Almanac (Club) Cricket – Round 4: West Warrion v Irrewarra

 

Rd 4 West Warrion v Irrewarra

By Liam McCullagh

 

DAY FOR IT: A partly cloudy, warm day at Western Reserve in Colac.

 

A first ever career six, a lower order collapse and a host of key outs marred West Warrion’s first Division Two loss for the season at the hands of an experienced, well-seasoned Irrewarra outfit.

 

The game initially loomed as a potential grudge match with my boss (Ace Radio Colac’s General Manager) Nick Hay, an Irrewarra stalwart, however he cowered back to lower grades. I would like to think in fear, but playing alongside his brother Jarrod and son Sid in Division Three is more accurate.

 

Irrewarra much like our previous opponents Colac are a powerhouse club, they are one of four clubs to have a team in each three senior grades and have two under 17s and u14s teams.

 

My preparation for the game wasn’t too great. I couldn’t seem to shake a case of the man flu coming out of the tail end of the week. After wrapping up coaching the under 11s in the morning I was met with my mates upon arriving back at my house.

 

Given I live with two members of Deans Marsh Cricket Club, and they carpool to away matches, our house has been the meeting point for all the boys before (and after) a big day of cricket.

 

Forrest’s Leo Scott was in for his first game for the season and paid a visit, Deans Marsh’s Harry McCann sat on the couch, while waiting for bowler Dylan Brown to arrive.

 

 

READY: Forrest Cricket Club’s Leo Scott ready for his first game of the season, debuting a neat pair of sunnies.

 

I went to cook my usual pre match feed – two fried eggs on toast, but secretarial duties for the Colac and District Cricket Association called and while approving permits on my laptop, I burnt the bejesus out of them. They were only just edible. Charred and crunchy eggs.

 

Arriving at the ground a beautiful day looked likely from the outset, there were a few clouds, but the sun peeked through and there wasn’t a breath of wind.

 

Unavailability’s saw Xav Prime, Max Hutch, Charlie Morrissy, and Paul Liistro out. Shane Kent fully recovered from a dodgy knee came straight in, Deakin Carmichael after 41 runs in Division Three, and Craig Kerr who opened in Division Two last year, while also posting scores of 45 and 25 to start the season in Division Three came in.

 

Jamie Beale was a late out seeing under17s gun Lewis Murphy come in.

 

We were sent out to bowl after Irrewarra won the toss.

 

Ian ‘Squizzy’ Taylor, a former lawyer who moved to the area, and has since written passion projects on the formation of Irrewarra Cricket Club, and the Irrewarra townships settlement called Run 750, and Run 751 opened the batting alongside 15-year-old wicketkeeper Sam Alexander.

 

Opening alongside Ethan Coverdale, I don’t think we bowled too badly and were probably a bit unlucky.

 

The batting was very solid but there were a couple of French cuts, gloveman turned outfielder Anthony Young dropped Sam at point. It was a difficult chance hit firmly with the ball still racing away for four after it hit Anthony’s hands.

 

The outfield was lightning quick, and they picked the gaps well. After 5 overs I went for 29 runs, an economy rate of 5.8 which I was not too happy with.

 

Darcy Dwyer broke through first with Irrewarra posting an opening stand of 77. Ian Taylor was out for 44 from 43 balls snicking off to Shane Kent with the gloves.

 

Deakin Carmichael then bowled a peach of a yorker to Sam Alexander to bowl him for 32.

 

At drinks Irrewarra was 2/90 and a score of 200 plus looked likely.

 

In for his first game of the year, a Division One all-rounder Charlie McGuane made 18 before a running mix-up which saw Irrewarra at 3/126. Irrewarra’s captain Kane Quickenstead batted solidly for 38 runs. The next few wickets fell in quick succession with Irrewarra at 8/160. Dave ‘Whippet’ Jackson was out after driving to Anthony Young at gully who took a one-handed finger-tip diving catch to his right.

 

14-year-old Manny Robb provided some resistance at the end of the innings making a classy 17 from 22 balls.

 

Irrewarra finished 9/186 from 40 overs.

 

A solid total. Gettable and given where they were early in their innings we were pleased with how our bowlers were able to fightback.

 

Damo Wetemans, who bowled for the first time of the year, picked up 3-15 from 5 overs, and James ‘Buckets’ McNabb picked up 3-31 from 6 overs, and only the one catch in this match.

