Orbost Cricket Club faces a huge run chase to register its first win of the Bairnsdale Cricket Association season after St Mary’s Nagle amassed an imposing 9/274 on day one of round four.
The game was in the balance at 9/218, but an unbroken last wicket partnership between Zac Delaney (25) and Danny Hack (33) that lasted 23 overs frustrated the Blues and turned the advantage back the way of the Saints.
With both sides chasing their initial season victory, the perfect conditions of the Orbost Recreation Reserve provided the ideal scenario for the side batting first to post a huge target on a perfect wicket with a lightning-fast outfield.
Not surprisingly Nagle skipper Ricky Tatnell opted to bat after winning the toss and after 80 overs he was happy with his side’s effort considering no-one went on and got a big score and that the run rate dropped away late in day.
They got good contributions from openers Brayden McCarrey (60) and Harvey Spaxman (28), before solid middle order scores from Tatnell (32), Kieran Vickery (28) and Brandon Sauer (33), but to Orbost’s credit it chipped away and kept finding a way to get wickets, before being unable to dislodge the final pairing.
Mikael Hulme was the leading wicket takers for the Blues with 3/57, while Jayden Price chipped in with 2/41.
With players of the calibre of skipper Curtley Farley, Price, Luke Endley, Mikael and Alex Hulme in the line-up for the Orbost all more than capable of carving out a big run chase, a win certainly isn’t of the question.
They showed last round they have the ability making 212 in 40 overs in a one-day game at Meerlieu.
We could see a thrilling finish late on Saturday afternoon, with Nagle skipper Tatnell looming as the danger man with the ball.
