Country's best master former greats
Photo: Rob Giese
THREE lusty blows in the final over secured the Australian Country XI victory against the ACA Masters as the Commonwealth Bank Australian Country Cricket Championships took a change of pace at Torquay yesterday.
With the country XI needing 12 from the final six balls, Mitch Green smashed a six and two fours to reel in the Masters’ 4/127 with three balls to spare.
The country XI finished on 6/130, with Green (18 from nine balls) and skipper Rod Ford (30) getting their side over the line with a handy seventh wicket stand.
The ACA Masters featured former Test stars Greg Matthews, Peter Sleep, 2003 World Cup squad member Jimmy Maher and a selection of former First Class representatives.
Ford was delighted with the win and said all of the players had enjoyed the challenge of taking on the past greats of the game.
“It was a great game of cricket. It came right down to the wire and they’ve got some smart old cricketers out there playing the game and building the pressure,” Ford said.
“We looked gone. They had the field set right (for the last over) but Greeny got a couple away, so they brought the field up and he got another one over the top, so happy days.
“It was unreal to play, just a huge honour to get to play the highest level you can in country cricket and playing against Test cricketers was a lot of fun.”
Former Test off spinner Matthews showed he has lost none of his ability, claiming 3/18 during the country side’s chase.
One-time Victorian batsman Clinton Peake was the Masters’ star with the bat, making 70 not out from 60 balls as the country XI bowlers toiled hard. Off spinner Robbie Jackson was the pick of the bowlers, keeping it tight on his way to figures of 1/5 from three overs.
Former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg kept a close eye on his teammates from the boundary line and was also pleased to see the best players from this year’s carnival also get the chance to enjoy the spotlight against a selection of former Test, one-day international and First Class stars.
“We all know superstars come from the country, so any time they can rub shoulders with some of the blokes out there, even though they’re a lot younger than us, there are a lot of Test matches out there and First Class matches (worth of experience), so they get the opportunity to play against some names which is really good,” he said.
The top country players will turn their attention back to the real stuff today, when the carnival’s second week kicks off with a return to the two-day format.
Rd 1 - WA 231 & 5/100 tied Qld 231; NSW 275 def ACT 142 & 7/148; SA 246 & 1/71 def Vic 212; EAP 236 def NT 100 & 6/179.
Rd 2 – NSW 7/323 def WA 194; ACT 238 & 2/110 def Qld 117; NT 353 def Vic 241; SA 7/370 def EAP 211.
Twenty20s – Rd 3 - WA 8/163 def Vic 5/162; ACT 84 lost to EAP 7/138; NSW 6/154 def Northern Territory 120
Queensland 6/190 def South Australia 75. Rd 4 - WA 142 def EAP 103; Qld 3/131 def Vic 9/130; ACT 7/150 def NT 3/146; NSW 6/126 def SA 108
STANDINGS
NSW 24 points, 1.95%
ACT 18 points, 0.93
Qld 15 points, 1.20
WA 15 points, 0.75
SA 12 points, 0.99
NT 6 points, 1.00
EAP 6 points, 0.83
Vic 0 points, 0.73
BEST PERFORMANCES
Ben Smith (SA) 106
Kaine Harmsworth (NSW) 103*
Ben O’Connell (Qld) 102*
Ben Reichstein (NT) 7/22
Andrew Maher (NSW) 6/38
Willie Gavera (EAP) 6/47
