Another Jordan Moran masterclass and the ageless Clinton Ford propelled Grovedale to a big win against Newtown & Chilwell, but a polished knock from an emerging talent also had a big say in the result.
After being sent in at Queens Park Reserve on Saturday 15 November, Grovedale made a mammoth 4/306 in the round 5 GCA1 one-day fixture.
Moran’s star quality is well known throughout the region and he peeled off a magnificent 119 from just 99 deliveries and had excellent support from Brayden Engelen-Baker, who made his highest 1st-grade score with 81 from 94 balls.
Jack Wrigglesworth was unbeaten on 53 from 52 balls and Ford was elevated up the order with success, making 23 from 21, but his heroics would come later.
Engelen-Baker, who was coming off a duck against Lara in the previous round, said the “ball was sort of popping and swinging around a little bit” early.
He also had the best seat in the house to watch Moran’s destruction from the nonstriker’s end.
“He’s unreal to watch when he’s going – he’s just got the ability to hit the ball everywhere,” he said.
“They didn’t bowl that badly, he’s just got the ability to put the pressure back on the bowler and hit balls where he wants them to be hit, to put fielders in a different spot so he can hit it somewhere else.”
Engelen-Baker had been opening the batting this season, but came in at No 3 against the Two Blues.
“Josh Windus got a hundred last game and he’s been hitting the ball really well,” he said.
“He had a really good back end to last year and we just wanted to change it up and see if we could get off to a bit of a flyer at the top of the order.”
Engelen-Baker’s knock of 81 was his best effort in the 1sts, but he said making three figures was largely unimportant as long as the team is winning and he is contributing.
“I’ve sort of been thrown around the order a little bit in the past so I had a chat with Jordan at the start of the year just about stabilising a position or an area in the order just to give myself the best chance to succeed,” he said.
“We had some good chats around that, but (I want to) develop some more consistency and help us win some more games. That’s ultimately what I want to do.”
In reply, Newtown & Chilwell was dismissed for 137, with evergreen Ford snaring 6/37 after coming up from the 2nds, which he is captaining this season, to replace Sam Coutts, who was a late withdrawal due to illness.
Approaching his late-40s, Ford took the stunning match figures of 13/63 in the 2nds against Lara in round 4.
“He’s got the ability to move the ball in the air and off the deck and he just hits the same spot – he’s very hard to get away,” Engelen-Baker said.
“Tom Smith’s out injured, Luke Guest is out injured, and then Sam Coutts was a late out yesterday, so it was handy to bring Clinton in, and you just know what you get from him. He’s a star.”
NORTH Geelong defeated St Peters in a low-scoring game. The Magpies were all out for 174 with Connor Hangan making 62, but St Peters could only muster 82 in reply with teenage leg-spinner Ben Demasi picking up four wickets in his 1st-grade debut.
SHANE McNamara hit his second century of the season, smacking 109 from 113 balls while Luke Inglis made an impressive 95 as East Belmont set Lara a hefty 281 to chase. But Lara skipper Dan Weigl (123 not out from 100 deliveries) and Vishesh Malhotra (67 from 33) made light work of the big run chase, winning with seven wickets and an astonishing 76 deliveries to spare.
A LAST-BALL off-drive for two runs by Ryan Simmonds got St Joseph’s across the line in a thriller against South Barwon. Needing 11 from the final over for victory, Josh Hodgson was stumped from a sharp piece of glovework by Tom Meredith off Gurpreet Singh from the first ball. New batter Ollie King edged the next ball for four and got a single from the third. Simmonds hit the fourth and fifth deliveries through the onside for two, meaning Joeys needed one to tie and two for victory from the final ball, which he accomplished to win by one run.
