Gribben makes his mark

On a day where the momentum swung numerous times, the Victorians dismissed their bitter rivals for 209 after stubborn lower-order resistance.

Shea Gribben was undoubtedly the star with his first five-wicket haul of the carnival, taking 5-34 and breaking numerous partnerships when it looked like the Blues were about to break away.

Coach Jarrad Loughman praised the St Kilda quick, stating that a bag of wickets was just around the corner him.

“He bowled incredibly well yesterday,” Loughman said.

“He struggled a little against Queensland but he was swinging the ball prodigiously, so if he hit the right areas like he did yesterday, the wickets were always going to come his way.”

Gribben was also able to claim the prized scalp of Jake Doran – the New South Welshman who this summer was picked in a Chairman’s XI to play against the English.

“He’s a great little player and he was looking really good yesterday,” Loughman said.

“But to our credit we kept creating chances and finally hung on to one, which was a huge relief.”

Facing a tricky 11 over period before stumps, Jack Rudd fell in the first over for a duck, prompting Loughman to send Gribben out as a nightwatchman.

“We just thought it would be best if we gave the likes of Matt Short and Patty McKenna the best of the batting conditions, and Shea allowed us to do that by protecting the boys up the order,” Loughman said.

With 96 overs to face today, partnerships will be theme of Victoria’s chase according to their coach.

“We noticed that NSW had five partnerships under 10, which we want to avoid,” Loughman said.

“If we can keep building partnerships and let the scoreboard tick over, it’ll go a long way to helping us get the points.”

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