 

The arvo tea this week wasn’t too special, I didn’t get mum to make a quiche and given I was crook I put in no effort. Not my proudest but I brought spinach and fetta twists from Bakers Delight.

 

 

DIG IN: Irrewarra’s Charlie McGuane grabbing some watermelon.

 

Damo Wetermans and Shane Kent opened the batting for us and looked good early. Kent was the first to go after scoring 15 from 13 balls. Deakin departed soon after, receiving a Jaffer from Charlie McGuane.

 

Damo edged on 21 leaving the score at 3-55. Kenny McDonald was the pick of our batters blasting 46 from 37 balls with seven fours, and a six. When he was dismissed at 4-96 it started a collapse.

 

Paceman Luke Kenny got taken off after bowling two waist high no-balls in the last over before drinks. Part timer Whippet took the ball to bowl four balls, just the get through to drinks. On his final ball he bowled a half-tracker to Craig Kerr who picked out mid-wicket.

 

Manny Robb struck with the first ball of his spell with Lewis Murphy strangled down leg side. Anthony Youn posted a golden duck, his second of the season. In his first three matches, he has scored a golden duck, a four-ball duck, and a golden duck.

 

Manny then bowled a leg-side wide to Darcy Dwyer and then trapped him lbw.

 

Three wickets in four (three legal) deliveries. We lost 5/11 in the space of four overs.

 

Ethan Coverdale provided a nice cameo with 15 from 19 balls, and then I was out to bat. Initially picked to bat higher I put myself down because I wasn’t feeling up to it. Jeff Percy, a former gun quick, now turned off-spinner was bowling. I blocked the first couple of deliveries and felt reasonably okay. I was seeing the ball okay, but after not much sleep for a couple of days and still feeling crook, I did feel lethargic.

 

I’ll preface this next part by saying – I have never hit a six in my career.

 

Percy was changing his pace very well. One ball he would push through, the next would be slow and loopy. I hit a single to deep point, but the next time I faced him, I said to myself ‘If its slow and pitched up, just swing’.

 

The first ball of the over was, and I wound up to hit it over cover, and in the end mishit it over mid-on.

 

The next two balls were much flatter which I defended. Then he pitched another one up, and I cleared the front leg and swung for the hills. The ball hit the middle of the bat and cleared the ropes. It landed inside the field but bounced over the fence and ended up on the netball courts. I walked down the wicket to fist bump my batting partner in Buckets, and said “That’s my first ever six”. Whippet fielding at short cover overheard me and then walked up when I was at the crease and fist bumped me too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIX: The sequence of events. 1) the shot. 2) Fist bumping Buckets. 3) Fist bumping Whippet.

 

We got the score to 140 before opener Alex Riches came back on and I threw my wicket away trying the drive, and in the end knicking off to slip. I didn’t realise until the game finished, and we were off the field, but we were only 45 runs short and still had eight overs left to bat. If Buckets and I hung around, we could have gotten it really close.

 

In saying that though I was cooked, and very fatigued.

 

After the match the two clubs went into the social rooms where the races were put on, and the two clubs debriefed the game.

 

The Division Three lads also lost their first game of the season at the hands of Apollo Bay.

 

It was fish and chip night at the club so boys all congregated and I enjoyed two beers before leaving.

 

It was a weird day. Even though we lost there was still so many positives to take out of the game. A multitude of key outs, and things not going our way, but we were still competitive and gave it a red-hot crack.

 

Onwards and upwards for the Panthers, with Division Two taking on Simpson at Simpson – a ground in the middle of nowhere with the same dimensions as the MCG.

 

 

POST MATCH: Enjoying some desert post-match with the entire club at the social rooms.

 

Irrewarra 9-186.

 

1. Taylor 44 (43)
2. Quickenstead 38 (47)
3. Alexander 32 (47)
4. Wetemans 3-15 (5)
5. McNabb 3-31 (6)

 

West Warrion 10/141

 

1. McDonald 46 (37)
2. Wetemans 21 (29)
3. McCullagh 9 (13) – and a big six!
4. Robb 3-17 (6)
5. McGuane 2-28 (8)
6. Riches 2-39 (6.2)

 

 

More from Liam McCullagh Here.

 

 

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