Weekly Updates Round 6

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Introduction

What a round for the Mounties, a clean sweep across the senior grades! Each was emphatic, all teams passing 300 runs and bowling the opposition out in the 100’s (in the case of the Thirds, twice!). The Thirds also enjoyed an outright victory to climb the ladder and reignite a slow start. All in all round 6 garnered 1346 runs from four innings against 691 runs from five. Take a bow Mounties!

First XI: 8/301 defeated North Ballarat 188 by 113 runs

Key Performers: George 4/48, Yates 3/63 & Trevenen 2/33

Tasked with defending 301 the Mounties adopted the Keep It Simple Stupid methodology of bowling; off stump line making the batsman play. There was an air of resistance in the North batting stocks however a heavy reliance on key personnel would always be their downfall. The key wickets of Lorenzen for 34 and Zakynthinos for 4 heaped the pressure on a crumbly bottom order. This included the prized wicket of Severino. Difficult batsman to bowl too Severino, such is his height and stature that a devilish Yorker pitching at the base of the stumps still incurs no ball for an over waist high full toss. Nevertheless he was dealt with for ten on the way to a solid 113 run win.

Second XI: 5/303 defeated Napoleons-Sebas 166 by 5 wickets

Key Performers: Burns 115, Hucker 67 & D. Achison 46

You never know what you will find upon arrival at Napoleons, the pitch as hard to read as Scud’s handwriting. Past experience typically suggests a touring team batting second with a week’s notice to the Nap’s groundsmen are likely to find a flat road suddenly enamoured with soft spots and cracks. Whether you could tell a green field from a cold steel rail, host ashes for trees, hot air for a cool breeze, cold comfort for…… the Naps total of 166 with the Mountie openers beginning at 0/18 meant the momentum was well with the tourists.

The batting was dominated by Burns whom piled on the pressure and runs against the Naps attack. Attempting to livescore, the Mounties scorers requested wifi for their tablet. Upon request, the Napoleons locals inherited an air of confusion. “Wifi? No, but we have a lanline”. Without internet, the scorers were reduced to scoring using the provided books until one ran out of battery with six overs remaining. Burns innings of 115 was monumental in scale and visceral.

Third XI: 4/417 dec defeated Buninyong 91 & 116 by an innings and 207 runs

Key Performers: Matters 5/52, Andrew 3/8 & Cook 3/19

The Thirds cut a depleted lot on arrival to the ground. Seven players available to take the field in defence of 367 runs. They needed one more human being. A passer by walking a dog was quickly relinquished of their mutt, the mutt taken hostage, its release only guaranteed until if he would take the field and serve as our eighth and final fielder. Fielder acquired, the domination continued.

Taking from where they left off, the Mountie bowlers ably defended their insurmountable total. While Warner was making runs at the Adelaide Oval, Matters was taking wickets at the Mt Clear Cricket Ground 2, to an even greater crowd too (the dogwalkers family on the sidelines attempting to get their family member off the cricket field and to the safety of his home. Attempts to notify police proved futile, all officers deployed to Spilt Milk dressed in whatever they could get their hands on at St Vinnies during the week. The Courier, reporting on the event, summed the festival up nicely: “2 overdoses, 20,000 people, 20 cricketers unavailable all over Breast Milk”. Superb reporting).

Finally the game came to its conclusion, an outright victory to the Mounties, the dog returned to its owner and finally a mycricket update was secured at Vic Park to confirm the victory for those unavailable.   

Fourth XI: 4/325 defeated Ballan 130 by 195 runs

Key Performers: Roberts 90* & Tuddenham 57

Back to Ballan against a team shell shocked by the Giblett effect. Roberts took over the reigns, building on his over-night, I mean week, score to build 90 not out. It would have been his 160^th century and a certificate at presentation night to finally complete the whole house collection. In reply the…, do Ballan have a nickname?, Ballaners put on 130, stopped in emphatic style by none other than Giblett again. This time with the ball, Giblett took 8/22. Consulting records, this places Giblett near 11^th on the best figures in an innings list for a Mountie.

Juniors

U/17: 120 vs Ballarat-Redan 0/83

Key Performers: Jeffrey 57, Edmonds 20 & Tuddenham 14

U/15: 4/87 vs Golden Point 7/58

Key Performers: Brodie 2/6, Hocking 35 & T. Mani 26*

Stage 1 Girls: 3/63 drew Buninyong 0/0

Key Performers: T. Tigchelaar 2/9 & Kennedy 1/6