General News
2 December, 2019
Pelicans knock over Lakers
BOOKAAR recorded its second win of the South West Cricket season over Camperdown on Saturday but it was not without a scare.
BOOKAAR recorded its second win of the South West Cricket season over Camperdown on Saturday but it was not without a scare.
The Pelicans, who produced a disciplined bowling display to rout the Lakers for 78, were forced to endure some nervous moments in the run chase at Camperdown Showgrounds.
The Pelicans had made a strong start reaching 0/29 before the Lakers struck through Kasun Niranjana (4/19).
The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper turned leg spinner dragged his side back into the contest with three wickets while Simon Richardson chipped in another as the Pelicans slumped to 4/36.
That brought Pelicans skipper Simon Baker to the crease, with the veteran first seeing two wickets fall before he constructed the match-winning 23 run stand with Shaun Moloney to see his side over the line in the 33rd over.
Baker finished 26 not out at the crease after Tim Fitzgerald (15) and Eddie Lucas (15) got the home side off to a fast start.
He said his side was pleased to record a good win, which lifted them to fifth on the ladder and just percentage outside the top four.
“We probably thought it would be a bit more of a high scoring game because both teams have been scoring well this year,” Baker said.
“There is a bit of an unknown with them given their new players so it was good to keep them to that score and then pass them.
“We still had close to 20 overs to bat which was good.”
Of his side’s batting performance, Baker said there were times in any innings the Pelicans would need to be aware of momentum swings.
“But we gave a couple of guys opportunities up the order and that didn’t work this week,” he said.
“We’ll look at giving them a go at another time but with those tricky, low totals, you go out there with confidence and make a couple of mistakes and a couple of early wickets fall and the pressure is right on you.
“But it was good we were able to steady in the end.”
Earlier, Bookaar ripped through Camperdown’s top order to have the Lakers on the back foot at 5/38.
Niranjana (38) was the only batsman to offer any real resistance as the wickets fell around him, with the Pelicans eventually dismissing the visitors for 78 in the 39th over.
Jye McLaughlin (15) and Richardson (11) were the only others to reach double figures, with Louis Darcy (2/6), Deiter McDonald (2/15) and Fraser Lucas (2/20) sharing the bulk of the wickets for Bookaar.
Baker said he was thrilled with another consistent bowling effort from his side.
“We just made sure we pitched the ball up and made them play along the ground and restricted the boundary ball again with the ground being a bit longer still,” he said.
“Our bowling has been our strength this year, everyone is bowling consistently and making the batsmen earn their runs.”
Bookaar is now setting its sights on a top four clash with Terang at Terang Turf this Saturday, with the Goats almost pulling off a remarkable run chase against Cobden on Saturday night.
The Goats fell five runs short of a sub 250 score, with Baker admitting his side would be wary of Terang’s improved batting strength.
He said the Pelicans would enter the clash expecting to post another victory, with their line-up to be strengthened by the return of a number of players for the must-win clash.
“I think we’ve got one of the best bowling attacks in the league so if we bowl the way we have been, we should be okay,” Baker said.
“But coming up to Christmas we really need to be thereabouts with the top four.”
Camperdown will meet Heytesbury Rebels at S.A. Wright Oval.
