GEELONG PIPPED IN THRILLER
STARTS won’t be enough for Geelong this season, after it failed to capitalise with the bat in a thrilling final-over loss on Saturday.
Only one of the Cats’ top eight failed to reach double figures in their 6-255, but a matchwinning knock was missing.
Camberwell managed to haul down the total off the second last ball as skipper Andrew Fekete (18 not out) cut away the winning runs off Dom McGlinchy (0-51).
Cats coach Tim Ludeman said the game had slipped away earlier with the bat, when the home side failed to score a huge total at Geelong Cricket Ground.
“From the batting point of view, plenty of guys got starts without anybody grabbing the game by the throat,” Ludeman said.
“Nobody really took it upon themselves to win us the match.”
Tom Jackson (45) and Hayden Butterworth (57 not out) put together a 79-run stand to help post 255 off the 50 overs.
But a chance to set a target above 300 was let slip among middling scores from Mitch Reid (32), Eamonn Vines (33) and Josh McDonald (36).
“I felt like we probably played at 70 per cent and almost snuck over the line,” Ludeman said.
“(The big moments are) about recognising what the game needs from you in that moment, it’s having that awareness and working with the guy up the other end and asking do we need to take that risk?
“It’s about knuckling down and taking that chance when it offers itself.
“It’s Round 1, obviously you want to hit the ground running but there’s a lot of lessons to take out of that result.”
After the Cats failed to make inroads with the new ball when Ben Rowles (44) and Isaac Conway (56) put on an opening stand of 97, spinner Joel Blain (4-45) helped keep the Magpie chase in check as it came down to the wire.
An unbeaten 37-run partnership between Fekete and Alec Smith (19 not out) in quick time got Camberwell over the line.
After an off-season spent honing his craft in the UK, Blain impressed his coach.
“He showed some really good signs,” Ludeman said.
“He bowled a lot of overs over there and really worked on his game.”