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🏏 B Grade – 🔵⚪️ Rovers vs Moe 🦁

B’s had only faced Rovers twice to date, with Moe claiming two victories, not without hurdles as Rovers made themselves tricky opponents throughout each match. Rovers won the toss and bowled in damp overcast conditions. This gave Moe the chance to build on batting totals of 281 & 174 from their last 2 outings.

Highlights – https://youtu.be/Z9BKwZ379mk?si=ALOiOzmmwQnRlodp

🦁 Moe Innings

With Finn unavailable, Ash Savige opened with Mark Whitney, but found himself back in the pavilion first for 8. Jesse Pheeney joined Whitney, adding 61 for the second wicket pairing. Pheeney survived a run out scare earlier in his inning but there was no surviving the mix up in the 18th over, run out for 28. It was Pheeney’s highest Saturday score of the season and although it really could’ve & should’ve been more, the confidence is building at the right time of the year.

Whitney fell for 23 off 63 balls straight after the drinks break, 100 runs from his last 3 knocks. The bowlers got on top as runs dried up for much of the Kye Micallef & Michael Johnstone partnership, the latter returning to his captaincy duties following injuries that had restricted him to just two games this campaign to this point (both against Centrals in October & December). A six at each end sparked a revival to the run rate before Johnstone was stumped for 18 (45) dancing down the wicket. Micallef was watchful early, scoreless from 13 balls before 3 twos off an over and a six the next gained traction to be 16 off 27 at the time of Johnstone’s dismissal.

The constant drizzle that had been played through for much of the Lions innings started to take effect on the Rovers bowlers, as the switch from slow bowlers to pacers made the ball even tougher to control. To the batters credit, they took full advantage, Jarryd Atkinson hitting 50 off 39 balls, including 7 fours and a six, his first half century since January 2019. Atkinson has 29, 20* & 50 in his past 3 knocks, also finding form at the right time.

Atkinson & Micallef added 80 for the 5th wicket, the former dismissed his next ball faced after reaching fifty. Ben McCartney (10*) rotated the strike late for Micallef to reach his first senior half century, a well structured knock of 52* from 63 balls. Congratulations Kye! 👏

Moe closed at 5/234, the rain getting heavier in the final over but played out the innings. 4 bowlers (Scott, Van Zuyden, Sharp & Carney) took one each for Rovers with one run out.

The covers were put on during the break but the constant drizzle had made the ground soaked and pitch and surrounds quite unsafe. Both teams agreed to not take any risks, and call the game at the break, the spoils shared.

🏏 Centrals beating Raiders sees them return to top spot on 48pts. Moe also sit 48pts, and both sets of Lions are now guaranteed finals, 18pts ahead of 5th. Raiders (46pts) & Imperials (44pts) face off this week, the winner of that match will also lock their finals spot away. Both only need one more win to secure finals, with Willow Grove (30pts) sitting 14pts behind 4th and only a possible 16pts left available.

🏏 Premier C Grade – 🦁 Moe vs Morwell 🐯

Morwell headed to Ted Summerton and although it was 3rd vs 8th, the Tigers seem to throw ladder positions & form out the window against Moe, with a prime example being earlier this year – Morwell’s win over Moe was their only win in the first 8 rounds. In C Grade, Moe hadn’t tasted victory in 7 (5 losses & 2 abandonments), last beating the Tigers in December 2021.

Highlights – https://youtu.be/IfGDx4pjcN0?si=PWJqRmf9fSEIZdxN

🐯 Morwell Innings

It was a very slow start and middle of the innings for the visitors, with none of the top 6 batters having a strike rate above 50, with a couple much lower and only one of the those six reaching double figures (Mark Smith). This caused the Tigers to find themselves 5/37 from 24 overs, largely thanks to Josh Pickering who conceded just 4 runs from 8 overs, claiming one wicket.

Billy Rilen (15 off 23) started to speed up proceedings, adding 31 with Smith for the 6th wicket, before being bowled by David Biggins. Biggins overs brought action for both sides, claiming 4 wickets but conceding 35 runs in his 8 overs in the process. Smith was caught off Biggins for 22 off 98 balls, followed quickly by Sterrick, 8/70. Tyson Key 26* & Khurshid Alam (10) pushed the Tigers to triple figures to give them something to bowl to, closing at 9/108 from their 40 overs. To go with Biggins’ 4, Stuie Palmer took 2/24 with Pickering, Edwards & Cake claiming one each.

🦁 Moe Innings

Matt Burridge (9) was the first Lion to go, bowled by Carstein. Palmer joined Randy Straughair in a supporting role as the latter hit 5 fours & a six on his way to a run a ball 42, his highest score since October. Straughair fell at 2/57, scoring the vast majority of the total to that point. Palmer (7) was bowled four runs later.

Shannon Murphy (21* off 35) & Ryley Semmens (23* off 44) guided Moe to victory with an unbeaten 48 run pairing for a 7 wicket victory, breaking the Tigers head to head win streak. Carstein, Sterrick & Johnson took one wicket each for the visitors.

🏏 Moe (3rd, 38pts) sit 2pts behind Students & Toongabbie (40pts). As it stands, the Lions need 2 wins to secure finals. Moe could take opposition teams out of the running themselves with matches against 4th, 5th & 6th the next three rounds before the final round at Toongabbie (2nd), which could decide a home final pending prior results.