Tag Archives: Sheffield Shield

Moomoo cup – Day 3 session 3

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Buggered if I know wtf the mighty Bluetongues are thinking. The recent flurry of wickets have all been lost with what appears to be a goal of having a bowl tonight? The IPL doesn’t start for a few weeks, so I’m not quite sure why they want to wrap this game up with a day to spare.

Our leads approaching 400 now, which you’d back the Vics to get in 4 sessions. There’s 6.5 sessions left, so why are we throwing our wickets away? The Bluetongues had been trotting along at a very respectable 3.6 an over, I’d have been happy to do that to stumps then come out blazing tomorrow morning.

I’m all for attacking cricket, and when it comes to the pre-declaration slog I’m it’s biggest fan.. however I’m not going to be comfortable with less than a 600 run lead, lest we forget.

Anyone have any clues as to why we accumulated through the 70-79th overs, then as soon as that new rock came out Clarke saw red and started belting every ball for 4.

First step was to run out Kattich on 92, poor bloke hasn’t had enough centuries to celebrate this year, what with that 1506 runs he’s scored.

Then he tries what sounds like a Courtney Walsh special – “Clark looking to attack, backs away and looks to cut it through the off side, gets the edge to Crosthwaite behind the wicket” to bring about his own undoing, and exposing two new batsmen to the new ball.

Haddin figures anything pup can do I can do better, playing on for 4 off 3 balls. Now it’s up to specialist batsman Beau Casson and Dominic Thornley to try and reserrect our half-gig total. Then we can slog.

Moomoo Cup Final – Day 3

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Day 3 and the mighty NSW Bluetongues are pushing their lead past 100. My abscense from Moomoo cup final commentary has been noticed by Uncle J-Rod, and for that I can only apologise and make feeble excuses, such as I was away planning for a wedding.

Anyways, Day’s 1 and 2 have seen a pendulum of momentum ebbing and flowing like a see-saw.(take that feng shui Buchanan)..

The Blues failed to put on a monumental total in their first dig due to some excellent bowling from Side Siddle who looked menacing and Dirty Dirk Nannes who shaved especially for the final yet still had a main by the end of Day 1.

Jaques looked shaken early on but composed himself for a free flowing 50, albeit one that took 100 balls to get his eye in before it started to flow freely. Katto also looked good and will be dissapointed at having scooped one to mid-off off that leggie with the Zimmer frame. Haddin too was looking pretty comfortable and will be dissapointed to have fallen to a ripper from Siddle late in the day. Could have struck him outside the line, probably not but maybe.

We did manage a competitive score of 281 but after winning the toss and with the pitch already deteriorating a total of 400+ could have taken the game out of Mexican reach. Highlight for the Victorians would be Cameron White bowling his first maiden in Test Cricket – 3 overs, 1 maiden, 0/9.

The Vics had a real chance to impose a first lead, though some inspired fielding from Thornley broke up the openers just when things were starting to turn their way. Both form batsmen got starts and a first innings lead was looking like a real possibility, till Hodge left a ripper from Macgilla to be bowled.

Some will claim PM Hussey was a little unlucky, and I’d agree – any poor bastard who has to leave their native Perth to get a game of cricket cause the Warriors are so stacked with NSW and Zimbabwean rejects and ends up having to play for Mexican’s has it coming to them.

Once the tail was exposed Katto gave the ball to Binga and told him Dirty Dirk had been sweet talking Bingers. Don’t quite know why he bothered swinging it though, seemed the straight one took all the wickets.

The battle of Australia’s two best leggies will prove an interesting tussle, though I’m expecting Macgilla to take full advantage of the 5th day conditions.

There’s some low cloud around today that should suit the Mexican’s, don’t think anyone’s told Hughes about that though. He’s 42 off 32 and the see saw is pointing North of the border.

Here’s to a 400+ lead.

NSW vs VIC….. vs TAS vs WA

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As the Sheffield Shield race for a home final intensifies, VIC have drawn first blood in the battle of the founding teams.

The Tap of Massies are off to a flyer at 0/150 with DiVenuto leading the way with 96(118) in his second last match in Australia. Tragically Ballbag Bollinger is unavailable due to a foot injury and his penetration is being deerly missed. Curiously we choose to bowl on a flat track, sure Katto has a plan….

Meanwhile the Mexican’s with mobiles have struck early against the Westies with dangerman Langer falling lbw to Wise. Chris Rogers is off to a solid start however, and once he makes 20 he could be the very NSWelshman we need to stick around to hurt em.

Update: The stars are aligning – Rogers has come good and moved on to 44(69) taking the NSW rejects to 1/84. And Thornley’s taken a wicket so the Map of Tassies are 1/160 with DiVenuto on 102(131).

Day 2, Top of table clash

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The mighty Bluetongues are in a decent position in their Shield clash against the mexicans.

The situation was looking dire the first session yesterday with the mexicans taking two quick wickets and having us at 2/2. Fortunately Kattich came to the rescue along with 43′s from Mail and Haddin.

With a few overs to go he declared at 9/253, a worringly low first innings total that immediately paid off with one wicket before stumps.

Today’s seen regular wickets with the mexican’s now at 3/118 after Hodge recently departed. Unfortunately Hussey mark 2 is still in so we’ll need to clean up his wicket before cracking out the Moet.

Festival of HATE part 1

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The Sheffield Shield history between NSW and VIC dates back to the summer of 1892 when those bloody mexicans beat us in the three way competition including South Australia. I’ve never forgiven them. Sure we’ve won 44 Shields to their 25 since, but we’ll never win the first Sheffield Shield, and that bites.

Some comfort can be taken from the fact that due to internal squabbling between the respective boards of the Mighty New South Welsh Bluetongues forebears and the Mexicans (the more things change the more they stay the same), Lord Sheffield’s generous £150 donation was not actually spent for several years and the Victorians while in essence held the shield, they did not in actuallity hold the shield.

So with the History of hatred recounted I can move on 215 years to the 2007 installment of the festival of hate.

The bluetongues go into this battle with their test stars returning. The return of Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Stuart Macgill would be a real boost for any state team, let alone one that is already topping the shield table.

Alas inuries have plagued the returning superstars with Clarke succumbing to hamstring issues, Phil Jaques going down with the mumps, Lee got a last minute callup to the local Indian karaokee restaurant and Macgilla otherwise engaged at the bottom of a wolfblass bottle.

New South Wales: Phil Hughes, Greg Mail, Peter Forrest, Simon Katich (c), Domenic Thornely, Brad Haddin (w/k), Beau Casson, Mark Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger, Grant Lambert (12th).

Vics won the toss and are bowling.. dammit two early wickets not looking good.

Over 1.2: Nannes to Hughes, OUT, what a start for the Bushrangers, cracking delivery that was short and angled into the body, Hughes could do nothing but fend it away to Hodge in the gully.

Carn Bluetongues, do it for all things pure and blue and make Lord Sheffield proud