Goannas shine over Sunbury in Inverloch
It was a fine cool morning on Sunday as the Gippsland Goannas Over-60 cricket team arrived at the Inverloch Cricket Ground.
The bus containing the opposition team also pulled in early as the Sunbury/Macedon Ranges Over-60 team was welcomed to the Thompson Reserve.
The wicket looked good, the ground was beautifully grassed, and the Goannas won the toss and elected to bat first.
Captain Ken Bailey was caught behind in the first over, bringing Col Carmody to the crease to join Ray Smith. They batted steadily until Col was out in the 14th over for 24 with the score at 2 for 62. The Sunbury attack tightened up and only nine runs were scored in the next five overs, with Smith retiring for a well made 40 during this time.
Murray Moore and Neil Meredith took the score to 82 before Moore (11) was caught from a skied ball. Ian Gibson followed two balls later for his first duck in living memory. Ian Southall joined Merro and they took the score through to 110 from 30 overs. After smacking two big sixes, Meredith retired on 41 and Gordon Hollonds joined Southall and they took the score to 168 in the 38th over before he was caught for six. Southall retired for 40 during the next over and Fred Debono (8) and Gordon Cowling (2) saw out the final few balls for the Goannas to complete their innings at 5 down for 180.
The sky had clouded over after the lunch break, but the breeze was dropping as the Sunbury innings commenced.
Gordon Cowling and Rob Bacchetti used the breeze effectively, with Graeme Freshwater taking a tricky lofted catch at mid-on in the 7th over with the score sitting at just 11 for Sunbury. Newly appointed Vic Over-60 captain, Archie Dudderidge, came to the crease and played carefully before misjudging one and was lbw to Cowling in the 13th over. This pair bowled very well, and were bowled through for eight overs each, with the score just 45 after the 16 overs.
Meredith and Southall then took over the bowling and continued the good work. Southall bowled a belligerent Phil Hickleton (Vic2 player) for 28, then had another Vic1 player, Dale Thornton caught in the gully by Debono. The score was 4/72 after 26 overs and Sunbury were well behind the required run rate. Southall then struck again in his next over with Bailey taking a good catch, and finished with the fine figures of seven overs, three maidens, 3/12. The Goannas were wondering if Sunbury captain Dave Cordy (another Vic1 player) was going to bat, but he strode to the wicket at number nine and set about increasing the scoring rate. Debono and Moore bowled six overs between them for 44 runs, then Freshwater and Smith came on for the last six overs. Cordy then launched Freshwater for a monster six, before his luck ran out and he was well stumped by Ian Gibson.
The Sunbury batsmen could not then make up the difference in the scores, as they finished their 40 overs at 6/147.
The sky had become threatening, and the breeze had cooled significantly during the latter part of the innings, as the Goannas put in an improved fielding performance, and an excellent bowling performance, to defeat one of the stronger teams played against this season.
The next game for the Over-60 Goannas will be against another strong team as they travel to Geelong for the game this coming Sunday. The Over-50 Goannas will also be in full training for their final game of the season, against the Coburg Over-50 team on the 2nd of February.
Practice sessions for both teams will continue to take place at the Glengarry nets on Wednesdays from 4.45pm.