Premier Cricket: Essendon dasher James Seymour thunders to a century against Melbourne
Essendon opener James Seymour blitzed the bowling in T20 matches in the Futures League and he did the same to Melbourne at the Albert Ground.
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It was all over by 4.50pm.
Time flies and runs come at a rattle when Essendon opener James Seymour strikes the ball as cleanly as he did at the Albert Ground on Saturday.
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Coming off a star turn in a T20 series in the Futures League during the week, the left-hander pasted 106 off 112 balls to set the Bombers on their way to a dazzling victory over Melbourne.
Chasing 5-347, the visitors sped to 3-348 in 73.1 overs. They didn’t merely win — they waltzed it in to go to second on the ladder and hit the Demons with an untimely loss. They dropped to ninth with three rounds to play.
It was Seymour’s second century this season, lifting his aggregate to 590 runs at 49.2.
There were 11 fours and 3 sixes.
“He’s a terrific player, a really good player,’’ Melbourne coach and former Australian swinger Adam Dale said of Seymour.
“The week before he bowled 20 overs for 30 and then he gets a hundred yesterday. Conditions were good both weeks, ideal batting conditions.
“With the ball he showed a lot of skill and with the bat he displayed a really good technique. He turns the strike over, he can play vertical and horizontal shots, he’s a good player.’’
It completed a week to savour for Seymour, who clubbed 73 not out, 81 not out and 97 not out over two days in Twenty20 matches for Victoria midweek.
Seymour and fellow leftie Aaron Ayre blitzed a first-wicket partnership of 151, with Ayre’s 67 coming off 87 balls and including 11 boundaries. He has 657 runs for the summer.
After the openers departed there was no let-up for the Melbourne attack.
No. 3 Justin Galeotti crafted 73 not out (off 158 balls and with 8 fours) and Michael Hill clipped 89 off 83, with 16 boundaries, against his former club.
Dale said Hill and Ayres batted well, as Blake Thomson and Charles Lill had on day one.
“There was some really good batsmanship in the game, lots of runs made, almost 700,’’ he said.
“It was tough for the bowlers.’’
Ayre was full of praise for the performance of his opening partner. They combined for a 151-run stand in quick time on Saturday and have a combined 1247 runs for the summer.
“It was pretty impressive,” Ayre said.
Melbourne had relished the Ringwood pitch in the previous round, but on a flat Albert wicket and fast outfield it could mount no threat to the Bombers.
The Demons could have done with the left-arm pace of Jackson Coleman, who was called up by the Melbourne Stars.
It was the second time in three seasons Essendon has ran down a monster total away to Melbourne.
The Bombers chased 5-329 at the Albert Ground in November, 2016, when Galeotti and Hill both compiled half-centuries.
“I think it was 330 a couple of years ago and obviously 348 yesterday,” Ayre said.
“It sets up well for us. We tend to get off to a good start and we have got some stroke makers through the middle as well.
“Justin Galeotti held it together really well in the middle overs yesterday as a bit of a rock at number three.”
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