfield. Just like that, my first Ranger nickname was born � �When did Danny Vettori join our team?� I�ve been called worse.
Elliot drew the short straw, replacing Clintoff at the train line end, and was promptly hit for a Ranger record 30 runs off one over. Although, it did pave the way for what I�m told was a classic Peter �Poe� Dowden quote. After a waist-high full toss from Doc was dispatched over the midwicket boundary, Poe took it upon himself to hand on some wisdom � �Pitch it up.� In between this and the awesome batting, no wonder Elliot was at a loss as to where to bowl the next one.
At the other end, the promising leg spin of Jamie Sweet was looking great, claiming one wicket � a bullet caught on the second attempt by Shandy � and creating many more opportunities. One particular bespectacled debutant endured the embarrassment of having one chance go over his head, but still fall just short of the boundary. Hopefully I get a chance to make that one up to Jamie and the rest of the side.
Two run outs were claimed in the overs approaching the Neddys� declaration, with Clintoff and Poe laying down the handy work. The final score � 6 for 285, a 137 run lead, with 44 overs available to the Ned Flanders XI to claim an outright victory.
Early omens were bad for the Rangers � Elliot had forgotten his all-conquering Fusion, striding out with my trusty GM. The affair was short lived, with Elliot adjudged caught behind on just his second ball, despite the ball clearly coming off his arm. When Asa was bowled soon after, the ever optimistic Shandy loudly proclaimed that he could feel a collapse coming.
Aaron seemed intent to play his shots, showcasing his obvious talent, however this proved to be his downfall, skying one to be out caught and bowled for 12. This bought Duncan to the crease. He looked solid from ball one. I was listed to go in next, and if you think my nerves would have been calmed after my first innings success, you�d be mistaken. However, with Varun and Duncan looking great at the crease, It seemed (and I hoped) I wouldn�t be in for a while.
No such luck. I replaced Varun, who was dismissed for a well-made 31. Duncan was great at the other end, batting to a plan of leaving outside the off stump, and putting the bowlers away when they drifted onto his legs. Unfortunately, I didn�t hang around long enough to put this into practice. Lack of experience against the short ball was my downfall, with my second skied hook shot of the innings falling into the keeper�s gloves. I knew this was an area to work on, and with Shandy�s promise of throwdowns, no doubt I�ll get plenty of work in.
Chad was sent in next in what I perceived to be a tactically excellent decision by Asa � arrest the momentum of the bowlers with some big hitting. It worked, with Chad�s 27, in combination with the brick wall at the other end, taking the wind out of the Neddy�s sails. Incidentally, this is a Ranger record score by a number eight batsman.
Duncan was dismissed soon after Chad, with his crucial 36 lauded by Ranger captains past and acting alike. This left Junior and Poe to defend their wickets in a very exciting period of cricket. The mood was tense on the sidelines as, over by over, the batsmen survived. Junior was excellent again, taking most of the strike, whilst Peter was also very solid. With the draw already a certainty, he was run out, leaving Junior unbeaten on 22. The relief was evident. It was tight, but we had held on for a draw. Michael was a deserving man of the match, becoming the third Ranger to accomplish this feat on debut.
As a young cricketer, this game taught me a few important lessons, the importance of staying alert every ball in the field being one, The use of a sound plan when at the crease was also demonstrated, as were some great cricket tactics. It was a terrific game for a debut, and may there be many more to come.