Redbacks seize advantage as late wickets tumble

At the end of a day of fluctuating fortunes, the Victorian Bushrangers will be disappointed that they trail by 152 runs with five wickets in hand at the midway point of their Pura Cup match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

With six overs to go in the day, Victoria had the upper hand. It was at 2/186 as it responded to South Australia's first innings total of 340 and had Matthew Mott (62) and Bradley Hodge (46) well entrenched in a stand of ninety-five runs for the third wicket.

But one over from Paul Wilson (2/23) changed all that as he disposed of Hodge (46) who top edged a hook shot to deep fine leg (where Mark Harrity held a good catch) and then trapped Michael Klinger two later balls for a duck. It could be said that Klinger was struck outside the line of off stump as he came forward but one wouldn't want to take anything away at all from Wilson's bowling today. He toiled hard under the duress of leg trouble on a flat pitch and in searing heat.

He also needed to set aside immediate disappointment. Visiting Victorian umpire, Richard Patterson, turned down a furious lbw appeal from the second ball of the visitors' innings, giving Matthew Elliott (59) the benefit of the most miniscule piece of doubt after a Wilson delivery that struck him on the pads looked to be a very good chance of taking middle stump or, at the very least off stump, out of the ground.

Peter McIntyre (2/64), who had eventually picked up the prime wicket of Elliott half an hour before tea, chipped in with three overs remaining with the wicket of Mott (whose 238 minute vigil featured a slower rate of scoring the longer it progressed) after the left hander exposed his leg stump to a leg break. These three late wickets, all with the score on 186, put the match back in South Australia's favour after it seemed Victoria was setting itself up for a big first innings lead.

As Victoria sought to build slowly and accumulate runs, there was a marked drop in the scoring rate after the loss of Elliott. While he was at the crease, it was above three per over; following his demise, it was barely two.

Certainly the most enterprising batting of the day came in the sixty-one run second wicket union between Elliott and Mott. This was after Jason Arnberger (11) somehow found a way to be run out, jogging an attempted fourth run and paying the price for his lack of urgency when he was picked off by a brilliant eighty metre, one bounce throw from substitute fielder Mick Miller.

For the South Australians' part, they probably wouldn't have experienced too many qualms about being dismissed for their total of 340 just before lunch. They had the chance late yesterday to force the pace but did not really do so. At least in the opening hour today, they pushed the rate along thanks mainly to a splendid half century from Chris Davies (52).

Sadly for Davies, he was forced to retire hurt just after he played a ball to cover off Paul Reiffel, was sent back by his partner Wilson and, in attempting to regain his ground, seemed to sustain serious damage to either his right knee or hamstring.

Davies had been batting superbly before he was then compelled to leave the ground on a stretcher, kindly supplied by two St John's Ambulance officers, with the score on 7/312 right on the stroke of noon.

Latest reports about the injury are vague but it is believed to be some form of serious leg strain, not helped by some problems surrounding the back of the knee. Hopefully, when more information is ascertained, it will represent good news for the promising batsman.

John Davison (4/90) went close to gaining a well deserved five wicket haul when he picked up the wickets of Brett Swain (7) and Wilson (6), albeit that exhaustive television replays seemed to suggest that there might have been a touch of doubt about whether the catch which Arnberger claimed at short leg to remove the latter had been taken before the half volley.

The doubt that surrounded that dismissal seemed to ignite a little more than just the normal on-field byplay and banter, with some of the South Australians' more experienced players later passing on the odd word of advice to some of their opponents in the heat of battle. The Adelaide heat in itself didn't help cool tempers as the thermometer again reached and stayed around marks in the high thirties for most of the day.

Eight overs now separate SA's bowlers from the second new ball and this, one feels, will be a valuable ace in the cards dealt to the home side. But, if overnight batsman Ian Harvey (1*) bats with any of the authority he showed in the Mercantile Mutual Cup game between the sides on Saturday, it's quite possible that Victoria may still only end up trailing Queensland by two points in the Pura Cup by Thursday night.