One hundred thousand screaming supporters on AFL grand final day. Three AFL premierships. NAB Rising Star nominee. All of this means nothing come 4.45pm tonight when Hawthorn premiership player Ben Stratton pulls on the flouro yellow uniform of the Lemons in his debut match in the Busselton T20 Cricket Competition. With the AFL’s most talked about mullet gracing the Vasse Sporting Complex tonight, he surely would have never felt as many nerves as he will tonight as he lines up with and against some local cricketing legends of the likes of Jess Dornan, Ben Horrocks, Robbie Williams and Glen Waterhouse. In what is a coup for the Lemons, Stratton, although praised for his footy skills from his humble beginnings in Dunsborough through to the peak of the sport, was a handy cricketer in his younger days with both bat and ball. Although no commentary from Bruce or roaming Brian, there will be plenty of sledging from the Heavy Rollers, and no doubt, his own team mates.
Game 1 on week 3 had the Lemons up against the Jack of All Trades with Ben Horrocks a late out due to school commitments. His replacement, Mitch Gerrans, was brought into the team with the knowledge 3 runs would be enough to improve the teams efforts with the loss of Horrocks. Aaron Beckett opened the batting with Jess Dornan but this opening partnership couldn’t repeat the previous weeks efforts with Dornan dismissed for 2. Beckett was caught for 24 runs, 1 shy of retiring but the hard-hitting David Holmes upped the run rate with an unbeaten 30. Mitch Gerrans, if he was nervous for his spot once Horrocks comes back into selection reckoning, didn’t show it with a 13 ball 20 runs. Steve Ritchie finished the innings off with a 17 ball 22 to have the Lemons defending 145 run from the allotted 18 overs.
Ryan Wellings, the on again off again skipper, opened the bowling with 10 from his 2 overs. Mitch Gerrans cemented his place for this week’s bumper match only letting 2 runs go from his over. Paul Christianson took the figures of the week with 4 for 4 from 2 overs to rout the Jacks for only 64 runs.
Tuesday was the battle of the newcomers with the Son’s of Pitches batting first against the Fine Legs. Tully Schofield opened the bowling and showed the elder team mates how it is done with 1 for 4 from his first over a perfect start. Ben Priest then thought what you can do I can do better and although not taking a wicket, bowling a maiden in T20 is just as good and the Pitches were 1 for 4 from 2. Son’s of Pitches opener Craig Bazzell however soon found his rhythm and blasted 28 to retire from only 19 deliveries as Cam Hyde took 19 balls to retire on 26. Luke Howlett hit 10 and Dan Wilde 16 to set the Leg men 91 to win.
A cautious start it was not with Bobo Cummins, 25, and Schofield, 27, both retiring with the score 52 after only 6 overs. Damien Madden came and went for 7 before Justin Chandler’s 10 not out and Paul Culhane’s 4 not out saw the Legs home in the 9th over.
Wednesday night saw the undefeated Bin Chooks take on the newcomers Match Fixers in the Fixers first game in the competition. Dressed splendidly thanks to sponsors Bunbury Busselton Towing, Trade Hire Busselton, Southern Workwear, GWN7 and the Busselton Dunsborough Mail, the game was a fantastic show of the runs for fun concept.
Batting first, Leaney and Brook were both out quickly with Townsend and Armstrong departing not long after. Matty Harbeck soon retired with a 6 and a four and Beckett dismissed just short of retiting with 23 runs. Larsson, (14), Payne, (18) and MacGlaughlin, (17) all batted respectably before Harbeck came back out and took his tally to 39 before being the last man out. The Fixers were set 156 to win and to be the first team to defeat the Chooks.
Bailey and Hall opened up for the Fixers but were soon out with 1 and 2 respectively. Arrowsmith, 26, and Perkins, 25, retired to give the Fixers some chance. When Coshoff wad dismissed for 16 the Fixers were in a bit of strife. Rickard #2 hit an unbeaten 10 and skipper Docking 11 before being run out, however the Bin Chooks kept their title defence on rack with a 40 run victory.
The last game of the week was the first of our Friday night games with the Heavy Rollers up against the Swingers at the glorious Vasse Sporting Complex. Batting first, the Swingers started swinging, with 16 runs of Logan Whitwell’s first over. With Tye Denton out for 5, and the score 22, Toby Newlands strode out to the crease, looking to retire again. Retire he did with an unbeaten 29 with Brendan Cribb hitting an unorthordox, but rapid, 16. Dave McKay hot a more than a run a ball 26 to also retire as did Howell on 30. With a score of 7 for 136 off 15, the Swingers were in the box seat. Dave Barnes the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 5 from one over while Barnes number 2 went for 7 from 2 overs.
With a tad over 9 runs per over required, the power partnership of Brett Titterton and Glenn Waterhouse opened up; however Waterhouse was soon dismissed for 1 with the score on 5. Tit’s was out next on 9 bringing Jamie Terkildson to the crease and is arguably the recruit of the season alongside the Swingers Toby Newlands.
Terkildson blasted an unbeaten 25 before retiring with a skippers knock by Paul Keen of 22 the next best individual score. Without any other batsmen really getting going, the run rate continued to climb and was all too much in the end for the Rollers. The Swingers taking the points after restricting their opposition to just 99 from their 15 overs.
