VIKINGS GIVE CITY A FRIGHT
ALEXANDER Thomson provided GCA2 premiership fancy Geelong City with a scare in the secondversus-eighth fixture but the Sharks’ batting depth was on display in a three-wicket win.
When Will Collins departed for a patient 30, it left the visitors 7-116 in reply to the Vikings’ 134 at Highton Reserve.
But the lower-order pair of Logan Taylor (17 not out) and Jack Leather (11 not out) provided the winning runs in a three-wicket win.
Geelong City was reduced to 3-14 but a 68-run stand between captain Jack Driver (44 from 68 deliveries) and Collins was the difference in the match — only one other partnership reached 30.
Driver said scoring was difficult. “The pitch itself actually played really well, it was more the outfield,” Driver said.
“You don’t really get value for shots along the ground but we were
just able to take advantage of a couple of balls in the air.
“We cleared the ropes a couple of times, which you have to do if you’re going to hit boundaries there.”
The win kept Geelong City in second and improved its record to 5-1-1 after seven rounds.
Driver said it was a pleasing win away from home.
“They’ve got the players that can capitalise on the short, straight boundaries,” he said.
“Just with the different grass and dimensions, they know their own ground well.
“We were happy to bowl first and be only chasing 135 but we got ourselves in a bit of a pickle.
“We were expecting a fight, that’s for sure. It probably got a little bit closer than what we would have liked at the end but happy to walk away with the win.”
He said he was confident the Sharks had the depth in their tail to reach the target.
“I think I said early on in the year that our No. 10 is really a No. 6 probably,” he said.
“We’ve got that luxury that we can afford to still be losing wickets and we never feel like we’re out of the game. No. 8 and 9 got us over the line there but they’re good batters themselves.
“Never really thought that we were going to lose.”