Goannas overcome lost Esendon unit

The Mirboo North pitch and ground looked a picture as the Gippsland over-60 cricket team welcomed the Essendon team to beautiful Gippsland on a fine, sunny summers day.

Essendon won the toss, and, as one of their players had headed to Gisborne on his way to Mirboo North, decided to bat first.

Essendon were loaned two Goannas players as they were only able to bring nine of their own with them.

State over-70 representative Lloyd Haley opened the batting for Essendon with Goanna Fred Debono, while Peter Anton and Alex Dowsett opened the bowling for the Goannas.

State chairman of selectors and Vic2 captain Les Quarrell, and Goanna Kel Bond were the next two batsmen.

After 10 overs the score was 3/29, with Dowsett defeating both Goanna players and Anton earning the prize scalp of Quarrell.

New Goanna Barrie Nunn and Rob Francis replaced the opening bowlers and bowled an excellent line to keep Essendon to 4/46 at the 20 over drinks break.

Phill Higgins and Murray Moore were the next bowlers, with three overs each, then Neil Meredith, Graeme Freshwater and Kevin Lanigan completed the Essendon innings, restricting them to 117 for the loss of seven wickets from the 40 overs.

Haley held the innings together and managed to retire at 40 during the innings.

Nunn, Higgins, Meredith and Freshwater each picked up a wicket, while Peter Dell took a catch and a stumping as wicket keeper, and Nunn and Anton each took good catches.

The afternoon tea break again produced an excellent lunch which was much admired and well consumed by the players, umpire and partners.

Dell and Freshwater opened the Goannas innings brightly with Freshy departing for nine in the sixth over when the score was 27.

Ray Smith then joined Dell, who was out for 21 in the seventh over.

Anton and Smith both retired, for 41 and 31 respectively and Moore batted briefly.

Essendon's score was passed in the 22nd over, but Essendon wanted to bowl a few more overs, so Nunn (17*) and Meredith (39*) completed the batting for the Goannas, whose innings finished after 30 overs at 3/166.

Essendon captain Neil King, who has trained three Stawell Gift winners, was very complimentary after the game, commending the Mirboo North Cricket Club for the excellent condition of the ground and the pitch, the lunch, the after match tea, the umpire Ray Prowse, the manner in which the game was played and the Goannas supporters who travel to most of their games.

The Goannas play again on Sunday in a home game against the Casey over-60's team.

This game will be played at the Duncan Cameron Oval in Traralgon and will start at 11am.

Practice will continue for Goannas players at Glengarry tomorrow at 4.45pm.