Almanac (Local) Cricket: Round 6: West Warrion v Alvie

Round 6 v Alvie.

By Liam McCullagh

 

ROAD: A beautiful deck to bat on at a sunny Warrion Cricket Ground.

 

A hungover 5-fa on the eve of turning 22. Last weekend’s cricket doesn’t get much better!

 

The Friday before the match we had our work Christmas party in Lorne. We played barefoot bowls before wandering to the Lorne Hotel, then hitched a ride on a bus back to Colac where we set up at the Union Hotel for the night.

 

Saturday morning, I was dusty. I coached the Under 11s at 8 a.m., so there was no sleep-in, and Mum was around to pick me up and drive me out to Warrion to have dinner at the Ti Tree Hotel, under new ownership for the first time.

 

Upon driving to the ground and inspecting the wicket, it was easy to see the pitch was an absolute road. It had that glassy, shiny look you often see in sub-continent wickets; cracks were visible, showing the dryness in the deck, and it was a scorching hot day.

 

West Warrion was taking on Alvie, a team we narrowly defeated last year and the reigning premiers of the Division Two competition.

 

Justin McGuane and Hayden ‘Dos’ Hickey were going to be the two key wickets for them. Experienced and reliable, they are absolute guns in Division Two and could probably play Division One.

 

West Warrion had 12 listed, so I started off the ground.

 

I was inside the rooms. Our club president, Dean Hutchinson, recently hung up all the old memorabilia—photos of football teams, club champions, and premiership team photos. Mitch Rowland was the first to fall, run out for a duck facing four balls.

 

It brought Dos to the crease with Justin McGuane with the score at 1-8 in the fourth over.

 

Both batted brilliantly, rotating the strike with a left- and right-hand combination, and while I don’t think we bowled too badly, they scored quickly. It did feel a bit flat in the field compared to recent weeks. I don’t know whether it was the weather, whether I was hungover, or because we were unable to break through the partnership, but something felt off.

 

That was until the 24th over, when a mix-up led to a run-out. Justin was looking for a quick single before being sent back. Liistro picked up the ball and threw to our keeper Shane Kent, who whipped off the bails to have Alvie two down.

 

A partnership of 88 was broken, with our only two wickets from runouts.

 

Anthony ‘Angry’ Laver was brought to the crease, and he can hit a long ball. It was the perfect match situation for him to come in. I came on to bowl in the 30th over—a different role to previous weeks—and the headaches were just starting to disappear.

 

The first ball was to Dos. It was atrocious. A short half-tracker down leg-side. Dos’ eyes lit up; he wound up to crack it and give it the punishment it deserved. The ball hit the toe of his bat, and Kent, keeping up to the stumps, gloved it down the leg-side. We (and Dos) couldn’t believe it. I had taken a wicket with my first ball. Dos was dismissed for a well-made 64 from 114 balls.

 

Josh Brien came out to bat, and with a ball that was nothing special, he scooped it up to short cover. I had two wickets in two balls—on my third hat-trick for the season.

 

The first one, against Colac in Division Two, I bowled a full toss. The second one, which was on the Wednesday prior in a T20 match also against Colac, I bowled a full toss down leg-side.

 

This ball was to Dawson Barrow, who has had the wood over me in previous encounters.

 

It was short down the leg-side—not far enough to be a wide—and very anticlimactic again.

 

The next ball was an absolute peach, nibbling away and bowling him through the gate, hitting the top of off stump.

 

I had three wickets in four balls when the only other wickets for 30 overs were run-outs.

 

First over of the day: a triple-wicket maiden.

 

Jared Fosita, a cricket-mad kid, was out to bat. Jared, identical twins with Jordyn, are cricket tragics. They play in Alvie’s Under 14s, Under 17s, and Division Two team.

 

Angry batted exceptionally with the tail, farming the strike on the final balls of the over. He hit Buckets for a big six straight down the ground and lofted me over extra cover.

 

Eventually he holed out to Max Hutchinson in the deep in the final over, and I had four wickets.

 

Searching for five, Jared chipped one up to Damo Wetemans at gully and that was that. It was not a pretty 5-fa, that’s for sure, but it was my second. Funnily enough, both of them have been hungover.

 

Alvie ended the innings 7-179 from 40 overs, and we were in for arvo tea again. Another exceptional spread was laid out.

 

ARVO TEA: Kenny McDonald’s son Noah, a member of our under 17s team getting stuck into the arvo tea.

 

Craig Kerr and Shane Kent opened the batting, Craig again needing to leave early and Kenty coming up against his old side. Kenty crossed to us after Round One.

 

Craig was bowled for 10 from eight balls, and Kenty was trapped lbw by Alvie cult figure Matt ‘Churchy’ Churchill. A lovable giant, Churchy is a friendly fella with a big beard and has been a mainstay in the Alvie footy team’s reserves as a ruckman.

 

Damo Wetemans, back in the side, batted solidly for 22 from 25 before being bowled by Justin McGuane.

 

JUST LIKE DAD: Liistro’s son Oscar wearing his dad’s helmet.

 

We were in a tricky spot when Paul Liistro came out to bat at 5-61 after Max Hutchinson and Kenny McDonald both made ducks.

 

Captain Liistro came to the crease with Xav Prime, needing to steady the ship. I was next in after Liistro and dreading going out to bat.

 

Primey batted in trademark fashion, punishing the bad balls. He was brilliant off his pads—as most left-handers are. He scored quickly and ended on 67 from 61 balls, with seven fours and one six, before holing out to the bowling of Jimmy ‘Jungle’ Johnstone.

 

I was so comfortable with how Xav and Liistro were batting that I had a little kip in front of the scoreboard to prepare myself. It was much needed.

 

The wicket fell at 6-147. Thirty-three runs to get, with Liistro in pretty good touch.

 

Opening bowler Angry came back into the attack and I pushed at one, missing it entirely, as did the keeper—but Mark Robb, the umpire, didn’t signal byes. I would have been furious if I’d been given out for that.

 

I faced out the rest of the over, but Jungle was now bowling to Liistro. Liistro backed away to smoke him through cover and hit him for four. The next three balls also went for four, with singles rounding out the over.

 

In the next over Liistro and I picked up five runs, and only a further four were needed. Mitch Rowland said, “You wouldn’t bring it up with a six, Pillsy.”

 

“I’ll try,” I said.

 

Dawson Barrow came in to bowl his first over of the day and dropped short. I played a pull shot and hit my second career six to win the game.

 

FATHER AND SON: Dad came out to watch – a rarity.

 

WINNING FEELING: Liistro and I post match.

 

Another gutsy win for the Panthers. Backs against the wall, but able to wrestle momentum back. We went to the Ti Tree for a couple of beers, and I had an enjoyable dinner with my family.

 

The next day was my 22nd birthday—not a bad way to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

Read more from Liam McCullagh here.

 

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GOLDEN: Damo, Kenty, Primey and Liistro enjoying a post-match beer at the Ti Tree Hotel in Warrion.