SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT
Cats back in finals, now that’s ...
GEELONG has scraped into the Premier Cricket finals by the skin of its teeth, after a shattering final round loss to Dandenong that left the Cats relying on other results to go their way.
Defending 8-312 (dec), the Cats could not buy a wicket at Shepley Oval as the home side marched its way to a seven-wicket win with four balls to spare.
Tom Donnell (90) and Brett Forsyth (144 not out) did not give the visitors a chance until their first-wicket partnership ended at 1-168, but Joshua Slater (42) continued the onslaught for Dandenong, combining with Forsyth to push beyond 250.
At 1-257 with just nine overs to go, Geelong coach Andre Borovec said his side was staring down either a loss or a draw, with attention quickly switching to Monash Tigers’ game against Melbourne University.
Uni, which was on equal points with the eighth-placed Cats but behind on percentage, was chasing a reverse outright win after suffering a first-innings defeat last week.
Trailing by 55 runs on first innings, Uni smashed 8-202 off 29 overs before declaring, giving the side the chance to take 10 wickets with a lead of 147.
But the Tigers nursed their way to a two-wicket outright win to deny Uni a spot in the top eight, leaving the Cats in the finals by percentage alone.
It’s the second game in a row, however, the Cats have belted 300-plus runs but failed to take 10 wickets.
“It was tough going, we came into it a seamer short with Brody Couch having a mishap (injuring his knee) at school during the week playing basketball, so we were a bowler down,” Borovec said.
“To take it to the last over like we did, on a wicket that was extremely flat, I’m pretty proud of the boys to be honest.”
Geelong will face minor premier Fitzroy Doncaster in an elimination final across Saturday-Sunday next weekend.
“I suppose these circumstances mean we didn’t win enough games during the year to earn the right, but in saying that, we bring some good form coming into the finals with our batting in particular,” Borovec said.
“They’re the things we’re going to have to think about with our game plan this week.”
It is Geelong’s first finals appearance since 2013-14.