Three straight wins lifts St Bernard’s into the VSDCA North-East top six
Rory Collins produced a season-high score with the bat to haunt Plenty Valley and St Bernard’s secured a third straight win to enter the top six.
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A new year surge has lifted St Bernard’s into the VSDCA North-East group top six and put their finals fate in their hands.
The Snowdogs have now won three games straight after a comprehensive 39-run win over Plenty Valley at Yarrambat War Memorial Reserve on Saturday.
Rory Collins returned to haunt his former club, smashing a season-high 78 to inspire this team.
The talented opener snapped a run of single-digit scores with his second half century of the campaign.
St Bernard’s captain-coach Kyle Adams revealed there was no hostile reception, only mutual admiration.
“He handled it fine, he’s obviously still got some good friends there,” Adams said.
“It was pretty mutual, there were no barbs being thrown on the field.
“You get a bit more insight into the way some of their players play, he gave us a few hints and tips.
“Rory wanted to do well against his old club and I’m sure he was happy to get the win.
“He hasn’t looked far away, he’s had a couple of decisions that didn’t go his way that maybe on a good day are not out.
“He’s been keeping really well and doing everything else really well, so as much as we want him scoring runs that’s not everything.”
Connor McGuire continued his purple patch with an unbeaten 40 from 41 balls to lift the Snowdogs to 5-206.
Adams then ripped through the Bats’ top order - removing Aryan Sharma (two), Cal Nankervis (duck) and Nish Perera (two) inside the first six overs to have the hosts in all sorts at 3-7.
Tobias Raper (36), Christian Ewings (32), Simon Black (30) and Naman Sharma (22) staged a fightback but the damage was already done and Plenty Valley could only manage 9-167 from its 45 overs.
Following nail-biting back-to-back wins over Strathmore and Mt Waverley last weekend, St Bernard’s have jumped to sixth on the ladder, leap-frogging Plenty Valley.
With five games left in the regular season the Snowdogs face only one team above them - Croydon in Round 13.
Adams said the team was just starting to find top gear.
“Obviously the two wins against Strathmore and Mt Waverley, sort of out of nowhere, has given us a lot of belief,” he said.
“Before the last three games things just hadn’t quite clicked, we’re showing glimpses, our best cricket is good but our best and worst is still a long way between.
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“We haven’t spoken about finals but I mentioned on the weekend it’s all up to us.
“We’ve got Croydon who are above us and everyone else is below but the way this season has gone every side has one or two players that can win a game.
“It’s about keeping our standards, the same with the twos - they’re on the cusp - and then the threes and fours are on top.”
St Bernard’s face Box Hill at Murphy Oval on Saturday, while Plenty Valley travel down Bourke Road to visit ladder leader Kew.
SNOWDOGS SNATCH VICTORY FROM JAWS OF DEFEAT
From 4-14 St Bernard’s has produced one of the all-time VSDCA comeback wins and ended Strathmore’s undefeated start to the season.
The Snowdogs looked buried as Chanaka Welegedara ripped through their top order before man-of-the-match Chris Spinella launched a counter-attack.
In a thrilling finish, the Mores needed just six runs from the final two overs but couldn’t get the job done, St Bernard’s triumphing by four runs in an epic at Murphy Oval.
Captain-coach Kyle Adams rated it as one of the best wins he’s been involved in.
“It was a phenomenal win, I said after the game it shows we can win from anywhere, we just need the belief and this is one of those victories that can get your season going,” he said.
“It was a great win, one of the best wins I’ve been involved in the past few years, really pleasing.”
At 5-35, Spinella (67) and James Davey (23) rescued their team with a desperately needed 58-run partnership.
Spinella then combined with Adams (37 not out) for another 58-run stand to give the Snowdogs a defendable 8-156.
Strathmore were in total command at 2-108 before Davey removed Jack Condon (28) and Lucas Kennedy (41) in quick succession and with Connor McGuire bowling Luke Bassi (0), the visitors had lost 3-0.
Victory looked all but assured again with just eight runs to get and five wickets in hand when Adams castled Nick Sabatino (26).
It triggered a 4-4 collapse and St Bernard’s snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
All the more commendable with Snowdogs spearhead Aaron Smillie missing due to work commitments.
Luke Davis finished with 3-32, while Adams (2-27) and Davey (2-32) picked up a brace each.
Adams praised his team’s performance under immense pressure.
“Chris has been batting really well all year … and he’s operating off very little sleep having had a kid in the last couple of weeks, so that’s quite impressive as well,” Adams said.
“James has been really good, he’s been thrown around the order – he’s opened or batted at No.3 at times – and built that partnership with Chris.
“We knew we needed a score to defend, the two of them got it up to 95, which laid the platform for us to go on with it at the end.
“We were aiming for 150, so to get 156 from the position we were in was spectacular, and we took a lot of momentum from that into our bowling.
“We knew the top four have scored the bulk of their runs so if we could get into the middle and lower order we could put them under pressure.
“Connor went for about 10 with about eight overs to go and that was a tense time but again, we executed, and Luke Davis bowled superb – the best he’s bowled all year.
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“I think they needed six off two overs, Connor went for one and Luke bowled the last – the first ball went for a single and the rest were dots and there was a wicket in there as well.”
The remarkable victory was quickly celebrated with St Bernard’s backing up on Sunday against Mt Waverley in a COVID make-up match.
The Snowdogs sit ninth with a match in hand two games outside the top eight.
A win over eighth-placed Mt Waverley would keep them firmly in the finals hunt.
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