Nine brilliant overs of bowling late on day one of the Karramomus-Northerners fixture in the Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield have swung the game sharply in favour of the visitors.
Northerners fell short of batting out the first day after a session that had its share of momentum swings, with an innings propped up by the prolific work of Mitchell Brett and skipper Stuart Turner.
The game had every chance of slipping away from the resurgent Northerners as Karramomus ― still seeking its maiden win of season 2023-24 ― took 3-4 at one stage to eviscerate what remained of the top order.
However, Brett and Turner would have none of this, resurrecting a faltering display with some brilliant power hitting.
THE GAME SO FAR
Karramomus 3-16 (Jayden Dhosi 10, Dallas Furnell 1-0, Declan Newbound 1-5) v Northerners 242 (Mitchell Brett 85, Stuart Turner 40, Satwinder Jeet Singh 3-39)
Epitomising the lack of emphasis on speed between the wickets that played out across the league amidst dangerously high weather forecasts, 66 of Brett’s team-high 85 runs came via the boundary.
Once the 122-run resistance finally ended at the hands of Satwinder Jeet Singh, eventually dismissing their foes for an acceptable 242, Karramomus could pick up the willow and make inroads.
The Northerners attack shone in its brief spell before stumps, though, removing both openers for ducks and crucially walking Jayden Dhosi back to the sheds in the day’s penultimate over.
Turner was buoyed by his side’s capacity to lift.
“We’re in a pretty strong position, I’d say,” Turner said.
“The wicket was dry and held up a bit, so it was tricky to get in on, but Mitchell Brett showed how to play it.
“Taking the late wickets puts us ahead in the game, but (Mitchell) McGrath is still out there, so we’ll just have to bowl well.”
Turner praised the lower order’s efforts after his and Brett’s dismissals, adding 62 runs after the skipper left the crease.
“You never want to collapse and lose a couple of quick ones, but when that happens, you dig in and try to make something happen,” Turner said.
“Our tail put in another 50-odd which is a big difference, and it was nice to see everyone dig in a little bit.”
Fans of the National Football League across the Pacific would be familiar with the widely circulated online phrase “tank bowl”, referring to a clash between two lowly sides, which many marked this game as during pre-season.
That said, a win for Northerners evens the ledger at 3-3 should they get the job done. Does an unlikely finals contender emerge?
“We as a club will not even consider that until much later,” Turner said.
“A lot has to go right for that to happen, so we won’t look further ahead than next Saturday.”