Matchday 27/1 – Premier B Grade
Eighth hosting Tenth in a crucial match at the wrong end of the table. Moe had some distance from the relegation zone but a loss here would drag them into the fight. For the 3rd week in a row, Moe won the toss and bowled (1-1 from the past 2 weeks). Streamed via Frogbox at Ted Summerton.
Churchill Innings:
Robert Blunt struck early, skittling S.Dunn (0). Brae Kelly survived almost chopping on and then flicked a switch, taking to all bowlers, racing to 37 off 20 balls. At 1/52 (9) with Kelly on 44* (30), a slog to cow corner should’ve seen him dismissed but the fielder in the deep had ran under it, and it landed inside for four more. The 15th over changed the complexion of the game with Jarryd Atkinson dismissing Freeman (13) & Spark (0) in consecutive deliveries. Forbes (0), Cluderay (0) and K.Marks (0) all also failed to trouble the scorers as Atkinson picked up his 3rd & 4th wickets and Paul Cake got his first. Suddenly it was 6/81 with Kelly 71*. Atkinson finished with 4/32 from his 9 overs.
Moe tried to starve Kelly of the strike, with McColl facing 42 deliveries for his 14 runs. He put on 32 with Kelly, with the latter, now on 85 (75) again skying to the deep, caught by Blunt off Cake. Cake, struck again to dismiss McColl with the last ball of his allotted overs, returning figures of 3/24 (9).
Hayden Edwards (1/22 off 6) & Ben McCartney (1/12 off 4.2) got a scalp each in the back end of the inning as Johnson 11, Urand 5 & R.Marks 21* for the Cobras total to a defendable 154. Brodyn Blandford got 4 dismissals behind the stumps.
Moe Innings:
Evan Sheekey (27 off 23) changed up his batting position in an effort to find runs and took to Freeman (0/24 off 3) in a quick paced start. Sheekey fell at 1/31 (5.1) and things slowed well down. The 14th & 15th overs saw the dismissals of Atkinson (6 off 25), Straughair (8 off 35) & Finn (0 off 2) and a collapse from 1/41 to 4/45.
Paul Cake (38 off 62) & Michael Johnstone added a composed 81 for the 5th wicket off 18 overs before Urand’s first delivery in B Grade debut for the Cobras gripped and turned to have Cake dumbfounded, leaving the ball only for it to clip the off bail. A mix up saw Blunt (0) run out the next over to be 6/127, still requiring 28, the lower order exposed but crucially Johnstone still at the crease.
Brodyn Blandford (2) ticked off 19 of those with Johnstone, before being caught in the 40th over. 9 runs required, 7 down and 31 balls remaining. Just three balls later, Johnstone (49) was bowled, one short of what would’ve been a hard earned half century. 7/146 (40.2). No runs off the next 20 deliveries meant Moe now needed a run a ball, 9 off 9. Ben McCartney managed to break the drought with 3 runs to finish the over. 6 off 6.
McCartney (3 off 13) tried to go big off the first ball of the last over, caught at mid on. Pickering (0) also tried to go offensive on ball two and was bowled to end the game. Murphy (0* off 11) the not out batsman as Moe were all out for 149, going down by 5 runs. The Cobras kicking off their Club’s 50th anniversary celebrations with a victory. Kobi Marks (3/13) took the final 3 wickets whilst J.Dunn (2/19) and McColl (2/22) took 2 each.
Credit to the visitors too inflict a bad loss for the home side, who crumbled late, losing their final 4 wickets, for just 3 runs in 28 deliveries. The result now leaves Moe in a tough spot, sitting in 8th, just 2 points separating 6th to 9th, and having to face the Top 3 in 4 of the remaining 6 matches.
