Casino Cavaliers gameday report

The Casino RSM Cavaliers Cricket Club travelled to Ballina on Saturday to take on the Bears in the final round of the LJ Hooker Premier League 2-day competition.

With the Cavaliers sitting in fourth on the ladder, it was an important game to cement their position and continue to build momentum in their charge to the finals.

Ballina won the toss and elected to bat on what looked like a flat deck, with hot humid conditions prevailing.

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The Cavaliers got off to a dream start, with both Matt Jeacock (9 overs 1/34) and Olly Walker (11 overs 1/18) clean bowling both openers to have Ballina in all sorts at 2/5. Matt and Olly both bowled great opening spells, continually beating the outside edge of the bat and putting the Cavaliers on top.

With the bowlers continuing to bang away on a good line and length, the runs were hard to come by as the Cavaliers pushed to maintain the pressure on the new batsmen.

The Casino RSM Cavaliers Cricket Club Team

Ballina looked to fightback, putting on 59 runs for the 3^rd wicket, before the wily veteran Al Nowlan was introduced into the attack. Pushing into a stiff breeze, Al was able to use all of the tricks in his bag to make the vital breakthrough, with a great catch taken by Lawrence Walker to help get the Cavaliers up and about.

Al struck again shortly afterwards to have the Bears in trouble at 4/76. Al bowled a tremendous first spell of 9 straight overs and showed he is still a force.

Cooper Mulcahy (9 overs 1/14) bowling in a purple patch of form was also bowling a tight line and length and with good pace down breeze. Cooper made the key breakthrough just before tea, removing Cox (54) with a cracking delivery, just clipping the bails, to have Ballina at 5/99 off 38 overs at tea.

Lawrence Walker (8 overs 2/12) bowling his right arm off-spinners kept the pressure on. As the runs dried up, the wickets began to fall, as the Cavaliers pushed the fielders in around the bat, looking to clean up the tail. Lawrence took two wickets back- to- back, to have the Bears at 7/105.

As the Bears looked to shut up shop and dig-in, captain Vidler went back to Al Nowlan to rap up the tail. In the very first ball of his spell, Al struck, with a well- judged catch by Matt Jeacock.

The Casino RSM Cavaliers Cricket Club

Jed Mulcahy then swooped on the ball at mid-off, with a bullet arm, to keeper Vidler, to have the Ballina batsmen just short of the crease, in a slick piece of fielding.

Then it was left to Al Nowlan (11.5 overs 4/24) to finish the Bears innings off at 134 from 55.5 overs.

It was a top effort from the ageless warrior who is still loving his cricket.

All the bowlers did a tremendous job, bowling tight lines and giving the batsmen very little to score off. It was particularly pleasing to see every catch taken in the field.

The Cavaliers then had a difficult 1 hour to bat. With Ballina pushing hard for early wickets, the Cavaliers finished at 2/20 from 16 overs at stumps.

Marist Brothers forfeited to the Cavaliers on Sunday in the T20 competition. The win will see the Cavaliers playing in the T20 finals next Sunday. All the players will be looking forward to finally playing finals cricket after a couple of re-building years. It’s a great reward for everyone’s hard work and dedication in becoming a force again.

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