TOO HOT TO HANDLE: Liam Gough bowled well in hot conditions for Cavaliers on Saturday, claimnig 3-37 off 12 overs as CYMS went about amassing 288 at Country Club Oval. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0112sgcrick1
NICK Wright has blasted CYMS to the highest innings total of the Orange District Cricket Association summer so far, handing Cavaliers a mountainous task next Saturday at Country Club Oval.
Wright’s knock of 87 helped CYMS compile 288 from 79 overs last Saturday.
Alongside opener John Warrington, who steadily crept to 55, Wright put on 124 for the fourth wicket to guide CYMS to 185 before handy little contributions of 26 each from Michael Campbell and Simon Roberts nudged the green and golds close to the 300 mark.
Winning the toss and unsurprisingly electing to bat, CYMS captain Dave Neil was happy his side made the most of the batter-friendly conditions on a hot afternoon.
“It was a decent toss to win and John and Nick made the most of it,” Neil said.
“It’s always important to bat the day out, but never more so than on a road of a batting strip like that one.
“It was really pleasing to see the level of application shown by the whole side. It bodes well for the rest of the season.”
Next week’s assignment of bowling Cavaliers out will be made easier by the return of seamers Sam Dwyer and Josh Sands.
“If the wickets stays like that or gets better then we’ll need all the bowlers we can get,” Neil said.
“There’s every chance it will be another boiling hot day so the variety offered by Choc [Sands] and Sammy returning will be very valuable.”
The total leaves Cavaliers with a huge task of chasing down 289 for victory next Saturday.
But given the state of Country Club Oval at present, a venue with a “lightening quick” outfield and a batter’s dream of a deck, Cavaliers skipper Richie Venner is backing his side to come out firing and maintain its unbeaten run next Saturday.
“At the start of the day at the toss I was probably thinking par score was about 350, so we’ve done well to restrict them to 288,” Venner said.
“It’ll be interesting to see. Hopefully we get the same conditions. It was a lightening quick outfield; it was either ones or fours, there weren’t too many twos or threes. I’d back ourselves to get 288.”
In the field, Charlie Foran went off with a back injury while Venner pulled up short with an abdominal complaint, restricting his work with the ball to just four overs.
It made life tough for the rest of Cavaliers bowlers.
However, Chris Martin’s 4-87 off 22 overs was a massive effort as was that of Brad Wright (2-26 off 17 overs) and Liam Gough (3-37 off 12.2 overs).
“Definitely. With Stu [Middleton] and Mark Maybin out then losing two bowlers through injury guys like Marto, Liam Gough, Brad Wright and James Ryan had to step up,” the skipper said.