OPENERS RUN RIOT
SENSIBLE cricket from opening batsmen Ned Cooper and Stephen Jacimovic was the decisive factor in Anglesea’s comfortable run-chase against Collendina.
Jacimovic piled on 82 runs while Cooper hit 62 on the way to a commanding opening stand that enabled their team to reach Collendina’s target of 180 with seven overs spare.
Anglesea coach Dale Kerr commended the patience and cricket nous of his opening pair, saying it acted as a blueprint on how to attack a one-day fixture from a batting perspective.
“They batted really sensibly, there were no rash shots, they just waited for the loose ball and ran really well between the wicket . . . lots of singles, turning twos into threes,” Kerr said.
“They batted like it was a two-dayer but they probably just ran their singles a little harder early on.”
New Collendina captain Nathan Walter anchored his team with an unbeaten 93 that helped reach a defendable score after being 3-50 after 20 overs. But his heroics were not enough. “Nathan Walter batted really well and he had a couple of nice little partnerships,” Kerr said.
“We dropped him once or twice, so we had our opportunities.
“We were hoping to keep them under 160 but the ground was really quick and the ball was sitting up if you bowled it short.”
Collendina took to leg-spinner Harper O’Keeffe in the resurrection of its innings and he ended up going for eight runs an over.
Kerr backed in his bowler to learn how to cope next time.
“Harper (O’Keeffe) actually didn’t bowl too bad, they just tried to target him a little bit,” he said.
“We’ll just back him in to keep flighting the ball up and he’ll keep learning from that to have his variations in place when it does happen in the future.”
Kerr was the pick of the Anglesea bowlers, grabbing 2-15 off his eight impressive overs, including four maidens.
Charlie Lamb was Collendina’s most dangerous bowler, taking 1-30 with three maidens from his allotted overs.