If the final minor round of the season is not all about the reappearance of arguably the best ever PINT batsman Simon Lavers, then it should be!
The Green hierarchy pulled a rabbit out of the hat and selected Lavers, who essentially retired from Premier Grade cricket several seasons ago, to play in their depleted side for the final two minor rounds of the season and he didn’t let them down. Together with Coby Edmondstone (79) the pair almost single handedly lifted the otherwise underperforming team to a memorable victory by scoring 3-347 against the day one Tracy Village total of 299.
But it was Lavers who stole the show where in typical fashion running between wickets was clearly not a priority because he smashed 31 fours in his 156 not out from 159 balls. Not sure the recall of the veteran solves any long-term woes for the club but just maybe it serves as motivation for the emerging players who will indeed be the future.
So, for what it’s worth, well done to one of my very favourite players in 40 or so years of watching cricket in the Territory – my only regret is that I wasn’t there to witness the feat.
As I noted last week, for Palmerston to play finals “….. all the planets must align, and the stars need to circle in the correct manner …..” in their match against Waratah. Although the cosmological phenomena were close to becoming a reality, the Maroons were denied an outright victory over Tahs, and they were doomed to another season where too often they couldn’t complete the on-field job when it mattered.
Palmy (6dec-157) took first innings points and reduced the Red Caps to 8dec-141 in its second dig (Jagadeswara Koduru 49; Joshua Baraba 6-42) and while Tahs skipper Isaac Conway was also looking for outright points, neither achieved the goal and at stumps Palmy was 5-99 in its second innings – Tahs required five wickets while the home side needed another 42-runs.
The other ingredient in the Palmerston push was out at Nightcliff Oval where the home side was always in control and when stumps were drawn, the Tigers were leading by 94-runs at 5-246. The Eagle batting on day one was below par and while the Nightcliff incumbent batting pair Douwtjie Hoogenboezem (73) and captain Michael Kudra (103 retired) were dominant, the Darwin bowling was also below the expected standard.
The win was a true reflection of Nightcliff’s seasonal dominance, and they were rewarded with the minor premiership ahead of Waratah, Southern Districts and Darwin.
Semi Final Preview
Nightcliff and Darwin square-off again at Tigerland and if they both perform at the same level the result would be a forgone conclusion but that is unlikely to be a reality.
The competitions most productive bowler Caelan Maladay struck down with a pectoral injury for the past month is likely to return to the bowling cease and that takes pressure off fellow quicks Hanno Jacobs and Jai Allman but also gives skipper Michael Kudra additional flexibility.
The Tiger batting is in good nick and while top order pair Paul Wasiewicz and James Doherty both failed last time around they are both rich in quality and together with Douwtjie Hoogenboezem, Kudra, Byron Gale and Maladay himself there is plenty of run-making potential in either a chase or setting a target.
On the other hand, the Eagles were poor last round with both bat and ball and while Tom Menzies who is travelling England with the Australian U’19 side won’t be available there is a distinct lack of immediate bowling talent available especially against quality batsmen. However, it is an opportunity for inform seamer Will Pilkington and fellow young quick Charlie Kemp to rise to the occasion while spinner Blake Coburn might just be called on to bowl plenty of overs.
Equally poor last time around was the normally productive Darwin top order batting and with Anthony Adlam, Atharv Deshpande, Dhruv Kant, Matt Calder and if fit Jacob Dickman all waiting for another turn, the Tiger bowlers could well be on the end of an avalanche of runs.
In the other game, Waratah will host two-time defending champs Southern Districts at Gardens Oval and with Tahs being without some valuable performers they will be wary of the rural men who will be refreshed after coming off the bye.
The Red Caps recent form has not been bright and while most of the top order batsmen have shown glimpses of system there remains a strong reliance on the likes of Isaac Conway, Jagadeswara Koduru, Archie Redfern and evergreen Udara Weerasinghe to eke out winning runs against a quality bowling attack.
It is the Waratah bowlers, without the services of three top-line spinners that has been lacking in penetration although Himesh Sandaradura and Harrison Massey have lately shown signs of wicket taking prowess. But Tahs have long been reliant on the craft of its spinners and with Udara and Madura Weerasinghe and Wil Parker all wanting long spells, there are options for skipper Conway to utilise.
Districts have been slowly gaining momentum and the last round bye won’t necessarily be ideal, but it may be a blessing for bowlers with niggling injuries.
There are none better with the ball than Brodie Symons if fit and available but nevertheless Josh Kann and Ashley Nagel can give extra seam support while Reiley Mark, Dylan Mullen and captain Tim Garner will headline a long line of spinners wanting their turn at the crease.
Likewise, the Croc batting is full of run making ability with Dylan Mullen and Dwaine Richards coming off big hundreds and the likes of Thomas Jackson Lochie Hardy, Josh Kann, finals specialist Garner and Symons all sitting in the shed waiting for their turn at the crease.
Semi Final Fixture Saturday 02 and Sunday 03 September
Nightcliff v Darwin at Nightcliff Oval (12.30pm)
Waratah v Southern Districts at Gardens Oval (12.30pm)