Hauritz turns Final on its head

If it is the knack of successful captains to make exactly the right decisions at exactly the right times, then it seems likely that Nathan Hauritz will, ultimately, enjoy a long and fruitful career in the pursuit. For, with one mere piece of initiative, the brazen Queensland skipper turned an engrossing National Under-19 Championship Final against Victoria completely on its head here at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart today.

Like many of his teammates, Hauritz was unable to set an overcast Hobart day ablaze with any great deeds with the bat. But, just under six hours after he and his charges had been asked to make first use of a never altogether-friendly pitch, he had them right back - possibly even holding the edge - in a game upon which they had previously been unable to extract a hold all day.

Victoria had entered the match a raging favourite and, for most of the opening stages, played in accordance with the status. Following his victory at the toss, captain Tim Welsford (0/20) joined with left armer Brett Anderton (1/49) to lead the way with excellent opening spells. On a charcoal-tinged pitch which offered significant encouragement to the bowlers, they set a pattern of impeccable line and length that their support cast could not help but follow. Albeit that only one wicket - that of Chris Simpson (16) to an lbw decision at the hands of Ben Waterman (2/25) - fell in the pre-lunch session, the Queensland upper order found itself under consistent pressure as the contest began.

Following lunch, the Victorians formally converted their early dominance into a comparatively rapid rush of wickets. Between the dismissals of Aaron Maynard (12) and Mitchell Chapman (1) to medium pacer Mark Simpson (3/31) and the departure of Chris Hartley (17) to a loose stroke at Paul Seeary (1/28) outside the line of off stump, further success came the way of Waterman with the prize scalp of Nick Kruger (61). With his clever control, changes of pace, and ability to produce notable variation in bounce from just short of a length, medium pacer Waterman was probably the pick of the attack throughout.

It was just as well for the Queenslanders that they received the benefit of a largely unrelenting individual performance of their own - in their case from Kruger, who was able to hold things together in a stabilising hand that occupied more than three hours. Through his innings, the left hander was often uncomfortable. But, crucially, he was also unyielding. And, without his gritty half-century, his team might well have found itself in dire straits.

Even after tea, there was no real let-up in the pattern of Victorian dominance until the aggressive John Dellit (46*) fashioned an association with Chris McCabe (22) that brought the Queenslanders a priceless fifty runs for the eighth wicket. Dellit was in fact in the midst of an excellent attacking innings when, out of the blue, his captain decided that enough scoring had already been done. With only thirty-five minutes left on the clock, and potentially as few as seven overs remaining, came Hauritz's closure at 8/232.

Admittedly, it was a freakish piece of brilliance from McCabe in the cover field - in intercepting a well-hit shot and then throwing down the stumps - that went much of the way toward vindicating the gambit. Certainly, Travis Birt (15) had appeared in little trouble until his opening partner Peter Dickson (1) drove a ball powerfully off the back foot, seemingly well away from the tall seventeen year old, and set off with the stroke.

When the jubilant Queenslanders then added to their bounty the wicket of Dickson himself as he pressed only half forward to a well pitched off cutter from Nathan Rimmington (1/13) in the following over, the scoreboard was suddenly reading 2/16. Stuart Brohaska (1*) and Nathan Geisler (0*) survived the four deliveries that followed but not without enduring the odd scare of their own. Suddenly, it had become a completely different game.