By JIM TIMBERLAKE
GEELONG Cricket Club’s finals hopes for season 2014/15 appear all but over after the Cats failed to defend 165 against Footscray Edgewater last Saturday.
Corey Ogle (2/28), Jake Sheppard (2/45) and Jeremy Hart (2/39) all tried their best but Geelong simply didn’t have enough runs on the board.
This weekend brings a Saturday/Sunday two-day game at home against Monash Tigers.
Coach Damian Shanahan will be looking to see who still has the fire in the belly and wants to show some pride for the club.
In Geelong Cricket Association, Geelong City staged a remarkable late comeback to wrestle back the momentum in its match against Bell Post Hill.
Batting first, the Sharks flew out of the blocks, putting on 110 for the first wicket as Richard Oliver continued his good form to make 82.
But Bell Post Hill stuck to its task as Dylan Stojanovski (4/23) led a stirring comeback to dismiss the visitors for just 196, a score City would have been disappointed with after its good start.
With 18 overs remaining, the Panthers hoped to wipe a good chunk off their target but Kent Agg (4/6) had other ideas. The veteran fast bowler destroyed the top order to see the hosts finish the day on 6/25.
It’s hard to see how Bell Post Hill can get out of this one, which means City should consolidate its spot in the top two.
In division two, Torquay won the toss and elected to bat against Highton but, at 5/82, the Tigers might have been left wondering whether they’d blown a golden opportunity.
Luke Daffy (6/53) was bowling well and the game was in the balance.
But Shane Thompson, batting at number seven, made a fantastic 111 not-out to propel the Tigers to a competitive 243.
Torquay capped off a solid day’s play by taking two quick wickets as the Heat finished on 2/31.
Highton has been in good form and won’t go down without a fight but Torquay should have enough runs on the board to claim an important six points.
And in division three, Teesdale put in a great performance just when it mattered most, dismissing Shelford for just 167 before knocking 29 runs off the total for the loss of just one wicket.
For Shelford, Michael Lymer (51) and Luke Turner (43) were the only ones to show some fight in a poor batting performance, while Alistair Woods (4/29) was the pick of the Rams’ bowlers.
Teesdale should be too good tomorrow unless Shelford can pull a rabbit out of the hat.
