Coromandel Cricket Club | Established 1862
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Presentation Night 2011/12
Struggle for A Grade in semi-final
Coromandel 1st XI have again been disappointing with the bat, dismissed for just 168 on the first day of their semi-final against Western Youth Centre.
However a fightback by the bowlers, reducing Western Youth Centre to 2 for 38 in the short session of 15 overs in the shadows of stumps, has steered Coromandel back into match.
Captain Jai Koirala won the toss (for the fourth time in the last five matches), elected to bat and, following their 46 run stand in the second innings against Glenelg ANA last week, opened with the Neil Ambler and Anthony Muggridge combination.
The Muggridge experiment appeared to a success as he belted 15 runs from the second over of the match - including three consecutive fours through long on, square leg and mid wicket respectively. However his demise came in the next over as he was trapped LBW.
"Muggers" has now opened the batting three times for the club - all this season - scoring at an overall strike rate of 148!
After a patient start, beaten outside off stump several times and negotiating the bowling with a defensive straight bat, Ambler reached the boundary three times in the space of five balls, before he was caught at second slip for 14.
Rahsaan Oakey looked promising early against the faster bowling with two consecutive boundaries - the first a delightful cover drive, down on one knee, from only his third delivery. However he then struggled against the leg-spinner and was twice fortunate not to be caught after he skied the ball to deep cover. The usual free-scoring Oakey was then tied down and was later bowled after becoming frustrated and playing a rash pull shot to a delivery that was too full.
Wickets fell regularly for the next hour and the score was soon 7 for 94 and the prospect of an early stint in the field appeared imminent.
Gareth Bruce and Max Cheek then instigated a fightback with a partnership of 64 - just eight runs short of the highest eighth wicket stand for the A Grade in a finals match. Bruce top-scored for the innings with 40 runs - including a pull shot for six that cleared the eastern side fence and resulted in a delay of 10 minutes before the ball was finally retrieved.
The partnership ended after a lapse in concentration from Max Cheek, sending a full toss straight to mid on. The last two wickets then fell for the addition of only 10 runs.
Openers Josh Lourens and Bruce replied with a fiery start to the Western Youth Centre innings, however the home side comfortably reached 34 without loss after nine overs.
Once again it was Lourens to the rescue, claiming wickets in successive deliveries - the first a fine catch by wicket-keeper Daniel Apthomas, taking the ball well to his right after a thick outside edge from a cover drive.
Overall the last six overs reaped huge rewards for Coromandel - capturing two wickets for only (the one scoring shot of) four runs, and could have been even better had Bruce held onto a very difficult catch, from his own bowling, in the last over.
Koirala's team will now need to apply consistent pressure with the ball and in the field and hold every chance that comes their way if they are to cap off the club's 150th season with an A Grade grand final appearance.
Coromandel A Grade in the 2011-12 Finals Series!!!
In a phenomenal turnaround from the week before, the Coromandel 1st XI have come from behind in extraordinary circumstances to reach the finals for the 3rd consecutive year. Sitting in the lower half of the table in 7th position at the start of round 11, more than likely needing an outright to slip into the top 4, Coromandel took on Glenelg ANA at the home of Coromandel Cricket, the historic Hewett Oval, in what was a match that will live long in the memory of all who were there for its incredible highs and devastating lows.
Captain Jai Koirala won the toss, made the attacking move and elected to bowl. Coro got off to the perfect start, with opening bowler (and association leading wicket taker for the last 3 years in a row) Josh Lourens taking the scalp of Glenelg's opener in the first over, caught at 2nd slip by Vice Captain Neil Ambler. Lourens shortly after had Glenelg in trouble early at 3/22, firstly courtesy of a scintillating catch from first year import Brett Jorgenson at 1st slip and secondly LBW, striking the ANA batsman's feet plum in front of middle stump, putting Coro on top at the start of day one.
ANA’s batsmen steadied the ship with a partnership between the two leading opposition batsmen, before Anthony Muggridge capped off a spell of the tightest display of bowling you will see in Section 1, drawing one into a false shot after delivering 4 consecutive maidens to the opposition batsman. Three quick wickets followed, two of which were classic outswingers from paceman Max Cheek, both nicking the outside edge and delivering catches to long term team mates, wicket-keeper Dan Apthomas and the competition's leading catch taker Brett Jorgenson who were once again able to take a couple of very sharp chances, leaving Glenelg's middle order reeling at 7/66.
Glenelg ANA were once again able to grind out a partnership, before the two Coromandel opening bowlers were brought on to rip through the tail. And rip through it they did. Speedster Gareth Bruce claimed the scalp of the highest opposition run scorer, who couldn't manage to beat the tight in-field, dismissed to a fine catch running back with the flight of the ball by Muggridge, and the next over, Jorgenson took his third slips catch of the innings and in the process handed Lourens his 4th wicket of the innings. Shortly after, Max Cheek, not to be outdone by Muggridge’s fine display several balls before, took a thriller of a catch running back with the flight of the ball after Bruce delivered a bouncer, bowling out Glenelg ANA for 99.
