3rd Grade Report vs Fairfield-Liverpool - Round 13

3rd Grade Report: Fairfield Liverpool

I can't tell you what happened in the first five minutes of the warm up because, well, I just wasn't there. Arriving at 11:21 on the Samsung, I must have missed whatever it was we did wrong because the first day at Fairfield was nothing short of a disaster for the Thirsties.

Nick Dowsley hits out on Day 2

The customary laid back warm up, complete with men hanging their legs over the fence pretending to stretch was followed up by a quick jog then into some intense ground fielding. Just as the bowlers started bowling and the batsmen started batting, the captains started tossing and it was decided that Fairfield should bowl first on a green wicket. It seemed that once again Ed had decided against winning the toss, putting the pressure on the opposing captain to make the tough decision. Tough it wasn't, as we found out throughout the first 32 overs of day one.

Not much to say about these overs really. Charles Bangs and I sat down, 11 and 10 respectively, looking forward to a day of Zooper Doopers and lazy banter. A couple of hours later I watched from the non strikers as Charles was bowled first ball, and we were all out for 87. Howitt top scored with 26, but overall it was a day dominated by the Fairfield bowlers.

Just as our turn for retribution came, it started to rain. So without use of the bowler-friendly wicket, Gordon were left disappointed and somewhat disenchanted with the game as it stood.

Week two presented a new challenge: 120 overs in a single day. Ouch. With most arriving at 8:30 this week we looked to have a good attitude in everything we did. If we lost on first innings, said the captain, we should gun for the second innings points. With Fairfield one man down, this too looked to be in our favour. The pitch, however, seemed a little changed from the one a week previous.

The openers, in a normal run chase, bowled fairly well. Given the context of the game, however early wickets were required. Effeney picked up one early and Charles toiled hard at the other end, but unluckily went without reward. Enter our inspirational captain, the best performer in 3rds, and maybe even the club, for the last month, and Gordon were right back in it. Ed bowled 21 overs, with only one break to change his end, for 25 runs. He also managed to pick up 5 wickets along his merry way.

Of the other bowlers, Alex 'Boogie Board' Lines also bowled tightly and snared a critical wicket, while Effeney's second spell was rather better than his first, and he finished with 3-33 of his 18 overs.

Fairfield had to work hard for their runs, but eventually the Gordon total proved to be insufficient and Fairfield passed our score six down. A well earned first innings victory, but the game wasn't done yet. Bowling them out with a scant lead of 13, Gordon were determined to get six points out of this game.

Again, there really isn't a whole lot to talk about in the top order, with the exception of the resurgent Nick Dowsley, who hung around with Ed and Alex lines to make Fairfield chase 130 odd for the outright off 26 overs. Once again, Ed played some nice shots, as did Al, but the star was Digger, who smashed his way back into form with some stylish driving and ferocious pull shots.

Game on! Fairfield needed the ten points, Gordon needed the six. Charlie opened up and went on to get the rewards that deserted him in the first innings. He bowled 10 overs straight, with the figures of 3-42. This really was a great effort in the context of the game. Alex also picked up a wicket, and Effeney was the beneficiary of some late game hitting, ending up with three dismissals, all caught off attempted slogs. Though Ed went wicketless, again he showed serious class with the ball.

Although he was denied player of the round because of 'the context of the game' this round, as well as the round before, surely the context of back-to-back five fas, as well as a 'four-fa' and an eighty will ensure him player of the month? I suppose we'll find out in the context of the next club meeting. Chin up Ed.

Overall, it was a very disappointing loss for the Thirds in a game that was very winnable. Now out of the six, the Thirds need to rediscover the ability to put on a decent total, and our bowlers need to keep plugging away and striving to achieve that consistency of line and length. We just need to improve.

Yes Taity.

Patrick Effeney