The nervous nineties are a staple of cricket folklore. For Matt Dean, the one-hundred-and-thirties have taken on a significance all their own – of part pleasure, part pain.
Three weeks ago, Dean was captain of the Werribee Districts football team belted by 136 points by Deer Park in the WRFL grand final.
Suffice to say, the pain of that margin will be with him for some time. But now he can recall the number a little more fondly after a magical long weekend.
First, Dean made it a fourth consecutive football club best and fairest and then changed seasons with a superb 132 runs for Werribee on the opening day of the Sub-District cricket season.
The 132 goes some way to erasing the 136 that would have haunted him for a long time.
Dean was able to bounce back from the horror end to the footy and produce a century on limited preparation.
“It’s probably testament to his temperament,” Werribee captain Mitch Johnstone told
Star Weekly. “He’s very level-headed; his highs aren’t too high and his lows aren’t too low. He goes about his business and he’s a consummate professional.”
Werribee welcomed three new additions to their line-up for the round one clash with Yarraville at Yarraville Oval last Friday, but they didn’t take part in a single piece of play as the established top-order batsmen took centre stage.
The Tigers took advantage of a flat deck, quick outfield and short, square boundary to post a healthy 3-306 from off 80 overs.
The Dean brothers – Matt and Shaun (91) – led the way, but there were important contributions from opener Marcus Worrall (26), who took plenty of shine off the ball, and Tim O’Brien (54 not out), who entertained late.
“I couldn’t have asked for much more,” Johnstone said. “I was fortunate enough to win the toss and bat, and the wicket and the conditions were primed for batting.
“It was a really good platform from the openers.
“They set the tone for the day and Tim and Shaun followed up beautifully.”
But Matt Dean was the talk of the club on Friday night.
“The bowlers couldn’t keep him quiet for a sustained period,” Johnstone said.
“He’s going to be a key to our fortunes this year.”
While the Tigers would take a score over 300 “every day of the week”, Johnstone knows the conditions leave them susceptible to having their massive total chased down by a strong Yarraville batting side.
“It’s a good score, but we know the wicket is probably going to be equally flat, if not flatter, next week,” he said.
“We will have our work cut out on a ground with a fast outfield and short, square boundaries.
“The batsmen have set up the game, so now it’s the bowlers’ turn to do their part.”
Meanwhile, Hoppers Crossing made a positive start to life in Sub-District cricket to be in the box seat after day one against Altona at JK Grant Reserve.
The Cats bowled out the A’s for 167 and were 0-22 in reply.
