The first game following the festive season break was a double-header for the Gippsland Goannas veteran cricketers.
The Vic Country teams, with players coming from anywhere between Horsham, Maryborough and Wodonga, arrived in Traralgon on Saturday to meet the Goannas for a social event at the Traralgon Bowls Club.
It was decided early in the week to go ahead with the fixture, despite the forecast hot weather, but games were to start at 9am, and each team would, in turn, bat 20 overs, swapping over mid-innings, so that no team would be bowling for 40 overs straight in the heat.
The over-60 teams played on the turf wicket at the Toongabbie Recreation Reserve, while the over-70 teams played at 'The Village Green', a very attractive ground, with a synthetic wicket, adjacent to the Toongabbie Mechanics Institute.
The visitors won the toss in the over-60 game and inserted the Goannas.
Ray Smith and Ken Bailey strode to the crease, and the latter was bowled first ball. Smith was caught in the fifth over for six, as Col Carmody and Ian Freshwater came together. It was 3/35 in the eighth over when Carmody was caught for 25 from 25 balls, and 4/45 in the 12th over when Freshy was out for 12. Rino Metlikovec, 16, and Ray Floyd, 18, steadied the innings, both retiring after 30 balls, with Jim Armstrong and Graeme Ingle taking the score to 4/84 when the sides swapped innings for the first time.
Peter Anton and Murray Moore opened the bowling, with Anton bowling Tony Balcombe for eight in the third over. Moore bowled three maidens in his four over spell. Freshwater and Metlikovec bowled the next eight overs, and the second wicket fell in the 13th over with the score on 60. Ingle and Armstrong each took a wicket as VicCountry finished the first half of their innings at 4/87.
Honours were quite even at the halfway mark.
On resuming the Goannas innings, Armstrong was stumped for 14 and the score was 5/91 in over 22. Derek Morris went cheaply next over, with Anton and Ingle building the score to 120 in over 28, when Anton was out for 12. Chris deVent followed quickly, Ingle was caught for 20, Moore for eight and Andy Slevin was two not out when the 10th wicket fell in the 34th over. The final score for the Goannas was 143.
It was "game on" as VicCountry returned to the batting crease, with Floyd and deVent coming into the attack. Floyd struck in the 25th over, VicC was 5/125. Slevin took two wickets in his first over, and Ken Bailey struck as the score became 8/124 after 27 overs. Unfortunately these two and Morris and Carmody could not extract the last few bats and Vic Country passed the Goannas total in the 36th over.
At the Village Green the Goannas over-70s won the toss and batted. Ian Gibson and Warren Dummett started out, with a huge Jim Geltch throw catching Dummett out of his ground in the third over. Donald Cameron joined Gibbo, and the score progressed as first Gibson, for 12, and Cameron, for 21, retired after 30 balls. Neil Meredith, 42 from 27, also retired as Garry Rose and Rob Francis took the score to 1/91 at the 20 over mark.
Gordon Cowling and Ian Southall took the new ball for the Goannas as the VicCountry started their innings. Rose took an excellent catch in the first over, from Cowling's bowling, to shock Wodonga's Jacobson.
Meredith and Kel Bond came into the attack as Moama's Geltch, David Wilson (Echuca) and Brian Harrington (Benalla) all retired for, 27, 12 and 34 respectively. Bond had Vic1 player Denis Brown lbw in the 15th over, and VicC were 2/95 after Francis and Andrew Smith had bowled the last five overs before the break.
Again, honours were even at the halfway mark. Rose was bowled for 11 in the 24th over, Phill Higgins stumped and Southall bowled in the next over as the Goannas slumped to 4/103. When Francis retired hurt as the temperature climbed, Cowling joined Bob Duljas. After 28 overs the Goannas were 4/110 when the temperature was recorded as reaching 38 degrees and the players left the ground, with a 'no result' being the official result!
Lunch and presentations were held back in the pavilion as the four teams mingled and the Vic Country team manager reported on the ill-health of two of their long term members, who the Goannas have enjoyed playing with (at Nationals) and against over the 13 years.
The Goannas over-60s team will play an away game against the Mornington Peninsula vets next weekend, while the Over-70s will next play at Glen Waverley on January 21. The Over-50s play at Geelong on January 19.
Practice will continue for all teams at the nets at Duncan Cameron Reserve in Traralgon on Wednesdays from 4.30pm.