Magoos Bounce Back in a Thriller on the Plunkett
After a devastating loss at the hands of Old Carey last week, the Old Xaverians 2nd XI were chomping at the bit for a chance to redeem themselves and claim a much needed 4 points. Their opponents, Caulfield Grammarians, are known to have more than one district cricketer who “doubles up” for a Sunday fixture, so it was always going to be a hotly contested game.
Losing the toss, the Old Xavs were sent into the field. In no uncertain terms, the Caulfield captain and opening batsman absolutely smashed us around the park in the first 9 overs. At 1/57 off 9 overs, their captain was sitting on 44 with 10 boundaries before Callum Abrahams (3/32 off 8) snicked him off. This proved to be a vital wicket, and it was fantastic to see Glenno back in form, as he knocked off the top 3 batsmen in his first spell of 6 overs, putting us back on top. From there the old “spin to win” tactic was employed, as Matt Perrett (2/47 off 8) and Angus Sheedy (1/20 off 8) both struck blows to so-called “district cricketers” to have Caulfield reeling at 5/68. These two were followed beautifully by Tom Worsnop (0/13 off 4) and Paddy “The General” Martin (1/11 off 4), who locked down both ends nicely. The Magoos bowling contingent performed as well as it had all season, however a few handy partnerships late in the innings allowed Caulfield to claw their way to 8/165 after the 40. Somewhere around that 160-180 mark is commonly considered par on a Plunkett wicket, and with the solid batting line-up present on the day the Old Xavs were confident that they could get the job done if everyone pulled their weight.
Some very tidy bowling from a Caulfield left-armer saw a slow start to the Xaverian innings, and at 2/21 off 10 overs, a few nerves circulated the minds of the Magoos. However, the in form Anishka Fernandopulle (38) and Alex Eden-Lachowicz (32) managed to steady the ship with an important 60 run stand for the 3rd wicket. When Nishy fell, Lash was joined by Angus Sheedy (32), who clearly hadn’t missed a beat from his 58 last innings. Sheeds and Lash began to tick the score over nicely, working hard to keep the run rate under 6 an over. Nick Terry (14) joined Sheeds when lash fell, and together they put on a further 21 before the big wicket of Sheeds was captured. At 5/125, the boys needed 41 off the final 48 deliveries. Enter John Bird (18*). Whilst Terry fell, Birdy kept ticking the score along with his new partner Matt Perrett (9*). When Pez joined Birdo at the crease the equation was 27 needed off 34 balls. The 2 left handers knocked it about, both hitting a crucial boundary each in the leadup to the final over. With Birdo on strike, 7 runs were needed off the final over. A perfectly timed leg glance went for 4 off the first ball, causing the fielders to be brought into the ring, allowing Birdo to spank one through mid-wicket for 3, winning the game for the Magoos.
This was a must-win game for the Old Xaverians 2s, and we here at OXCC HQ cannot stress the importance of this win going forward. There is a belief within the club that both teams can win games and win them well, and there is a clear sense of confidence and camaraderie within the club that hasn’t been seen since the 1s premiership of 2017/18. Full steam ahead for the remaining 6 games of the year. Let’s go Xavs!
