Geelong City won its second game of the Geelong Cricket Association Division 2 season to get within striking distance of the top four ahead of a huge clash this Saturday to close out 2024.
The Sharks chased down Geelong West’s day one total of 248 and will meet fourth placed Bell Park in a one-dayer this Saturday.
“When you’re down the bottom of the ladder and having not won many games, it’s just what we needed to get the ball rolling on our season,” Geelong City captain Jack Driver said.
“So hopefully that just sort of kick-started into a few more wins. They’ve (Bell Park) been playing really good cricket. Yesterday they got 300 in almost 60 overs or something so that’ll be a good game. As long as we execute our plans and play sort of the style that we want to play.”
City chased down 248 with Kiwi import Jack Henderson making 120 not out from 224 deliveries while Driver contributed a fine 71 from 139. The pair came together with the Sharks at 2/6 and reeled off a 134-run stand.
“He (Henderson) batted really well,” Driver said.
“He absolutely smashed them all to fielders before tea and then after tea he started gapping up. We talked at the start of the day about probably needing someone to make a hundred and obviously I wasn’t able to so he put it on himself and got a big one for us and was probably the reason we won.
“He loves his cricket, which is all you want from an international player. He’s a nice guy, loves his cricket, wants to be there and gets along with everyone really well and just to top it off, he’s a really good player.”
Oscar Agg (20) and Byron Taylor (25 not out) also contributed in getting City over the line with five wickets in hand.
“Oscar has been super for us this year,” Driver said.
“He’s coming along in leaps and bounds – you can lock him in to look really good out in the middle and I thought yesterday he was going to win it for us when he was out there, but unfortunately some unreal fielding sent him on his way. And Byron is getting more opportunity up the order this year, which is good.”
A SUPERB 92 from Nikhil Deep Pottabathini was the highlight of Bell Park’s successful run chase against Leopold. Shane Lymer made 75 not out while Sam Elliston-Buckley and Jarrod Andrews each contributed 42. Tom Treble made a brilliant 134 not out for Leopold on day one.
GEORGE Blatherwick made 102 not out as Lara continued its winning ways. Three wickets each to Mitch Heyward and Charlie Walsh then rounded off the win against Bell Post Hill.
FIVE wickets from Daniel Grozdanovski and four from Luke Brown along with 57 from Sam Abley were enough for Murgheboluc to defeat Torquay by one wicket in a thriller.