With a target of exactly 100 runs to chase and 104 overs to do it in, Coromandel should have made the runs easily. What was to follow sent shockwaves through the Coromandel camp. Glenelg got off to the perfect start when both openers were dismissed for ducks, with Bruce clean bowled and Longhurst spearing a catch to point. When Sam Cheek rocketed a hook shot to deep fine leg, Oakey clipped one back onto the off stump, Jorgenson had one jag off a length and Max Cheek was caught by arguably the catch of the season, a one handed - full length vertical leap off the ground at midwicket, captain Koirala was joined at the crease by vice captain Ambler.
A revival was what Coro needed after being in disarray at 6/28, however it was not to be, as Koirala got a fine edge to the keeper and was dismissed leaving Coro 7/33, needing 67 for victory with just 3 wickets in the shed. Ambler was undone shortly after an attempt to get the team closer to the score, and two of Coro’s lower order pinch hitters Dan Apthomas and Anthony Muggridge joined forces at the crease. As they have done regularly throughout the season, the two stuck to their guns and played each ball on their merits, putting on a powerful display of hitting. However after lifting the team score to 8/65, giving the team a sniff and needing just 35 runs with two wickets in hand, Glenelg paceman Rowe finished Coro off in style, taking the wickets of Apthomas and Muggridge to finish with figures of 7/35 from 10 overs, handing a crucial first innings 6 points to Glenelg ANA, leaving Lourens stranded not out, the team devastated and wondering what could have been.
To add insult to injury, a crippled Coromandel Cricket Club A grade had to endure 4 overs back out in the field again, with the belief that their season's finals hopes were just crushed in the last 22 overs. The feeling in the changerooms after the day's play was one of disbelief, shock and regret, and a few philosophical beers followed at the Duck Inn that night, contemplating just what went wrong this season.
The fallout from the day's play reverberated around the competition, with all writing off Coro’s chances of playing in the finals. However at a closer glance, the ancient Greek gods of mathematics shone down upon the hallowed turf at Hewett Oval and opened the statistical door for Coromandel. The equation was one which was relatively simple, yet extremely tough. Firstly, Coro had to rely on South Rd to defend 189 away against perennially strong batting Cove. Secondly, Keswick had to restrict finals regular ICC Sharks to less than 224, once again away from home. Thirdly, Belair had to ensure that Morphettville Park (who had recently smashed Coro for 363 in one of the more brutal days cricket in recent history) did not take a second innings result from their match. Finally, without doubt the most important factor of all: Coromandel had to bounce back from the demoralising defeat within a day and somehow muster up 6 points out of a game they already had a significant deficit in. It was an equation that none would bet on, and nobody would expect to happen, but where there is a will, there is a way.
Coro took to the field on day two with a deficit of 30 runs, with two fresh opposition batsmen at the crease. The Coromandel bowling innings got off to a less than perfect start when Josh Lourens was unlucky not to grab the first wicket of the innings when a very sharp slips chance was put down. However Lourens’ fast bowling counterpart Gareth Bruce produced two genuine fast bowler wickets in the following over, spearing the ball in at the batsmen to get two edges through to the keeper to give the early momentum to Coromandel. Bruce shortly after made it 3 top order scalps with a ball Glenn McGrath himself would have been proud of, angling the ball into middle, cutting off the pitch to clip the top of the off stump. At 3/12 early on day two, Coro was in with a chance.
However as cricket goes, opposition batsmen grind it out and partnerships form. First innings destroyer Rowe and opening batsman Pope steadied the Glenelg ship, over by over grinding away any chance Coro had of getting a second day result, bringing the score to 3/75. The Cheeks were the partnership breakers, with Max and then Sam dismissing the two batsmen involved in the partnership one after the other. Shortly after, the Cheeks were once again the difference, with Max producing a cool headed run-out, spearing a throw in from mid off to the keeper for a clinical run-out, and Sam nicking the edge of a Glenelg middle order bat. At 7/87 going into tea on day two, Coro needed just two wickets to bat again, with an unfortunate injury to the Glenelg wicket-keeper ruling him out for the game. The Coromandel team’s thoughts and best wishes are with the recovering player.
When play resumed after tea, the opening bowlers were again brought into the attack to destroy the tail. In the end it was Gareth Bruce who was the story of the second innings, snaring the final two wickets of the innings to finish with a very well crafted 5/31.
