Longmuir Shield Round Three, Day Two
In a tense encounter, Bentleigh Uniting squeezed past Brighton Union by a narrow margin to secure victory in Round 3 of the Longmuir Shield. Key contributors for Bentleigh included Captain Craig Short with an admirable 43 runs, Chris Lavery with a strong stand of 34 not out, Nick Halliday with 16 not out and Charlie Davidson showing resilience with 29 runs.
Valiant Vigil by Bentleigh Uniting over Brighton Union
With their backs against the wall following a tepid top order performance, Bentleigh Uniting showcased grotesque grit and unwavering resolve to tiptoe past the finishing line defeating Brighton Union in the Round 3 clash of Longmuir Shield.
The early onset looked calamitous as Bentleigh’s opening batsman Campbell James was dismissed off the second ball, leg before wicket by Brighton’s fiery pacer Robert Blair, leaving Bentleigh rattled. Brighton’s bowling brigade, led by Blair and Abhilash Sharma, smelt blood, running through the top order swiftly, leaving Bentleigh reeling early in their innings.
Just as the ship looked to capsize, Bentleigh’s middle-order stalwart, Captain Craig Short, decided to take the bull by its horns. Striding to the crease, Short counter-attacked with panache, smacking a blistering 43 off 59 balls. His innings were laced with audacious strokes that rekindled hope in the Bentleigh camp. He was the cornerstone of two pivotal partnerships, worth 38 and 63, accruing more than half his team’s runs during his stay.
Despite Short’s departure, caught by Anmol Malhotra off Sharma’s bowling, the stage was set for the tailenders. Charlie Davidson and Chris Lavery, faced with a monstrous task ahead, tackled the situation with astounding equanimity. Davidson grafted his way to a dogged 29 off a whopping 101 balls and Lavery, playing with the confidence of a seasoned veteran, notched up a gracious 34 runs. Together they exhibited spirited resistance and a defiance that highlights the beautiful unpredictability of the spirited game.
Nicholas Halliday, with his sedate 16 of 35 balls, played a crucial knock, ensuring Bentleigh’s lead to inch past Brighton’s score. Halliday might have been reminiscing the Preliminary finals last year when faced with a similar situation against the same opposition, he ran out of partners being stranded at the other end. Fate favoured him however, Bentleigh Uniting managed to outlast Brighton Union, reaching a total of 160 for 8, beating the opposition.
Brighton Union’s bowling unit put up a commendable fight. The formidable Blair pocketed three crucial wickets, along with Sharma, who also joined the three-wicket haul club. Aman Preet made worthy contributions with two wickets under his belt, although his economy rate left something to be desired.
In a match where fortunes vacillated wildly, the round 3 clash of the Longmuir Shield encapsulated the cruel charm of cricket. Bentleigh Uniting’s dogged pursuit of victory, their fierce resolve sprouted from the roots of adversity, and Brighton Union’s relentless pressure were cricket in its purest form. What looked like an assured defeat, morphed into a hard-earned victory, making this clash an epitome of resilience and relentless belief.
Quiney Shield Round Three, Day Two
A brute display of tenacity and athletic prowess by Bentleigh Uniting’s 2nd Squad resulted in a crushing victory over Mackie’s 2nd Batting Squad. Noah Montgomery, Liam Manakis and Harry Zaia demolished Mackie’s batting line-up.
Under the scorching sun on the 21st of October, Bentleigh Uniting’s 2nd Squad was a force to be reckoned with. Rising from the ashes of an undetermined early start, they transformed the Quiney Shield 3rd round into a thriller that underlined their brutal ruthlessness and sealed a colossal triumph.
Mackie 2 Batting started off with Benjamin Ebinger who was caught by Noah Montgomery in a splendid breakthrough for Ethan Manakis. Ebinger walked away scoreless after facing 21 balls. Indeed, not the start Mackie intended. Next came Tanish Singh who tried to put up a show but was scalped by Montgomery after having added 30 runs from 61 balls.
