‘IT’S THE BEST KNOCK I’VE SEEN’
‘100 per cent it’s the best knock I’ve seen, that’s for sure’
GEELONG West veteran Sam Loftus powered his way to one of the most remarkable GCA innings in recent memory, hitting a massive double ton to belt Waurn Ponds-Deakin into submission.
Loftus smashed 222 off just 223 deliveries in the Rams’ total of 8-422, leaving captain Chris Martin and everyone in attendance at West Oval in awe.
“100 per cent it’s the best knock I’ve seen, that’s for sure”, said Martin, who made a 201 himself in Round 5 this season.
“(It was) absolutely incredible. I really don’t know what to say.
“He’s really smart in the way he goes about it, he can play 360 degrees so he can do whatever he wants to whatever ball once he’s in.”
The incredible one-man show was an exercise in destructiveness, with Loftus hitting 30 boundaries and two sixes in his 223-ball stay.
Making the innings all the more notable was the situation that Loftus encountered when he strode to the wicket, with West teetering at 2-16.
Michael Rowe (4) and Ben Payne (0) fell cheaply to BA Abhiskek (2-55) to bring Loftus in.
But he soon blasted his side out of trouble, racing the Rams along at more than a run-a-ball at times.
He first combined with opener Jake Allen (51) for a 102-run stand, and then grasped the initiative with keeper Sam Allen (51 not out) before eventually being dismissed by Kyle Nelson (2-46).
Allen received special praise from his skipper for his second half-cen- tury in as many games, but it was the other Sam that stole the show.
“Everyone got around him in the rooms to congratulate him, because you don’t really get to see that kind of innings often,” Martin said.
“Sam was very dry (post-game), he actually didn’t have too much to say.
“I told all the boys they had to buy him a beer after the game but he just said to drop off a box during the week, so that’s about as excited as he gets.”
With Alexander Thomson on the ropes against Modewarre and the Rams themselves unable to move any higher on the ladder, Martin doesn’t think maximum points are essential next week as they tune up for finals.
“I don’t think there’s much point from what I can see.
“We’ll assess it when we get to it,” he said.