Mil Lel batsman arrives ‘Just in’ time to complete victory over North

Daniel Justin Crop Dsc 8642 Crop  TBW Newsgroup
LEADING THE CHARGE: Mil Lel hero Daniel Justin attacks the bowling during his side's tense victory over North Sportsman's in round six of Barber Shield cricket at Frew Park on Saturday. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

Daniel Justin Crop Dsc 8642 Crop TBW Newsgroup
LEADING THE CHARGE: Mil Lel hero Daniel Justin attacks the bowling during his side’s tense victory over North Sportsman’s in round six of Barber Shield cricket at Frew Park on Saturday. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

MIL LEL heads into the festive season full of confidence after it completed a tight first-innings victory over North Sportsman’s in their round six Mount Gambier and District Cricket Association clash at Frew Park on Saturday.

The victors defied the odds to chase down the Tigers’ competitive total of 220 and scored an additional four runs before they were bowled out in the 82nd over.

After North managed to bat out the first week, Mil Lel’s openers Carey Megaw and Todd Carpenter faced the music early.

The pair proved no match for North captain Nick McInerney, who knocked them both over for single-figure scores.

Jarryd Burston and Darcy Williamson began to rebuild Mil Lel’s innings, but life remained difficult at the crease as the pair took an agonising 27 deliveries to get off the mark.

Burston’s score reached 10 before his stumps were removed by Tim Young.

The Tigers’ relentless attack had wiped out Mil Lel’s top order quickly and looked to inflict more pain with the score at 3/27.

When Williamson was joined by Craig Lock the pair began to halt North’s charge.

The duo slightly increased the run rate and pushed the team total above 50.

But the reintroduction of Young into attack brought an end to Williamson’s 14-run knock.

Tom Nieuwerkerk and Lock continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with regular boundaries, but failed to dig Mil Lel out of trouble and were dismissed by Jared Strawbridge for 19 and 37 respectively.

At 6/94, a North victory appeared inevitable, but Daniel Justin had other ideas.

The number-seven batsman was solid in defence and was not afraid to attack the loose deliveries.

Justin was the main contributor in a 31-run stand with Jonathan Allcock, before he and Paul Harding combined to swing the momentum.

The pair had an answer for everything.

They pushed Mil Lel past the 200-run barrier with a stand of 77, but McInerney did not give up and finished Justin’s heroics on 73.

The breakthrough breathed life back into the Tigers as Mil Lel required 18 runs with just two wickets in hand.

But Harding and Ben Thiel proved up to the task with 28 and 15 runs respectively to push Mil Lel over the line in a tense finish.

Although the pair both fell to Young shortly after, it was an important triumph for Mil Lel and fired the side into a top-four ladder position.

North now appears a long way off defending last season’s title at the bottom of the pecking order, but it can fight back into contention when the Barber Shield competition returns on January 11.
Cricket scores to appear in Thursday’s edition of The Border Watch