South Brisbane v Gold Coast - 2nd Grade
Allan Pettigrew Shield - Round 16
22 and 29 January 2022 at Bill Pippin Oval
DAY ONE:
Washout.
DAY TWO:
An unscheduled one day game to be played on an overcast day. Unfortunately, overnight rain delayed play due to vey soggy ground conditions. The umpires inspected the pitch at 10.00am and then 10.30am. With no change in conditions, a further inspection was scheduled for 11.30am, at which time a decision was taken to commence play from 12.00pm; 41 overs per side.
Matt Casey won the toss and elected to chase. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Conditions were very tricky for the bowlers early, particularly from the car-park end where Brendan McNae tumbled on several occasions. Nonetheless, it was McNae who struck first when he took the edge of Radford’s bat and Matt Taviani took a straightforward catch. McNae’s next over was a mixed bag. A wide, a couple of no balls, 20 runs and finally a wicket from the last ball via a second Taviani catch behind. From that point the frenzy slowed as bowlers started to find their feet in the conditions. A lofted drive by Judd Markham off Nic Golding found the safe hands of Arlen Wells-Peris at mid-off to make it 3/59 in the 10th over. Souths continued to apply pressure and had slowed the run rate from 8+ per over in the 6th to under 5 when Wells-Peris held another catch off Jacob Dunne in the 16th over. Wells-Peris then claimed a wicket of his own in the 21st when an alert Taviani snavelled a chance off bat and pad to make it 5/90.
Gold Coast teenagers, Ashton Gumm and Lachlan Crump, then partnered for a well constructed 74 from 88 balls. The partnership featured 34 singles and just 3 boundaries. Crump was finally out when he skied one off McNae and Taviani ran back toward fine leg to take a well-judged catch; his 4th of the innings. Gumm continued to milk runs and was eventually out in the final over when Aaron Joby took a good catch in the deep to give McNae his 4th wicket of the day. Five twos were run in the final over to take Gold Coast to a formidable 7/201 from the allotted 41 overs.
Good bowling early from Connor Brown and Kyle Wisniewski restricted Souths to just 13 before Joby edged one off Brown to Markham behind the stumps. Hiruna Sigera was out six balls later to a good catch by Gumm at mid on off Wisniewski. Liam O’Hare and Arlen Wells-Peris added 20 for the 3rd wicket, but when O’Hare fell victim to a catch behind off Hurley at the end of the 11th, it precipitated a collapse for Souths. Pearce chopped one on off Hurley at the start of the 13th, Newland was dubiously run out at the start of the 14th and Wells-Peris became Hurley’s and Markham’s third victim at the start of the 15th; 4/11 from 21 balls.
A fighting 75 run partnership from just 71 balls between Casey and McNae offered some hope for Souths, but when Casey was adjudged LBW dancing down to the spinner and McNae was caught by the skipper at mid-off three balls later, hope faded. Souths were eventually all out for 130 with more than 11 overs of their 41 remaining.
A big game next week v top-of-table University at Norman Gray.
