Tigers fall in a heap

It was a frustrating Saturday with the bat for Ovens Valley United’s A grade squad, with a lacklustre performance with the willow resulting in a loss to Wangaratta Magpies. On the gorgeous turf at McNamara Reserve, the Tigers restricted the ‘Pies to a manageable 202 all out from 40.3 overs, only to be rolled for 181 in 39. The match was set up by the Magpies’ top order, with Cooper Matheson (31 off 36), Tyler Nanson (46 off 67), Akhil Kumar (48 off 32) and Harkaran Mann (34 off 41) all getting away from the Tigers' bowlers. The Tigers managed to break through thanks to James Neary’s precision, and Geeth Alwis and Daniel Saville taking pace off the ball, exposing the Wangaratta middle order. With spin having opened the door, Joe Monk’s pace kicked it down, running riot through the Magpies’ batting list. He picked up his first with the opening delivery of his sixth over, knocking back Nic Bonwick’s stumps, before targeting the poles to clean up the tail, finishing with 4/32. Alwis claimed 3/29 from his eight overs, while Neary, Saville and Michael Elliott finished with one each. Ovens Valley United captain Seamus Phillips said his bowled did exceptionally well to drag the Magpies back after their fast start. “Our bowling innings played out the way it has against them the last couple of years, they obviously got away to a good start and then we reeled them in really well to bowl them out for 200,” he said. “They’ve got a pretty strong batting line-up as it stands, so early in-roads against them are key and we just couldn’t get that early breakthrough. “It was a very chasable score – after the second drinks break we just kept it right and took a heap of wickets.” With the target ahead of them, the Tigers needed to foster batting partnerships but found themselves at 1/9 early after Phillips slashed one to point, caught off Chris Clement. The powerhouse Geeth Alwis continued scoring at will as he has all season, helping the score past 50 before Daniel Saville skied one. The dismissal brought young gun Noah White to the crease and, together with Alwis, went to work whittling down the target. The partnership would be undone on 56, after Alwis was stumped on 47, leaving White to stage a standalone innings. While his partners fell at the other end, White was chanceless, bringing up his first A grade half century off 58 balls. However, when Dylan Bursill was run out at the non-strikers end off a deflection from bowler Chris Clement, the wheels started to fall off. The Tigers would lose 5/22 as the tail capitulated, with White top scoring with his 55 from 68 balls. “With the batting, we just lost wickets at really bad times,” Phillips said. “Dylan getting run out the way he got run out after the drinks break, that literally turned the game on its head, that one moment, it was just one of those things in cricket when luck’s not on your side. “With pace off the ball, they can set a field to it, and it made it a little more challenging to score freely from. “Noah’s 15, and I think that’s his first A grade 50, and it was chanceless until he went out. "He just batted really well, even to Akhil [Kumar] and that extra pace, he played him pretty comfortably – Akhil ribbed him and it didn’t faze him one bit, it was a great knock from Noah.” The Tigers are second overall, but now equal on points with third-placed Yarrawonga Mulwala, and even on wins with the fourth-placed Magpies, meaning a home final and even finals qualification is up in the air. Ovens Valley United will look to this weekend’s clash with the floundering City Colts to recapture some momentum heading into the last few weeks of the year.

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