ANY hope the Cootamundra First XI had of figuring in another Stribley Shield final evaporated in the space of 30 overs at Albert Park on Sunday.
Facing long time rivals Yass, the home side was routed for just 65, the team’s lowest score in many years and a total that, despite a
couple of early hiccups, Yass had no trouble in passing.
Stribley Shield premiers for an
unprecedented five seasons from 2001/02, a winning streak of 30 matches, and finalists in two of the past three seasons, Cootamundra players have nothing to look forward to other than saving face in their final two matches of the year as Sunday’s loss sees them anchored to the bottom rung of the ladder with Tumut on three competition points from a wash out.
It was the combination of Yass captain David Field and Australian Country Championships representative Joe Cooke that did all the damage for the visitors on Sunday.
Field, a former Riverina player, shared the new ball with Andrew Holgate and bowled three successive maidens to begin with before finishing with 4-12 off 10 overs, his victims including both openers Josh Purtell (3) and Tim Godman (8), as well as Coota skipper Scott Roberts for a third-ball duck and the team’s elder statesman John Stephens also without scoring.
Holgate chimed in with the wicket of Adam Twyford for five, while Cooke, who was brought on as first change, removed Coota’s top scorer Joel Pearson for 15 and David Izzard without scoring.
At the fall of Stephens’ wicket, the home side was lurching at 7-37 and things went from bad to worse when Kyal Berg was run out for two with just three runs having been added to the total.
With little to lose Coota’s number 10 Matt Carswell took on the adage that the best form of defence is attack, cracking a huge six that almost cleared the trees on the Bourke Street side of the ground in a brief, but entertaining knock of 14.
Carswell and Mick Cronin, who had come in at six and watched a procession of wickets fall at the other end, added 15 for the ninth wicket and Carswell and David Garness (2) 10 for the 10th to at least give the Coota bowlers some hope of a miracle fight back.
With the deck drying out and becoming less volatile, the home side needed early wickets and Berg delivered in his first over having Adrian Waters caught behind by Cronin who dived low and to his left.
One for four became 2-9 when Garness lured an edge from the bat of Grant Raynor and Purtell took a sharp catch at second slip.
However that brought Field to the crease to join Cooke and the pair demonstrated their class by surviving the remainder of Garness’ and Berg’s lively six over spells as well as anything the remaining bowlers threw at them to lead their side to a comfortable
victory.
There was plenty of feeling in the centre, with much of it directed at Cooke who showed his arrogance by repeatedly dancing down the wicket to the quicks even after being hit in the helmet by a vicious Garness bouncer.
Cooke was the more flamboyant of the two, prepared to throw his blade at anything, with several shots rocketing off the centre.
He was given a life on 40 when dropped at gully by Aaron Kemp off the bowling of Pearson, however two balls later he smashed the ball over the pickets for the winning runs to remain unbeaten on 46.
A positive for the Coota side is that the team for this weekend’s home clash at Wagga was finalised immediately after the game, with all players keen for redemption after such a disappointing showing.
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