Altona has the work ethic to match its immense talent in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association east-west group.
The A’s passed a character test en route to a 27-run win against Noble Park at Pat Wright Senior Oval at the weekend.
First-year captain Shane Jones was full of admiration for his side’s refusal to concede defeat when it appeared likely on the second day.
“The boys applied themselves all day, fought and scrapped and clawed their way back,” he told the Weekly.
“It goes to show, if you plug away all day, you’ll get a bit of luck later. It’s a good effort from the boys.”
The A’s had a topsy-turvy weekend.
They started promisingly with the bat, openers Tim Collins (65) and Peter Herrick (26) featuring in a 92-run opening stand.
When they were removed, Aaron Maynard (29) and Lee Elmore (19) kept the scoreboard humming, until it came to a screeching halt. The A’s collapsed, losing 8-39 to be all out for 182.
“We got off to a bit of a flyer,” Jones said. “Then the Noble Park spinners pegged us back a fair bit.”
The A’s got to work with the ball and struck early to have Noble Park in trouble on 3-38.
But the hosts hit back with an 81-run fourth wicket partnership between Dean Edmunds (81) and Mevan Fernando (30).
Paceman Trent Smith (4-24) got the breakthrough the A’s desperately needed, removing Fernando with a snick to wicketkeeper James Grubb.
Smith had a profound influence on the outcome, taking four wickets as the Parkers lost their final seven wickets for 36 to be all out for 155.
“When called upon, he was the difference in the game,” Jones said.
“He’s taken four crucial wickets at important times.
“He’s pretty aggressive in the way he bowls and the short, sharp bursts seemed to work.”
Andrew McCammond embodied the A’s high work rate with 4-39 off 25 overs, including the scalp of Edmunds.
After a sketchy opening day showing, the A’s bounced back in the best possible way to seal their third win from four games.
“We put one catch down overnight [on Saturday] but from then we didn’t drop a catch, we took all our chances,” Jones said.
“The discipline with the way our bowlers were bowling was second to none.”
