Comprehensive review below of a dramatic afternoon.
Going into yesterday’s match at Yinnar, Raiders held a 3-1 lead in one day matches over Moe, with all four won by the team batting second. Raiders successfully mowed down big totals of 190, 184 & 203 comfortably for the loss of just 8 wickets (5, 2, 1) across all 3 chases, before Moe got their first 50-over win of the pairing last season, passing 173 at 5-down. The teams arrived to a wet surface, outfield mainly, but got started with just a 15-minute delay, so no overs were lost. Moe skipper Noah Kane won the toss and batted. Pros & cons evident for each discipline, with Moe’s batting to likely be on a slower surface but the Raiders ball likely to be sooner affected by water, and the afternoon to be a slightly faster surface as the ground dried out for the Raiders batting, but the white ball likely to stay in better knick for longer for the Moe bowlers.
MOE INNING’S
Kane(0) was first to be dismissed, chopping on off Harri McColl. Evan Sheekey was dropped twice in the slip cordon but couldn’t capitalise, lbw to Webber for 13 (32) at 2/29. Ash Savige survived a drop at gully before proceeding to score almost exclusively in multiples, just two singles on his way to top scoring with 33 runs off 41 balls, including 5 fours. Savige’s 52 run 3rd wicket partnership with Andrew Philip was ended at 3/81 when he was castled by George Cheshire. Philip & Smith added 32 for the 4th wicket before wickets started falling rapidly. Philip set a typical platform, 30 off 86 balls, but uncharacteristically was bowled (by Gunathilake) at the point his strike rate generally starts firing upwards.
It set off a 3-0 collapse as Cheshire had Smith (14) caught behind followed by Keenan Hughes (0) caught at mid off three balls later. Jordan Shields (14) offered a little resistance before Pheeney(0), Shields & Johnstone (5) fell in the space of 8 runs, an overall collapse of 6/32 including the group above from 3/113 to 9/135. Ben McCartney (10) joined Robert Blunt (5*) with 6 overs left, batting 26 of the remaining 36 deliveries and adding a crucial 16 for the last wicket to push the total to 151. McColl bowled McCartney to finish the inning.
Extras total of 25 was third highest for the Lions. The Raiders spinners did the most damage, Cheshire finishing with a clinical 3/17 off 10 and Gunathilake 3/26 also from 10. McColl 2/11 (4.2) was the other multiple wicket taker for the hosts.
RAIDERS INNING’S
The Raiders run chase started shakily with coach Liam Maynard, a centurion in one of the aforementioned winning run chases, caught behind for 4 off Keenan Hughes. Hughes should’ve had a second when Cheshire got a reprieve, skying to fine leg, but dropped by Blunt. He was on 15 at the time and went on to make 30 (39), skittled by Jordan Shields to make it 2/48. McFarlane (13) was also bowled, by Aaron Johnstone at the other end shortly after for 3/52.
The Johnstone/Shields pairing proved vital for a second consecutive week, bowling 20 overs for a combined 3/49. Shields ran out Stares (4) with a low direct hit from point before trapping Webber (3) lbw to make it 5/79 after 26 overs. It was 5/94 (31) when Laytten Smith returned to the bowling crease with immediate impact, bowling Robertson (2) with his first ball back. Akila Silva entered at Cheshire’s dismissal back at 2/48 and after a slow start, and a couple of survived drops, had progressed to 44 (106). Silva & Hutchinson put the Raiders in the box seat at 6/121 with plenty of time. The 40th over, Smith’s last, saw Silva’s inning ended with a diving low catch at short third man by Blunt (dropped the sitter, takes this one….almost incomprehensible).
Last week saw four bowlers used (Hughes, Smith, Johnstone, Shields) as they dismissed Toongabbie in 32.3 overs. Now all four of them were bowled out in 40 overs. Raiders sitting 7/121, needing 31 off 60 balls and at least two bowlers yet to bowl a delivery this season required to do the job for Moe. That task was up to Blunt & Savige, both Lions A Grade bowling award winners in past years (Blunt 29 wickets in 2020/21, Savige a white ball specialist a year later with 26 scalps in the full one day season of 2021/22).
A detailed summary of the dramatic climax.
Englishman Ben Rivers was looking at taking the bowling on so Kane spread the field for him whilst a more attacking field for Hutchinson. 3 off the 41st, 25 off 54. Just 2 singles off the 42nd, 23 off 48. Three singles against Blunt’s second over, 20 off 42. Rivers (15) was sharply caught & bowled by Savige in the 44th. One run off, 19 off 36. with now just 2 wickets in hand. Grandstand finish set up. Two off the 45th, 17 off 30, starting to really even up. Jesse Pheeney proved clutch in the moment and a direct hit ended Hutchinson’s (4) inning in the 46th. Two off, 15 off 24, with now just one wicket to take. Tight bowling from the Lions, but balanced with a boundary-conservative-conscious field, still allowed singles to McColl & Gunathilake, taking 4 off the 47th. 11 needed off 24. Gunathilake kept glancing to third man, so more fielders directed to that region. A direct hit run out shot by Blunt (safe) afforded a single into a double as the stump deflection took away from fielders backing up. The pair took 7 off the 48th in total. Just 4 required from two overs, the field all brought in. Two off the first ball through cover saw the Lions with just one run in hand. A dot followed. The third ball proved decisive, Blunt clean bowling Gunithilake (11) for Moe to claim a thrilling one run win and the first total successfully defended in a Raiders v Moe one day match. McColl ended 5* and in a match with a lot of similarities between the two innings, extras was again the 3rd highest total for the batting side with 17.
All 6 bowlers took wickets for Moe. Shields 2/28 & Smith 2/42 with singles to Johnstone (1/21 off 10), Hughes 1/26 off 10, Blunt 1/14 (4.3) & Savige 1/12 (4).
Credit to both teams for a fantastic match, regardless of result. We were fortunate to escape as winners on this occasion and it’s not long until the teams meet again in a two dayer, taking place at Moe in just 3 weeks (16th & 23rd November).
