It was to be a friendly game last Thursday night between rivals Delatite Cricket Club and Merton Cricket Club to ‘christen’ the new Bonnie Doon cricket pitch and enjoy some social time. Merton won the toss and decided to bat first — probably a good move, as by the end of the expected T20, daylight would have been fading and the last of the game would be played under lights. There was a decent crowd on the hill to watch this match, and Delatite went out there confident it would show Merton players just how good they were going to be this season. The side was picked from members of all four grades for Delatite, giving them a mix of young and more experienced players. Their fielding was quite impressive, and the bowlers were having a great time on the new pitch. Twenty overs were reached in just under 1.5 hours, and all were very happy with the final score being 6/135 for Merton. Batsmen racked up the impressive score with Jarrod Mahoney top-scoring with 41 runs, followed by Luke Berriman 23, then Luke Benton 21, Jai Lerch-McKinnon 18, and down the line with R. McKinnon 1, W. Benton 5, H. Craddock 7, and J. Benton 3. Merton faced the strong line-up of bowlers M. Purcell, N. Whittell, S. Bell, C. Martin, M. O’Loughlan, K. Middleton, and F. O’Meara – all showing good form for the beginning of the season. A short break, a few drinks and much laughter saw the Delatite boys then go out to bat. They were perhaps not quite prepared to face what the Merton bowlers were about to throw at them. Wickets fell fairly early into the innings, with three out for a score of only 36 – and that was up to the sixth over. Delatite then seemed to settle down, and runs began to flow with sixes and fours peeling off the bats and bringing cheers from the crowd. There was obviously a strong Delatite backing on the hill as the game stepped up a pace. With a string of sixes and fours, the game was on. By 7.30pm supporters and the D's were a little anxious with five overs left to bowl and 25 runs needed for a win – plus seven batsmen gone. The tension grew as the final overs were coming into play and it came down to the wire. It was at about the 14th over that Jai Lerch-McKinnon bowled a fast-paced rip-snorter and took out the stumps of Delatite’s Felix O’Meara. Not only did Lerch-McKinnon take the wicket, but the force of the bowl snapped one stump clean in half, leaving O’Meara a little ‘stumped’ by the force. Striding from the field, it was obvious O’Meara could not believe what had happened – and neither could the coaches and scorers. Play was suspended while a new set of stumps were found, with remarks like “I’ve never seen that happen before” and “Damn, they were a brand new set of wickets – where do we get more?” But a new set of stumps was found and play resumed for the last of around six overs. Settling back into play and seven wickets down, the tail-enders started their campaign for Delatite. This was truly turning into a nail-biting finish – the time 7.40pm and daylight fading fast – 18 overs bowled and 20 runs needed. It came down to 14 needed off nine balls – another batsman went, gone with a run out. The crunch continued and the crowd was cheering when it was 11 needed off five balls – then eight off two when another batsman was bowled. A new batsman faced the next onslaught, and it was not long before he went also. Merton bowlers did not slack off the pace, and with only two balls remaining in the game another batsman was clean bowled. By then the crowd was on its feet, and with one batsman and one ball left in the game the batsman needed a six to draw the match. The incoming batsman faced the bowler and, lo and behold, he too was clean bowled on the last ball of the game. Delatite finished its campaign just six runs short of a draw and seven for a win – 8/129. A smiling Merton team was thrilled at taking out this social match and being able to show the Delatite boys what they may be up against when they meet in the real competition in early December. Following the game, Delatite CC’s Mark O'Loughlan said it was really good fun, a really exciting game, and a good start to the season. Merton CC’s Rohan Berriman said it was a really good night, a good turnout, and thanked the Bonnie Doon Footy Club for their support – a good way to christen the ground under lights and a good crowd to watch. Delatite C Grade has made the Bonnie Doon ground its home for this season, and according to players from both sides, the new pitch is “pretty good” to play on.
