STRONG batting performances at the top of the order for both Penola and East Gambier resulted in a tied game in the opening round of Barber Shield cricket on Saturday.
The limited-overs fixture provided plenty of entertainment along the way, as each side pushed the 200-run mark at MacDonald Park on the hard wicket.
Penola posted a healthy 195 in its turn at the batting crease, but not to be outdone East followed suit, to take the game down to the wire.
Penola won the toss and elected to bat first, in the attempt to set a big target for the chasing East.
The reigning champions would have been pleased with the way the session panned out, with an opening stand of 94 runs from Mark Smith and Jack Mullan.
Those runs came in a reasonably controlled manner, Smith’s 38 including just two fours and one six.
However, it was Mullan who fell first, lbw to Nathan Gore, but not before reaching his half-century.
His 53 included five boundaries, with only one ball clearing the fence.
Dave Somerfield joined Smith at the crease, but the partnership was short-lived, with Smith caught off an Emerson Marks delivery soon after with the score at 108.
Captain Jase Bateman came and went in reasonably quick fashion, another victim of Gore, adding just two runs to the total, but from there Penola again settled, with George Kidman joining
Somerfield in the middle, combining for a handy half-century partnership.
Somerfield contributed the majority of those runs to finish with 28 before he was clean bowled by Thomas Miles, while Kidman continued on with Curt Evans and the scoreboard kept ticking over.
However, once the score reached 191 in the 38th over, Kidman departed for a well-crafted 37, which triggered a mini collapse as the incoming batsmen pushed to gain as much advantage off the few remaining deliveries.
Michael Waters, Josh Doyle and Lewis March all fell without contributing to the total, while Evans departed – for 16 – while the score was still at 191.
Conrad Slabber added the final four runs of the innings to set East an imposing target for victory.
Miles finished the day with four wickets, while Ash Dumigan and Gore claimed two each.
East was off to a less-than-ideal start, with opener Kyle Chapman caught behind off Waters for 11 with the total at just 24.
However, captain Dion Stratford joined Darren Whitehorn at the crease and the pair began to find runs.
A 71-run partnership resulted, with both finding the boundary at will.
Whitehord was eventually caught off Kidman, while Stratford remained at the crease for another half-century partnership with Dumigan.
Stratford eventually departed lbw to Somerfield for 61.
His innings included five boundaries and two sixes in the perfect captain’s knock.
With the score at 151 after 31 overs, there was plenty of balls remaining for East to claim the win, if the remaining batsmen could continue to find runs.
Those runs came, but not without concern, as the wickets began to fall with more regularity.
Connor Little fell 10 runs later while trying to rotate the strike, short of his crease for no score, while Dumigan went soon after, lbw to Somerfield after contributing 43 to the cause.
Marks, Simon Golebiowski and Gore ensured East reached the total, but were unable to force a win and had to settled for a tie.
East needed just seven wickets to reach the total, while Penola used nine to set the target.
It was probably a fitting result in the end and one Penola would likely not have seen coming.
Somerfield and Waters were the best of the Penola bowlers with two wickets each.
With East claiming just one victory last season, it was a solid result against the reigning champions.
Penola could have done little more, with the hard wicket suiting the batting sides on the day.