Ayan Arya, with a strike rate of 0 and just 17 off 75 deliveries, ended up in Rory Drummond’s safe hands after a terrific delivery by Harry Zaia, marking a total halt towards any form of resistance. Finn O’Donnell too met the same fate, edging one to Alex Zaia of Harry’s lethal delivery, contributing just a single run in his total tenure.
The only consolation being Gus O’Donnell who, despite contributing only 24 runs, managed to stay not out, indicating the dismal tale that Mackie’s team were trying to ward off. Finally, they wrapped up with a meagre total of 151, falling well short of the 241 run target.
Maintaining every bit of their aggressive gameplay, Bentleigh’s squad continued to dominate. The day went from bad to worse for Mackie as Bentleigh’s bowling attack, led by the triumphant trio of Noah Montgomery, Liam Manakis and Harry Zaia, shredded through Mackie’s middle order.
Montgomery showed no mercy securing thunderous figures of 3/39 from his 12 overs. He was accompanied well by Liam Manakis’ equally aggressive stance, as he too picked three wickets making Mackie crumble at just 35 runs in his 18.1 overs. Harry Zaia wasn’t too far behind, skimming through the middle order along with Montgomery and claiming two wickets at a cost of 20 runs in his 16 overs.
At the end of the day, it was a ruthless and comprehensive performance by Bentleigh’s 2nd Squad. They executed their plans excellently, outplaying Mackie in every aspect, the result? A massive win by a staggering margin.
Indeed a testament to the old saying – When going gets tough, Bentleigh Uniting gets going!
J Grade Round Two
A fiery, hard-hitting showdown unfolded on Saturday 28 October, 2023 as Bentleigh Uniting unleashed a batting masterclass on home turf against Cheltenham Park, with stand-out performances from Guy Aloi and Chris Elkins each knocking half centuries. However, despite their valiant effort, the day’s glory belonged to Cheltenham Park who claimed victory through exceptional batting.
Amidst the frenzied excitement of J Grade, Round 2, Bentleigh Uniting’s first innings roared into action with Guy Aloi leading the charge, chalking up a resounding 57 runs. Sharing the limelight was Chris Elkins, who weaved his magic on the pitch and racked up a solid 55 runs. The rest of the batting order struggled to contribute substantially, however an impressive tail wag from the lower order added the finishing touches to a formidable total of 215 runs for no loss.
Cheltenham Park’s bowling attack saw moderate success with Marcus Taylor taking away three wickets while Joshua Howe followed closely bagging two. Mitchell Marnell contributed with a single wicket, creating some real damage in the top order.
The home team’s response was immediate and ruthless, Mitchell Marnell smashing a top knock of 47 runs, followed by half centuries from Joshua Bruneau and Justin Greer. This batting onslaught saw Cheltenham Park reach a stunning total of 224 runs for the loss of five wickets, leaving Bentleigh Uniting’s target of 215 runs eating dust.
Bentleigh’s bowling attack was led by Jonathan Guttmann, who plucked three wickets from Cheltenham’s batting order, while skipper Guy Aloi joined him in attack with two crucial dismissals. Despite a seemingly considerable total, it was a comfortable victory for Cheltenham Park, who brought down the hammer with an unassailable total that outshone Bentleigh’s 215 runs.
The day was marked by electrifying high scoring performances from both sides, testing bowling efforts and thrilling action from the get go. Notable performances with the bat came from Guy Aloi, Chris Elkins of Bentleigh Uniting and Mitchell Marnell, Justin Greer, Joshua Bruneau of Cheltenham Park. In the bowling department, Guy Aloi and Jonathan Guttmann for Bentleigh and Marcus Taylor and Joshua Howe for Cheltenham stood out significantly.
In all, the game was an exhibition of aggressive cricket filled with power-packed performances with Bentleigh Uniting setting a seemingly impossible target, only for Cheltenham Park to tear it down with a controlled onslaught. Even as Bentleigh Uniting cut a path through the match with aggressive batting and defended with fiery bowling, Cheltenham Park, stood tall, proving that on the pitch, precision matched with aggression is a recipe for victory.
Comments