Coromandel had bowled ANA out for 105 in the second dig, leaving the following task: 131 runs need, from 27 overs, with 10 wickets in hand. One would be forgiven for associating this as a simple task, however with a few wounds still remaining from the debacle of the week before, nothing was going to be taken for granted this time around. Opening the batting with regular opener Neil Ambler was pinch hitting number 11 Anthony Muggridge. Within the first 10 overs, Anthony held a cool head and proceeded to back his game, playing some of the crispest, most powerful genuine cricket shots anyone will ever see, taking the impetus away from the opposition early, forging a partnership of 46 from the first 10 overs.
When Muggridge fell, Koirala joined Ambler at the crease and the two delivered a partnership of 51 consisting of quick singles and lusty blows. Following the departure of Koirala, leading run-scorer Rahsaan Oakey came out to the crease and batted as Rahsaan does, belting a massacre of sixes straight down the ground at Hewett Oval, a hit no less than 90 metres. However the rock of the innings, vice captain Neil Ambler finished unbeaten with a very well made 63 not out, with a display of smart batting and power hitting. When the winning runs were put on the board, Coro had done what it had set out to do and won outright on second innings. The rest lay in the hands of fate.
Back in the changerooms, results from other games started to filter through… Keswick had successfully defended 224. South Rd’s attack had bowled well to restrict Cove to less than 189. The final result that needed to go Coro’s way hinged on whether Belair could survive 38 overs from Morphettville Park. In the end, the final ledger after 38 overs in Belair’s second innings at Gums oval…. Belair 9/117. As this result was confirmed, cheers of joy erupted around the clubrooms at Hewett Oval, meaning in it’s 150th year, the Coromandel Cricket Club 1st XI had managed to sneak into finals by the absolute narrowest of margins in amazing circumstances.
This weekend, Coromandel now faces perennial arch rival Western Youth Centre, away at WYC in the 1st vs 4th Semi Final clash. WYC & Coro have history in the finals, with WYC knocking Coro out of the finals in 2004-05, and in one of the most memorable (or rather, forgettable) matches in modern day history, WYC defeated Coromandel Cricket Club in a tensely fought 2001-02 Grand Final, denying Coromandel the ultimate glory. Most recently however, earlier in the season, WYC destroyed Coro, smashing 366 and winning by 281 runs. This is our match for revenge.
It has been 57 long and hard fought years since the Coromandel Cricket Club has won the ASCA’s highest prize, and this weekend, the club would love your support at WYC over the course of the Saturday and Sunday, to cheer on our club and get behind the boys in their quest to make the Section 1 Grand Final in our 150th year.
CMON CORO!!!
Full scores from round 11.
Wins for the B, C and D Grade (Scores from round 9 - 11th February 2012)
At Sheidow Park Primary School, the 3rd XI were in trouble at 5 for 51 in their chase of 172 against Sheidow Park IV, before half-centuries to Andrew Magarey (50) and David Every (53 not out) ultimately led the team to a comfortable three wicket win. Stuart Gigney scored 20 in a sixth wicket partnership of 56 with Magarey whilst captain Ben Kernich (15 not out) played the support role in an unbroken eighth wicket stand of 79 with Every.
Every's knock is one of the more interesting Jekyll and Hyde innings in recent times. Starting cautiously, he scored only six runs from his first 34 deliveries. Then showed rapid acceleration to score 47 off his next 25 and post the equal fourth fastest century for this season (59 balls).
With an allround tight bowling performance, the 4th XI have easily overcome a confident Sheidow Park VI at Blackwood Hill Oval.
Coromandel expected their total of 204 from last week to be more than competitive, and this proved to be the case as the visitors were bowled out for only 95, placing a significant dent in the finals hopes for the fifth placed Sheidow Park team.
Captain Greg Kearsley tried a new opening bowling combination, with David Billett coming up the hill at the eastern end in the absence of this season's leading wicket-taker Peter Zacpal, who was enjoying some time off in the Riverland. The move was successful as Billett finished with 3 for 12 from 10 overs, most notably dismissing two of Sheidow Park's most dangerous batsmen in successive balls - his 49th and 50th wickets for Coromandel.
With the early carnage crippling the batting, the wily Graham Carpenter kept the clamps on with another three wickets. "Chum" only needs another three to reach the 250 milestone. Even older brother "Henry" threw in a few "hand-grenades" at the end of the day to pick up his first scalp for nearly two years, thanks to a fine low catch at first slip by Peter Keane.
Full scores from round 9.
Coromandel Players in Association Match
Coromandel Cricket Club have two players representing the Adelaide & Suburban Cricket Assocation in their match against Para Districts Cricket Association to be played at Mitchell Park Sunday morning at 10:30.
Bowling machine Josh Lourens (on target for another record-breaking season with 32 wickets) will make his fourth appearance in association matches whilst Rahsaan Oakey (averaging nearly 40 for the A Grade) will make his debut.
