Magoos Scrape a No-Result After Shaky Start with the Bat
Overcast conditions and rain looming did little to lessen the excitement in the changerooms before the first hitout of the season for the Old Xavs Cricket Club, with the mighty Magoos sent into bat by Old Melbourne High. With Alex Eden-Lachowicz (0) falling on the second ball of the innings to an unlucky bottom edge, Anishka Fernandopulle (13) and Jim Forrest (8) looked positive at the crease before an unlucky LBW sent Jim packing, and from there the vintage OXCC batting collapse ensued, and after 23 overs the Old Xavs were reeling at 7/41. Much credit must be given to the Old High boys who barely bowled a bad ball in the first 30 overs, making use of a tricky wicket and not allowing our boys to attack the short square boundaries with very few leg side or short balls. However, Matt Forrest (30*) and Callum Abrahams (28*) provided an incredibly impressive unbeaten stand of 63 for the 8th wicket, who capitalised on quick singles and punishing the rare bad balls giving us 104 runs to defend, something we believed possible with our strong bowling line-up. The highlight of the innings was Glenno Abrahams getting bowled off a no-ball on penultimate delivery of the last over, only to leave the next ball and spank a 6 over the bowlers head to finish the 40 overs.
As the Bureau of Meteorology lied to our faces, we were confident that we could get through this next 40 overs and win if we bowled to our plan: nothing short, nothing leg side and no misfields. The figures of Pat Nunan (1-10 off 5) and Matt Forrest (1/7 off 3) indicate this plan was followed almost to a tee, and at 2/29 after 9 overs there was belief amongst the lads that we could keep taking wickets, however a sprinkling of water from the heavens caused the covers to be brought on, and upon their removal a puddle of water had formed at the bowling crease. Upon inspection it was agreed upon that the match would be abandoned, and despite our solid start with the ball and 2 exceptional tail end batting performances, it is safe to say that the Magoos were lucky to escape with 2 points from the day. Our main focus going forward is simple – batsmen need to hit more balls in training to give themselves better preparation for the day. As shown by Glenno Abrahams and Fridge Forrest, if you see enough balls you’ll start to make runs, but to win games we need more than 24 runs from our top 6 batsmen. Having said this, we have every confidence in our squad that wins will come and so will the good vibes (as long as the rain stays away).
Go Xavs!
