DINO TONNE EDGES OUT EMBASSY

by Ian Gason

In one of the closest games Wombats have ever played, El Prezi-dino Jarrad Shearer piloted the Wombats home with his maiden century in Sunday’s J1C semi-final at Fuji. Embassy posted a formidable target of 215 to win, and on the back of the big man, Wommies got there with just 10 balls to spare.

Chuck sent the Poms in to bat, and Anton and Paul rose to the challenge, keeping the bowlers at bay. Fortune favoured the brave, as Anton took some chance swipes and got away with more than the odd aerial shot. Equally though, he played some of the straightest and best cricket shots we have seen from the Embassy heavyweight. Paul Shax was particularly unlucky as numerous edges evaded fielders in the deep. Pup and myself also bowled without success.

The game was tense, but the Wombats kept chirping away, always feeling that a wicket was just around the corner. Dr B Love almost had a run-out with an under-arm, but Jarrad didn’t take it cleanly. The keeper’s disappointment manifested itself in the shape of a ninja-esque glove flick, and the leg-umpire was lucky not to be decapitated by the deadly weapon.

In the Wombats favour though was Paul’s inability to get the ball away. His scorecard looked like a set of dominoes, as he took 75 balls to make 25. Embassy went to drinks none-fa, with 90 up, no doubt hoping to up the tempo. It was late inclusion Reggie Dawson who got the breakthrough, getting Anton (60+) caught, juggled at square leg by Dr B’. Reggie and Killer’s mid-innings spells were crucial, restricting the poms to around 2 an over. Killer soon bowled Paul and celebrated with a Double Lleyton (the 2-handed fisty-pump).

Embassy stalwart Brent K looked in fine touch, and with runs on the board and wickets in the shed, started upping the ante. His driving was superb, and he was unlucky to get bowled by yours truly with an inside edge that popped, bobbed and trickled into the off stump.

Wombats’ bowlers got the ugly stick treatment in the death, from Big Lad Benson. He was picking the balls early and backed himself for the big shot. Some almighty shots rained down on Fuji II, and other more mortal shots simply rocketed through the field. A couple of wickets from Pup at the car-park end did nothing to discourage him. He helped himself to 12 off Pup’s last, taking his score past 70, and Embassy posted 214.

The challenge was on. Jarrad and Burkey opened. Runs came more generously from Thommo’s end than from Brent’s, enough so that we kept at the 5-an-over run rate. A few chances went begging, Burkey at 1st slip, Jarrad between keeper and 1st, but eventualy Thommo removed Burkey with a short ball that played on. Chuck wasn’t out there too long either, and set a pattern for the day: Jarrad + one. No other Wombat passed 20. Just when they looked like getting a score, they returned. Burkey, Chuck, Roy, Pup, Doc all played second fiddle to the big bass man, Jarrad.

Embassy were probably one bowler short on the day. Harmison impersonator Darroch bowled with pace and passion, but Jarrad had the better of him. Brent K seemed to lose his rythym mid-innings. Big Benson kept Embassy in the game, bowling as tight as a nun’s nasty, 8 overs for 15 runs. But without support at the FII end, the run rate required stayed around 6, and from about the 30 over mark edged lower and lower.

Nine Wombats hovered over the scorebook. Check the score, 170. Single scored. Check the book again, 171. Dot ball. Check again, still 171. Over-by-over scores went out to absent Wombats, Smokin’ Pete puffing his way through 2 and a half nervous packs.

Roy Boy played a couple of U-beaut drives. Pup launched a humungous jungle-down 6. Doc swept the way David Davies never will. But the day will be remembered for J. Shearer’s cut shots. He pierced the field like a surgeon’s scalpel, dissceting with the precision of Hannibal Lecter. 18 times he found the rope, and tellingly, not once did he go over it.

The Grumpy One’s first venture into 3-figures came via an ugly french cut to the boundary. He removed and kissed his Wombats hat, then put it back on his stubborn head and took us past 200. Like a Bangkok traffic jam, bit by bit we inched forward, slowly but surely to the target. With 2 overs left, Robb Mann’s maiden Golden Duck brought me out with 2 runs needed. Thommo was quick to hark back to 2005’s KCL tie, “Don’t get run out!”

A wide followed by some fresh air cut shots completed the over, leaving Bugsy on strike and he dutifully cut the winning runs to the fence. His celebration was characteristically animated, charging the Wombats bench, with rapid-fire Double Lleytons and a big fat “GET THAT UP YA!!!”

Big Benson took out Hardys Best on Ground for the Embassy, and their Murata got Best Play for a direct hit to run-out the rampant Pup. Hardys Man of The Match…..DINOSAUR!

On FII, Sharks bowled out Wyverns in the gloom, winning by a mere 5 runs, capping off a maaarvellous day of cricket. Naturally, a marvellous trip to Maccas and a marvellous Tomei Piss up followed. The Prez copped a full round of highlights, and then a full round more off highlights and was 9 sheets to the wind. The Mayhem Indicator was in the red-zone. Perennial quiet man, Reggie Dawson actually got out of Kiwi Corner. And he launched himself full-heartedly into a Stax On The Prez. There was on-van rumbles reminiscent of the days when The Saints played at Moorabbin and Crackers Keenan was dishing out the biff.

Appropriately, Dino was jibbering wreck by the end of the trip. Shax has 2 broken legs from the Stax On. After a few 110kg Axe charges, Dr B in the jump seat has bruising more typically seen, well, in a car accident I guess. And it’s all on again next week, when the Wombats take on the Sharks for the Grand Final.