Werribee emerged victorious after a cliffhanger finish to beat Balwyn by one wicket in a thrilling Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west match.
It came down to the last-ball heroics of Tiger tailender Matthew Palmer, who had to dig out a well-located yorker from the bowling of Balwyn captain Liam Murphy and hope Jonathan Burton scampered through for the match-winning run.
The ball sprung off the toe of Palmer’s bat and over the head of wicketkeeper Deelan Ramjee where no fielder was located, allowing Burton to cruise through for the run.
Tigers captain Shaun Dean said that by the time the ball was released, Burton “was halfway down the wicket”.
“It was a full, wide-ish yorker, not a bad ball, but Matty just jammed down on it, the keeper was up and the ball lobbed over the top … an easy single because there was no one behind the keeper,” he said. “Jono was well on his way, don’t worry about that.”
At times, a Tiger victory seemed unlikely as they chased Balwyn’s 275.
They refused to wave the white flag despite being in all sorts of trouble at 4-46 early on and in more strife just after tea at 6-142.
The Tigers have always claimed to bat deep and this was their chance to prove it.
The first sign of a revival came in a steadying partnership between anchor Chris Hennessy (45) and clean-striking James Freeman (54). They produced 95 for the fifth wicket but fell in quick succession.
“They were looking really good and at tea we were right back in the game,” Dean said.
“After tea, Jimmy got out and Henners got out … we were back on the canvas. I thought, we’re not looking the greatest … the odds would’ve been stacked heavily in Balwyn’s favour at that stage.”
But the Tigers can never be written off while allrounder Heath Pritchard (61) still has a say.
The young and old combo of Pritchard and Tom Duxson (31) changed the complexion of the game with a 90-run seventh wicket stand. Pritchard fell with his side 44 runs short of the target, but Duxson picked up the slack with Palmer, the pair adding 20.
With the dismissals of Duxson and Mason Frenkel (0), the Tigers were still 21 short with just one wicket in hand.
“When your last pair needs 21 on a slow wicket, you’re not too confident,” Dean said.
But Palmer (24no) and Burton (13no) would be the heroes of the day for the Tigers, timing the last 21 runs to perfection for the last-ball win.
The match was a must-win for the Tigers, who could have tumbled out of the top six had other results not gone their way. Instead, they have consolidated their grip on fourth place ahead of a visit from ninth-placed Ivanhoe over the next two Saturdays.
