After Old Students completed a famous win over Central Park-St Brendan’s before the break, club stalwart Gino Saracino identified the need to improve the side’s batting dramatically.
Unfortunately for the visitors to Katandra Recreation Reserve in Saturday’s Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield encounter, Old Students only found more of the same.
This time, there was no banana peel. No opportunity to find the magic again. No room to find a way back into the contest.
THE GAME
Katandra 2-66 (Scott Richardson 22*, Kieran Collins 20*, Callan McCabe 1-15) d Old Students 64 (Felix Odell 24, Ryleigh Shannon 2-11 Billy Holmes 2-11, Corey Hickford 2-12)
STAR PLAYER
Scott Richardson (Katandra): Richardson was busy all afternoon, claiming two of his own wickets plus contributing a run out before throwing up the unbeaten knock needed to get over the line with ease.
It has become a familiar tale: Old Students working their way through the early overs, finding a plateau at 2-40. A reasonable shift if not somewhat pedestrian.
Just about the next thing you know, they’re standing in the field defending the seemingly indefensible.
Felix Odell became the singular resistance against the reigning premiers’ attack, and Old Students walked a familiar path after his dismissal for 24.
That would match the tally his side could muster for the remaining seven wickets, as an unfortunately typical collapse brought Katandra’s victory target to 65.
Jedd Wright’s golden duck may have evoked memories of the previous round in hopes of another fantastical result, but only four Eagles bats spent time at the crease to claim a straightforward set of points.
Katandra’s Ryleigh Shannon was pleased with the all-around effort.
“We were pretty happy with the result, as you would be with a performance that the score reflects,” Shannon said.
“It’s all credit to our seam bowling attack. We all contributed with wickets, and it’s nice for that to happen.
“I wouldn’t say we did anything extraordinarily special, but it was important we just didn’t release the pressure, kept finding the edge and getting a lot of nicks.”
There was plenty for the man behind the stumps, with keeper Nathan Hickey claiming four consecutive catches off three bowlers to take the game right out of Old Students’ grasp.
What about the deck, though? After all, nearby Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve was blanketed with rain and created a new game state, to which Numurkah’s Tim Arnel attested.
“Our wicket is pretty good with the covers being on,” Shannon said.
“The outfield was relatively slow, so you could say 60 was more like 80, but I wouldn’t say it played a part in the wickets as such.
“It played pretty consistently with other games this year, and you just have to take your wickets early.”
Early was the right word, with just over 43 overs of cricket needed to wrap up the result.
The in-and-out job has Shannon’s defending champions in perfect stead heading into a two-day affair with Karramomus.
“We’ll be looking to cement our place in the finals,” Shannon said.
“It will be good to hopefully get ourselves cemented and then take on the task of three big games to close out the season.”