For six hours on Saturday, Werribee played like a team possessed in its quest for a place in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west group finals.
The Tigers were not supposed to be good in the heat. Having lost the toss, they were forced to trundle in under the baking sun against an accomplished opponent sitting two places above them on the ladder.
Picture gallery: Werribee v Altona VSDCA
But a herculean performance from the Tigers in the field at JK Grant Reserve saw them rout Altona for an unthinkable 127 in just 61.4 overs.
The Tigers raced to 1-40 by stumps, needing only 88 more for victory. The importance of this match is not lost on the sixth-placed Tigers.
“We had a couple of chats during the week because it obviously isn’t good looking at the ladder,” Tigers captain Shaun Dean told Star Weekly.
“We probably have to win two out of three, if not three out of three, if Ivanhoe get this likely outright, to play in the finals.
“Everyone held their catches and we got a direct-hit run-out as well, so I couldn’t really fault anyone in the field.
“The guys looked pretty keyed up for the game. Everyone came to play.”
The Tigers will head into day two odds-on favourites to retain the Paul Jenkins Shield, played annually between the two clubs.
The fourth-placed A’s might have entered the game with a better formline, but the Tigers have the wood over them and it’s been that way for a while. Should the Tigers complete the task, which seems a fait accompli unless weather interferes or there is a batting collapse of epic proportions, it would be the fifth season in a row that the shield stays at Chirnside Park.
“With the platform we have, if we’re not getting the 88 runs, we don’t deserve to be in the finals,” Dean said. “If we keep our heads and play the ball the way it should be played, we should be right and get the runs.”
Seamer Heath Pritchard was magnificent for the Tigers, removing opener Lee Elmore in his first spell before returning to claim a further three wickets en route to 4-41 off 22 overs.
Speedster James Freeman bowled 10 overs straight, picking up the vital wicket of A’s skipper Shane Jones for a duck a round after he made a ton, to finish with 2-27.
Leg spinner Tim O’Brien tied up an end with 2-10 off 7.4, while Stephen Plumridge got the biggest scalp of all when he rattled the wickets of Aaron Maynard, the competition’s leading runscorer, for 26.
While the bowlers toiled manfully, it was the fieldsmen who put the icing on the cake of a perfect day for the Tigers.
Chris Hennessy produced a sharp one-handed catch off the bowling of Pritchard to remove Josh Young, while Tom Duxson
in the covers had a 30-metre direct hit run-out of Andrew McCammond.
“We were pretty sharp in the field with our ground fielding and no catches were dropped,” Dean said.
Meanwhile, Plenty Valley was crowned Twenty20 champion on Sunday after beating Oakleigh by eight wickets at Balwyn Park.
