Coast in win but top duo still iffy

COAST SNAPS DROUGHT

GOLD Coast coach Damian Wallis is staying quiet on his and Daniel Doran’s Dolphins futures after the club finished their Queensland Premier Cricket season in style by snapping a 3052-day drought.

Not since October 24, 2009 had the Dolphins beaten University of Queensland in a 50over or two-day fixture, their only win in that period coming in a Twenty20.

The Dolphins ended University’s mission to clinch a fifth straight minor premiership in the two-day competition with a 22-run victory at WEP Harris Oval on Saturday.

With rain on day one of the contest last week reducing it to a 50-over format, Gold Coast again started poorly but aggressive middle-order contributions by Max Houlahan (36), Liam Hope-Shackley (24) and Lewin Maladay (65) got them to 186.

For Maladay, it was his third half-century on the trot, a result of hard work, according to Wallis.

University appeared in command for much of the chase, reaching 5-139 with former Australia batsman Peter Forrest still at the crease.

However, their ambition to place first – which would have been aided by a bonus point for chasing within 40 overs – played a large part in their downfall.

The hosts were ultimately dismissed with 11.3 overs still in

hand and dropped to third on the ladder as a result.

With the ball, it was HopeShackley (4-18) who sealed the deal. He bounced out Forrest (50), the competition’s leading bat with 1026 runs, and then ripped through the lowerorder.

“As a couple of guys said, in other games or other years it’s probably around that time where we just would let it slip away,” Wallis said.

“It definitely felt like they were in front but yeah we got a couple of wickets.

“(Hope-Shackley) bowled quite a lot in the English season he played so I think that has helped him a bit.”

Captain Doran collected 2-28 but whether he and fellow stalwart Wallis will continue next season is to be seen.

“Me and him, we play our cards close to our chest,” Wallis said.