Williamstown captain Craig Sheedy has defended his decision to declare on day one, setting a generous total for Sunshine to chase in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.
The Seagulls had no option but to try for a long shot outright in the hope of a second day miracle to stay alive in the finals race.
On a batsmen’s paradise, Sheedy declared with 5-232, just 58 overs into the game.
One player on the other side labelled it “disrespectful”.
While the Seagulls went on to defend the first innings total, winning by 45 runs, they could not get even close to an outright and their late finals push came to an abrupt end.
Sheedy says he did the right thing, giving his side a glimmer of hope rather than die wondering.
“Declaring early last week, we were hoping to try and get an outright, even though it’s unlikely it’s going to happen,” he told the Weekly.
“With the wicket the way it was, we were never going to do it; it was dead as a door nail.
“We figured we’d see how we go and it didn’t work out. It ended up being a fight just to get the win with the first innings.”
Mathew Inness produced the best spell of bowling by a Seagull for the summer to rout the Crows for 187.
In conditions that offered little assistance, Inness ripped in to take 6-39 off 25 overs.
He removed the top five batsmen and six of the top seven before Mitch Ferrie (2-29), Nathan Bratby (1-27) and Sam Davis (1-25) cleaned up the tail.
“You could see that someone had to stand up and win the game for us and he fired up,” Sheedy said.
“There was nothing there for the bowlers and he stepped up when he had his second spell, just charged in and hit the wicket hard. He bowled around the wicket, at the batsmen, and had them jumping around.”
The Seagulls failed to get the 10 points they required to stay alive in the finals race.
They are nine points out with just one match to go: a one-dayer with six points available, away at Noble Park.
“It was disappointing that we didn’t get anywhere near the result we needed, but if I was looking at the game not thinking that we needed an outright, I would’ve been really happy with the way we batted and bowled in the match,” Sheedy said.
