The visiting Altona players had their tails up in the east-west first XI encounter as wily veteran Andrew McCammond left a trail of destruction in the top order.
Only a peerless Tim O’Brien knock could steady the Werribee ship and that’s what he delivered in a sublime rescue mission.
So often in the Tigers’ run to the grand final last season, O’Brien at second drop was the catalyst for a revival.
That touch has clearly not eluded him this season if Saturday’s 122 not out is anything to go by.
Tigers captain Shaun Dean knows how lucky he was to be able to call on O’Brien in a time of need.
“I told the boys before the game, these blokes are going to throw everything at us … and they did throw everything at us for 30 overs,” he said. “For Tim to withstand that and carry on – a few boys stayed back and had a few beers with him longer than we normally would because we’re with his efforts. He batted extremely well under pressure.”
It was a rare position for the Tigers to be in. Their top order was flustered and in real need of a calming influence.
O’Brien answered the call, laying the foundation with smart cricket shots early in his innings and cashing in later on.
He has scored 50s (four) or 100s (two) in six of his past eight first XI digs.
“The game was right in the balance; you could feel the tension in the air,” Dean said.
“Tim just sums up the situation pretty well. He just hung in there when McCammond had his tail up and had the first three wickets of the game. Tim rode that and when the spinners came on, he counter-attacked for us.”
Werribee rallied late to post 5-262 off 80 overs – an imposing total on any weekend, let alone early in October on a low, slow wicket and with a slow outfield.
O’Brien received tremendous support from Michael Freeman (57) and Adam Alifraco (34no). Freeman was demoted to No.6 after opening in round one and provided what his captain asked of him.
“He came out and helped Tim out, held up an end and didn’t look to score too much,” Dean said.
If offered a score above 250 before the day’s play, Dean would take you up on it every day of the week, but he is wary of Altona’s batting prowess.
“If we don’t get it right, guys like Tim Collins, Aaron Maynard and Peter Herrick will make us pay,” he said.
