By Justin Flynn
It was a good day to bat second in Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A1 Grade on Saturday October 14.
Teams chasing runs lost a combined total of just three wickets with some one-sided contests taking place.
Barrabool looms as a major contender after flogging Queenscliff.
At one stage the Coutas were 8/41, but a 29-run ninth-wicket stand got the score up to 75, which was never going to be enough.
Left-arm seamer Lachie Brown was the destroyer with 5/22 while club coach James Fisher was immaculate with 2/7 from seven overs.
“You know sometimes you just watch someone and you can sort of see something?” Fisher said.
“I was really impressed with him in preseason last year and then I was really keen to see him (Brown) progress.
“We thought let’s give Browny a go. Let’s get him up there and see what he can do. And then he has not proved us wrong. He’s really been instrumental for us.”
Right-arm finger spinner Ed Morrison also bowled well, taking 1/6 from seven overs.
“He changes his flight really well,” Fisher said.
“He’ll float some up and sort of draw the batsman in and then he’ll bowl a dart and try and trap them lbw.”
Openers Jack Purcell (40 not out) and Michael Kelson (35 not out) then got the job done for the Bulls in just 21 overs.
“We sort of let ourselves down a bit with the bat last week, so we spoke about, you know, let’s just get out there and not make a big deal of the run chase,” Fisher said.
Barrabool faces its biggest test on Saturday when it travels to Anglesea.
“Obviously Anglesea has been such a quality side for four to five, six, maybe even seven years now,” Fisher said.
“I always look at the teams on a Thursday night and there were a fair few names I didn’t recognise and wasn’t used to seeing. But then they’ve taken off from where they left off.
“We’ve got to be realistic and respect what they’ve done over a period of time.”
Once one of the quickest bowlers in the BPCA before crossing to Grovedale for seven seasons and Torquay for two, Fisher missed last season with a knee injury and said he was slowly getting back into the swing of things.
“I’ve slowed down quite a bit, but just try and move it around a bit more rather than just try and bowl fast these days,” he said.
BARWON HEADS chased down Inverleigh’s 8/153 without losing a wicket thanks to a blistering 104 not out from 76 balls by Brent McMinn and 50 not out from 63 by Harry Melzer.
Earlier David Peel made a fine 84 for Inverleigh while veteran slow bowler Matt High took 4/6.
ARMSTRONG CREEK lost just one wicket chasing Ocean Grove’s 137.
Three wickets each to Lachlan Mulgrew and Jason Robertson and an unbeaten 69 from Clay Mulgrew were the catalysts in the win.
ANGLESEA quick Darcy Elliott took 4/28 as the reigning champs overhauled Jan Juc’s 8/130, losing just one wicket.
Steven Nicholson (60) and keeper Tyron Norman (46) getting the job done in 27 overs.
