Rain helps save Sharks
JAN JUC 134 BARWON HDS 8-112
JAN Juc had help from Mother Nature as it secured a grand final berth after holding on for a draw over Barwon Heads yesterday.
Defending 134 at their home pitch at Bob Pettitt Reserve, the Sharks were facing another embarrassing semifinal exit when the Seagulls safely negotiated the first 16 overs of the match.
But when the rain fell, so too did Barwon Heads’ hopes of winning the game, with 39 overs lost to persistent showers.
The Seagulls went from 0-16 to lose a procession of wickets, limping to 8-112 from 39 overs to fall 23 runs short and bow out of the premiership race.
With no Duckworth Lewis method and the higher-ranked team to progress if overs are lost, Barwon Heads’ hopes quickly faded with Jan Juc only needing a draw to advance.
“I’m pretty disappointed, I’m pretty flat, but it is what it is, you can’t control the weather,” Barwon Heads skipper Sam Schaller said post match.
“It didn’t seem to rain anywhere else but here, and after the day we had yesterday (Saturday), I was really confident coming here with everything being equal, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
For Jan Juc, it was a “bizarre” afternoon of cricket.
“It was a draining day,” Jan Juc captain Andrew Murden said.
“I can’t believe it. We came into the game confident, but yesterday (Saturday) didn’t go to plan. We knew we were up against it, but the weather helped a bit.
“It was just bizarre that we got that weather because we didn’t think we were getting any rain.
“We were still confident we had the plans to win, but to get away with it … it’s a good feeling to be in a grand final.”
With a delay of more than 20 minutes in the first session on day two, the umpires agreed to take an early tea break, with play to resume about 3.10pm.
But misty rain meant the starting time was rescheduled for 3.25pm, only for more rain to fall and more overs lost.
Schaller’s afternoon was made worse when he received a yellow card for smashing the stumps with his bat after he was dismissed.
He was also frustrated by the lack of communication with the umpires during the rain delay.
“There was no clear message about what was happening and it took a long time for the umpires to make their decision,” Schaller said.
“I respect what Jan Juc were doing. I would have done the same because they were on top of the ladder and had nothing to gain, but I just didn’t think the umpires took control of the situation.”
Murden acknowledged his team had the rub of the green, but stressed the constant delays did not make things easy for his side.
“It was tough on them, but we had bowlers that had to run in and land and it was hard,” he said. “If I was on their side I would’ve been pushing to play, which they were, and we were holding off because we wanted to lift the run-rate and didn’t want for anyone to go down.”
Jan Juc coach Jordy Graham was the hero with the ball, delivering 19 overs straight to pick up 5-65.
Nick Smith toiled away at the other end, taking 2-45.
“We had a plan and they executed it perfectly,” Murden said.
ANGLESEA 3-137 QUEENSCLIFF 135
NED Cooper notched an unbeaten 75 as Anglesea secured a third-straight grand final berth with a seven-wicket win over Queenscliff.
Cooper had a bit of luck at Ellimatta Reserve, dropped three times, but ultimately made the Coutas pay as the Roos chased down Queenscliff’s 135 with relative ease yesterday. “It’s exciting,” Cooper said after hitting the winning runs.
“This will be our fifth grand final in seven years and sometimes it’s just a matter of getting that win.”
Restricting Queenscliff to a below-par total on Saturday, Cooper lauded the performance of Joseph Lynch, who snared 3-38 from 14 overs after the Coutas made a bright start. “I think that’s where we won the game,” Cooper said.
“It wasn’t so much early (that we bowled well), they went after Dale (Kerr) a bit, but our leg-spinner Joey Lynch pegged it back and we built pressure and kept taking wickets. After tea we got 6-40 off 30 overs to restrict them and that was the key to setting up a tricky total.” Despite the luxury of a small chase, Cooper admitted he felt a touch nervous.
“It’s one of those totals that, from the outside looking in, you should get pretty easy,” Cooper said. “But there’s always the pressure of a final chasing. To their credit they bowled well early, it was probably the best we’ve faced all year.”
Ned Rogerson (1-36) and Shane Healey (1-43) bowled without reward, but the Coutas captain lamented a poor effort with the bat on the previous day.
“We didn’t take early wickets, but 135 just isn’t enough,” Healey said. “We dropped a catch early and that would have got Cooper and changed things, but to his credit, he went on and batted through.”