Green Caps falter at the finish

Leschenault’s bid for a direct path into the Bunbury and Districts Cricket Association grand final hit a roadblock at Forrest Park on Saturday, with Marist defeating the Green Caps by 28 runs.

Quite simply, the Green Caps snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Whether they were still wrestling with memories from last year’s preliminary final, or Marist’s momentum simply wore them down, the visitors fell away badly after driving themselves into a seemingly winnable position.

Tom Buchanan’s side will now face Colts in the preliminary final, who have hit form at the business end of the season.

On a day when several sporting events were compromised around the world due to a major health pandemic, the hearty few cricket lovers who braved the gloomy conditions were treated to a gritty battle.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, the hosts hit a speed bump early, with Corey Fagan’s recent run of single figure scores continuing.

Flashing at a Brody D’Agostino delivery, Fagan’s loose shot was gobbled up by Steve Denison, which shifted focus to his fellow opener, Brayden Clarke.

A hot favourite to claim the BDCA’s Cricketer of the Year title on Friday night, Clarke made the Green Caps pay in more ways than one.

Defiantly riding his luck at every turn, Clarke hung around and meticulously plastered his shots around the ground when it came his turn to stand and deliver.

The Green Caps bowlers were not without their chances in removing him though.

Three caught and bowled attempts were dropped and although Jacob Templeton appeared most likely to remove the Blues opener, both he and former captain Reece O’Connell kept the scoreboard ticking over.

By the time Clarke (63 off 106 balls) was eventually removed by Tom Buchanan, who claimed 5-28 in a quality late cameo, the game appeared delicately poised.

Set 178 to win, the Green Caps survived some nervy moments early after Michael Webb dismissed both Kurt D’Agostino and Justin Woods.

But when Tom Buchanan came out into the middle to join Matt Fink, the Green Caps faithful had plenty to cheer about.

Despite black clouds and spots of rain loitering like an overly officious parking ranger, both men played sensible cricket and got their side into a fantastic position.

At 3-94, the Green Caps had plenty of overs and wickets to play with, until an inspired bowling change from skipper Kyle Davis swung the balance of power to the Blues.

Clarke was replaced by Jordan Stynes who instantly delivered for his teammates. Although his spell lasted four overs, his 2-12 was priceless. With the momentum and on-field chatter rising, the Blues triggered a 6-55 Leschenault collapse, with Buchanan the last man dismissed.