A STICKY wicket caused chaos at Marist Park on Saturday, as North Sportsman’s triumphed over East Gambier in a dramatic round-seven Barber Shield contest.
Neither side could reach triple figures after 19 wickets fell for just 129 runs in the one-day match.
The Tigers padded up first and battled hard to see out their 40 overs and score 9/87, before they rolled the visitors for just 42.
The home side was sent into bat and suffered a nightmare start, losing its top order to the new ball.
Ben Clark struck with his first delivery of the match to dismiss Elliott Fisher for a duck.
Three overs later, Mitch Lewis and Nick McInerney fell cheaply to Alex Hentschke and Clark respectively.
After six disastrous overs, North was 3/9 and in desperate need of a partnership.
Aidan Thatcher and Kieran Ashby stood up and knuckled down during a 31-run stand.
The pair put in a gritty display to resist the visitors attack for almost an hour.
But the introduction of spin changed the momentum with two quick wickets.
Ben Hentschke’s leg breaks brought the downfall of Ashby for 12, while fill-in wicket-keeper Nathan Gore teamed up with off-spinner Emerson Marks to stump Kayne Badman for a single-figure score.
Declan Kenny provided support for Thatcher and finished the drought of boundaries with a six.
But he was forced to walk back to the pavilion after a shocked Liam Turley held onto a skied caught-and-bowled chance with his left hand.
The freakish catch gave the Bulldogs a significant boost, as three quick wickets followed.
The first was the big wicket of Thatcher, who was the only man to remain at the crease for a long period of time.
The Englishman was Truley’s second victim after his 29-run knock was cut short by an impressive outfield catch by Alex Hentschke.
East’s captain then struck himself to dismiss Justin McConnell, before Marks and Gore combined again to get Tim Young out.
At 9/83 with more than three overs left, the home side was in danger of being bowled out, but Tom Edwards and Jared Strawbridge ensured it batted out the innings.
The Tigers finished with 9/87, as Alex Hentschke, Clark, Turley and Marks picked up two wickets each at little cost.
Despite being forced to defend a small total, North’s bowlers utilised the conditions with even more expertise.
Initially their potency was blunted by East’s determined openers Darren Whitehorn and Connor Little.
The pair survived for more than half an hour at the crease and scored 23 runs.
But once Little fell lbw to McInerney for three, the floodgates opened.
Whitehorn was bowled by Kenny for 17 one-ball later, while McInerney also knocked over Marks’ defences for a duck.
Both Matthew Hastings and Zach Watson fell cheaply to Kenny, before Badman joined the party with two victims.
This collapse of 7/4 saw the Bulldogs’ hopes of victory destroyed by a dramatic passage of play.
Clark and Ben Hentschke did their best to restore some pride for the visitors with a valiant effort.
The pair managed to score nine runs from six overs, but the reintroduction of Badman proved too much for Ben Hentschke.
East’s tail order offered little resistance after Fisher collected the final two wickets to complete a crushing victory.
The Bulldogs were knocked over for 42 inside 29 overs, as four Tigers picked up multiple wickets.
Kenny and Badman both claimed three, while McInerney’s figures of seven overs, six maidens, 2/1 summed up East’s struggle.
Despite the big win, North remains at the bottom of the ladder, while the Bulldogs hold onto a top-two position by their fingernails.
