Tail wags for young guns
Coming together with their side in dire straits, Harper (72) and Russ (56) negated a potentially fatal collapse, guiding Victoria to a 46th over win and securing some much needed momentum heading into the two-day fixtures.
Earlier, the miserly Northern Territory attack started brilliantly as they defended just 164.
The early loss of Liam Tonkin (five) and skipper Meyrick Buchanan (seven) had Victoria on the back foot before three further wickets in the space of two overs left Victoria reeling at 5-29.
The entrance of Harper and Russ initially stemmed the flow of Northern Territory wickets before capitalising in the later overs.
Coach Shawn Flegler was ecstatic with the pair’s ability to turn the strike over, guiding Victoria to its first win at this year’s carnival.
“They were two really good innings. They showed a lot of composure to get us from 5-29,” Flegler said.
“Jack (Harper) in particular hit the ball really nicely to guide us through that tough patch.”
While admitting that the top order ‘hasn’t clicked yet’, Flegler was confident the two-day games would provide greater opportunity for Victoria’s batsmen.
“While we have to still show intent, the two- day games should allow some of our batters to bat some time and get some confidence up,” Flegler said.
The Victorian bowling attack again proved their worth earlier in the day, with another strong performance to their names.
Early wickets to Mathew Fotia (1-21) and Ben Ashkenazi (4-21) had Northern Territory in trouble at 3-29, before an 80-run stand threatened to take the match away from Victoria.
Ashkenazi’s great form continued, however, removing the dangerous Andrews for 63, before steamrolling through the tail.
His performance has seen him rocket to the top of the wicket tally leading into the two-day games.
The strength of Victoria’s fielding was again on show, with run outs to Sam Kerber, Sean Griffin and Mark Phelan bringing the carnival total to five, bringing a smile to the coach’s face.
“We were really good with the ball and in the field yesterday. Three run outs is a fantastic effort,” Flegler said.
Victoria will enjoy a rest day today before tackling Queensland in the opening two-day fixture of the carnival on Thursday.
For updates on the tournament follow @CVPathway on Twitter and/or ‘Like’ the CV Pathway Facebook page.
To see a full scorecard from the Under-19 National Championships, click here.
Photo: Brian Nankervis
Recent Posts
-
13 May, 2024Cricket Victoria announce Clint McKay and Wade Seccombe as its new T20 High Performance Managers
-
8 May, 2024Cricket Victoria appoint Dulip Samaraweera as Women’s Head Coach
-
7 May, 2024Cricket Victoria 2024 Umpire Development Program
-
3 May, 2024Victorian men’s contract list confirmed for 2024-25 season
-
29 April, 2024Cricket Victoria Women’s Community Cricket Competition Awards 2023/24
Categories
Archives
Please note that Lane Bookings cannot be purchased in the same cart transaction as other online shop orders – they must be purchased separately.