WALTER’S TON LIFTS COBRAS
COLLENDINA looks poised to maintain its one-game buffer on bottom-placed Drysdale after setting 9-252 against Portarlington on Saturday.
In a day its captain won’t forget, Nathan Walter scored his maiden AGrade century in the most crucial of scenarios as he and No. 9 batter Jye Hearps rallied at 7-110 to post their highest team total for the season.
Buoyed by a commanding batting performance the round before against Ocean Grove, it was the work of the tailenders and Walter that demonstrated the resilience required.
Hearps (34) and No. 10 Charlie Lamb (56 not out) combined for a record 10th-wicket partnership to cap off the work done by their skipper.
“It’s good to finally go on with one,” a relieved Walter said postmatch after his 111.
“A couple of times this year I’ve got to 60 and I’ve had a couple of 40s.
“We had our backs up against it a bit and someone had to bat through, so it was pleasing I could stand up and do that.”
The century was a long time coming for the Cobras captain, who finished last season in scintillating fashion. Though the wait was longer than he may have liked, the way he reached it made it all the more special after surviving an early onslaught from Port’s Blake Dobbin (472) and Paul McGrath (2-42) — who combined for the first five wickets to have Collendina at 5-60.
“Max Sutton actually said to me after I went out, ‘I’ve never seen you smile so much’,” Walter said.
“To share it with the group of boys we’ve got was just awesome.”
The resurrection came from the ninth-wicket pair as Walter promoted the usual No. 11 in Hearps in an at- tempt to blunt the bowling attack with about 40 overs remaining.
“He’s (Hearps) the sort of batsmen who can bat 30 overs and we knew that. We could bat Jye at three and he’d be able to dead bat all day,” Walter said.
The rearguard effort came from Lamb, who batted time before opening up in the final overs to notch a half-century in spectacular fashion.
The Cobras grabbed the momentum going into day two, after looking down after another batting collapse.
“It gives us a chance to have a really good go at them with the ball — something we haven’t had an opportunity to do too much this year,” Walter said.