Dominant Perrett Century Leads Magoos to Big Win Against Old Haileybury
The Old Xavs were dealt with a few notable omissions prior to their Round 9 clash against Old Haileybury, but the ever-so trustworthy fill-ins enabled a competitive side to be fielded in a bid for a top 4 spot nearing the finals. The players were met with challenging conditions, with a forecast of over 30 degress and not a cloud in sight - but our boys were up for the fight. Old Xavs captain Matthew 'The Pez' Perrett won the toss, continuing his winning streak, and elected to bat on what appeared to be a road of a surface. However, it was a rocky start to the innings with both Nish and Tom McIntyre falling early. At 2/8, it seemed that the pitch would prove difficult to play on. Much to the credit of Nick 'Gaz' Harries and Pez, they showed us how time at the crease inevitably allows runs to come - and quickly they came. The two put on a remarkable 189 run partnership in under 30 overs. It seemed they would bat forever, continuing to dismantle Old Haileybury's lackluster bowling unit. That was until Nick Harries fell for a classy 83 which, in the tough conditions, was a testament to his craft as a skillful player. Thus, it was Pez who shone through and led the way to make his first tonne in a scintillating continuation of form. He was well and truly on his way to go extra large, but was dismissed for a destructive 116 - well done Pez. The middle and lower order then had the best part of 10 overs to capitalise on the momentum, but in the quest for quick runs, the Old Xavs were dismissed for 255 in 38.1 overs. A valiant and selfless effort which gave the bowlers much to work with. Much like the batting, the bowling didn't get off to an ideal start. Boundaries and sundries were leaked and the pressure was let off as the opening batsmen put anything away that was too full or too short. But the Old Xavs were always going to persist and have a red-hot crack. Will Golds struck twice in quick succession, showing much control with the swinging ball and immediately putting Old Haileybury under the pump. These wickets were largely due to the dot ball pressure from both ends, complimented neatly by Ed 'Chief/Bowlologist' MacIsaac. The number 3 and 4 batsmen looked dangerous, dispatching anything short and ticking the run rate along quickly. When the heat had seemed to be getting to the Old Xavs and the batsmen scoring freely, the introduction of Alex Eden Lachowicz changed the pace of the game, finishing with 2/30 off 8, along with Callum 'Glenn' Abrahams at the other end putting in a solid spell in the heat - finishing with 2/31 off 8. The innings was well rounded out by Tom 'Snoppers' Worsnop and Tom 'TP' Paul finishing with 1/9 and 1/4 respectively. Overall, the Magoos have much to look forward to in the upcoming rounds to remain competitive in the hunt for a finals berth.
The main takeaways for the boys were:
1. The emphasis of batting time out in the middle to build big scores.
2. Fielding was exceptional - with no runs leaked, all catches taken and a clean run-out - we gave ourselves the best option to swing the momentum in our favour.
3. Bowling in partnerships from both ends proved crucial in building pressure and leading to rash shots.
4. The number of extras and short balls hurt us. But as we continue to work on this, we will have no issues keeping up with the best in this league.
Again a special mention to those who filled in. We're always happy to have you guys down when you're keen for a game and look forward to seeing you at the club again soon.
