Victoria upset in cricket

Press, 11 January 1978, Page 24

Victoria upset in cricket

The ecstatic shouts from the St Albans pavilion at Hagley Oval last evening signalled the first major upset in the Australasian secondary schoolboys’ cricket tournament. Australian Capital Territory, without a point in the previous rounds, scored the winning run against the joint leader, Victoria, with 10 balls remaining.

That surprise result left New South Wales as the only unbeaten team after three rounds and the state side looks likely to justify its favouritism. For the New Zealand team, the third round virtually meant the end of any hopes it may have held of retaining the Kookaburra Shield it won in Tasmania last season. It had a royal chance to defeat Western Australia, but suffered a dismal collapse in the middle order and was found wanting by 30 runs.

But Australian Capital Territory’s splendid win against Victoria highlighted the round and demonstrated again the strange quirks of fate that cricket can undergo. Victoria conclusively beat New Zealand in the first round, New Zealand came very close to defeating A.C.T. outright in the second round, but A.C.T. amazingly found sufficient improvement to topple Victoria. There was excitement and runs aplenty on the four grounds, but the Victoria and A.C.T. match provided the real drama. Victoria was in a disastrous position at 66 for seven, but the last three partnerships added 76, 45 and 29, respectively. The central characters in the grand recovery were Paul Newton (70), Kevin Glesson (57 not out) and the last pair, Ron Lawrence (26) and Simon Davis (18). Tony God-

win and Phillip Gerrans both had long and prosperous spells at the bowling crease.

A.C.T. through a 95 second-wicket partnership between Peter O’Reilly and David Reed, reached 123 before the second wicket fell. But as the overs elapsed, a measure of desperation crept into A.C.T.’s batting, typified by two run-outs.

With four overs to go, there were eight wickets down and 15 runs needed. But the bowlers, Godwin and Peter Stanek, although taking several chancey singles that had their team-mates looking anywhere but the pitch, batted sensibly and steered their side to a" meritorious win. The hostile Rod Watts bowled superbly for Victoria and no blame could be placed on him for his side s defeat. New Zealand could have felt well pleased to dismiss Western Australia for 169 in the forty-first over; Grant Cederwall, a brother of the Wellington Shell player, Brian, exploiting the pitch well to take five wickets and Martin Crowe claiming two cheap wickets off 10 overs.

New Zealand batted briskly, although it lost three wickets for 42. But Vaughan Brown and David Oakley seemed to have command of the situation as they added 63 runs. Brown drove delightfully and Oakley cut with confidence.

However, a diving catch down the leg-side by the wicket-keeper dismissed Brown and New Zealand plummeted to the depths, losing six wickets for 14 runs.

Barney Thomas struck a valiant 18 not out as the last pair added 21, but the damage had been done bv the medium-fast bowler, Keith Sheppard, and the right-arm spinner, Tony Rocchi, both of whom maintained an accurate line and good length. Michael Haysman and Peter Whiting rescued South Australia from a bad position and both made half centuries as they assisted the total to 210. Carl Rackemann and Chris Hill both snared four wickets for Queensland and the other two were victims of run-outs.

Queensland needed 55 off the last 10 overs with five wickets remaining and achieved it comfortably, led by Brett Henshell “ and Michael Maranta. The turning point came when the pair hit 15 off the fortyfourth over and 11 off the next.

Tasmania made a great start, against New South Wales when it dismissed Greg Arms, a centurymaker in the last two rounds, for one, but it did

not have much joy from that point on. Arm’s opening partner, Peter Silkman, came to light with 106 and there were other big contributions as the hard-hitting New South Wales batsmen reached 294 for five after 50 overs.

Tasmania had no chance when it had compiled only 83 after 25 overs, but its star batsman, David Boon, lifted the scoring immeasurably at the finish and he scored a magnificent unbeaten 108 in his team’s total of 238 for six. Richard Lynch batted well for 49 and the two added 123 in 90 minutes. David Palmer, a spinner who contained the batsmen so well initially — his first 11 overs cost seven runs for one wicket — suffered from the wrath of Boon’s bat and conceded 87 runs from his next 12. However, his early effort was a significant one. Points: New South Wales 18, Victoria 12, Western Australia 12, Queensland 12, South Australia 6, New Zealand 6, Australian Capital Territory 6, Tasmania 0.

Scores:— Western Australia 169 (P. Gilliam 32. D. Smith 29. D. Wood 27; G. Cederwall 5/77, P. Stoyanoff 2/14, M. Crowe 2/26) beat New Zealand 140 (V. Brown 45, D. Oakley 21; K. Sheppard 4/55, A, Roechi 3/31). Queensland 215/6 (B. Henshell 52, D. Grogan 45, K. Ingram 33, M. Freeman 39, M. Maranta 28 not out; T. May 3/41, M. Dolman 2/40) beat South Australia 210 (M. Daysman 56, P. Whiting 59, S. Parsons 24; C. Raekemann 4/40, C. Hill 4/52).

Australian Capital Territory 217/8 (P. O’Reilly 74, D. Reed 43, P. Stanek 20 not out; R. Watts 3/40) beat Victoria 216 (P. Newton 70, K. Glesson 57 not out, R, Lawrence 26: A. Godwin 4/43, Stanek 3/52, P. Gerrans 2/67). New South Wales 294/5 (P. Silkman 106, P. Clifford 66, M. Suttor 44, P. Devlin 26 not out, R. Foord 20 not out; R. Parsons 2/104, D. Boon 2/48) beat Tasmania 238/6 (Boon 108 not out, R. Lynch 49, P. Richardson 22; D. Palmer 3/94, Foord 2/49).