Tasmanian comeback kids tighten one-day race

The Tasmanian Cricket Association turned back the clock today by taking state cricket to a regional centre. And its team responded in kind by producing a stunning reversal to take charge of the Mercantile Mutual Cup clash against South Australia here at the Devonport Oval. A victory to tighten the battle that seems to be on in earnest between Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania for the two Final spots on offer in this season's competition, it came when an even bowling and fielding performance allowed the Tigers to successfully defend the moderate-looking tally of 9/194.

Only the third biggest city in the state, Devonport has not tasted elite-level cricket for three years. But it belied the long break in the association to produce sunny skies, a healthy crowd of 2303 (near to one-tenth of its population), and an always-engrossing game of cricket.

In the form of excitement, a stunning turnaround, and a result that went the crowd's way, this match could have been said to have had it all. What it did not possess, though, was large contributions with the bat.

At its position on the tip of the island's north-west coast - it is, in fact, bordered at its northern extremity by the entrance to Bass Strait - this ground has a reputation for being dominated by a late afternoon breeze which rips in from those waters and across the narrow stretch of roadway in between. Today, the winds themselves were comparatively light. The only gale force change that occurred was instead conjured by a Tasmanian side that looked out of the match by as early as halfway.

In hindsight, the Tasmanians had done well to reach their scoreline. But they appeared to make their way there in only laboured style. Daniel Marsh (33) and Jamie Cox (30) made typically effective, albeit slower than normal, contributions through the middle stages and youngsters Sean Clingeleffer (21*) and Scott Kremerskothen (20) performed an excellent job with some controlled hitting near the end. Otherwise, though, even the mere task of issuing scoring shots forward of the wicket proved illusory.

After captain Greg Blewett had won the toss, the South Australian attack held sway for virtually the entirety of the morning session. Pacemen Paul Wilson (1/29 from ten overs) and Brett Swain (1/33 off ten) set the tone with magnificent opening spells during which they removed Michael DiVenuto (15) and Todd Pinnington (4) and then applied the clamps to an already flagging run rate. In spending nearly twenty overs to add fifty-nine runs together in the biggest partnership of the day, the rate of progress of Tasmania's two most experienced players, Cox and Shaun Young (22), was revealing in itself about how difficult matters were proving.

Leg spinner Peter McIntyre (2/28 from ten probing overs of his own) later followed up on his teammates' work to continue to make life frustratingly difficult for the Tasmanians. It wasn't until the forty-fifth over of the innings - when Kremerskothen and Clingeleffer combined to plunder an invaluable twenty-one runs from the medium pace of Mick Miller (2/62 off ten overs) - that a tone of belligerence was finally connoted to the strokeplay.

By the end of eleven overs, South Australia had reached 1/40 in response and only one outcome appeared likely. But the innings fell away dramatically after the departure of Blewett (32), the one player who had made the task of piercing the field look a doddle. In accumulating three fours, Blewett produced precisely one fifth of the total number of strokes for the day that sufficiently defied the capricious pitch and the extremely slow outfield to reach the boundary.

After five wickets were surrendered for the addition of only another fifty-one runs, Shane Deitz (44) and Graham Manou (19) generated a rally to re-ignite the Redbacks' cause late in the piece. But, by then, the seagulls and plovers that had begun to take up their positions for the evening on the edge of the cycle track that skirts the ground were never in danger of being forced to scatter.

Not that Tasmania was complaining. The combination of accurate bowling and wonderful fielding, aligned against the South Australian middle order's deficiencies, proved way too much for the visitors. In the end, the Redbacks were fortunate not to concede a bonus point to the Tasmanians, a scenario from which they squeaked away by only six runs.

The result was all the more amazing given that the Tasmanians had surrendered two of their three specialist bowlers to injury before the match. Both Brett Geeves and David Saker succumbed - to groin and calf muscles respectively - and were forced to make late withdrawals.

Reflecting the grievous nature of the situation, the Tasmanian selectors were forced to rush local youngster, Kade Munday - who is a specialist batsman - into the side as one of the two late inclusions. Munday had merely been driving to the game, intending to serve out the day as a spectator, when called up. He only contributed one run with the bat, did not bowl, and had little to do in the field as it turned out. But, like many others, he drove away from here with numerous pleasant memories of a morning and afternoon well spent.