Eight-wicket hero Dom Matarazzo leads the Premier Cricket Team of the Week
Richmond’s eight-wicket hero Dom Matarazzo and milestone man Evan Gulbis headline the Team of the Week as Premier Cricket made it’s return.
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Premier Cricket returned on Saturday amid COVID chaos
However, that didn’t stop some remarkable performances with bat and ball across the competition
It’s hard to top Richmond captain Dom Matarazzo’s remarkable eight-wicket haul.
Superb centuries from Carlton milestone man Evan Gulbis and Casey-South Melbourne’s Luke Manders will go down as two of the best this season.
Check out our best XI from the Round 7 action below.
1. LUKE MANDERS (Casey-South Melbourne)
There are few more naturally talented batsmen in Premier Cricket than the 30-year-old Swan, who returned to the club just before Christmas after a few seasons away. Manders, who lives in Foster in South Gippsland and works as a plumber, turned a run chase against Essendon into a jaunty jig. Set 7-157, the hosts raced to 1-158 in 27.3 overs. Manders was 107 not out off only 86 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes. His coaches and teammates raved about the innings. “It was pretty bloody good,” coach Will Carr said. “I don’t remember seeing too many better. He hit the ball to all parts of the ground and the only shot he didn’t play was the reverse sweep. He drove through the off and on, he hooked, he pulled, he cut, he late cut, he swept. It was a tremendous knock, just tremendous. It came as no surprise. He was building towards it.”
2. EVAN GULBIS (Carlton)
The Carlton captain-coach celebrated his 200th First XI match with his 21st First XI century, to further cement himself as one of the competition’s all-time greats. Started the milestone match against Camberwell with 2-24 and a run-out before turning match-winner with the bat, his unbeaten 100 coming off 98 balls and included five boundaries and a staggering seven sixes. Gulbis and Harry Smyth (56 not out) put on 175 for the second wicket. His 21st century ranks him 10th in Premier Cricket’s storied history. “I had six years out of Premier cricket to go and have a crack at some state stuff, but then to come back and contribute to my home (Carlton) has been very satisfying. “Carlton created and formed the way I am as a person and to be able to repay them, to be back involved with my second home, is really important to me and hopefully we can get some more silverware to reward the people that looked after me so well.”
3. BEN ROWLES (Camberwell Magpies)
While the Magpies may have fallen to Carlton, Rowles could hold his head high. The Camberwell captain’s fighting 88 not out – along with some late hitting from Chris Bridle (55) – helped his team reach a defendable 9-174. That’s 50.5 per cent of the total for those playing at home. It was Rowles’ season-high score and his second half century of the campaign and takes him to 218 runs – ranked 20th overall in Premier Cricket.
4. TOM CULLEN (Greenvale Kangaroos) (WK)
It’s taken a while for the Kangaroos’ recruit to click in Premier Cricket but he’s starting to find his feet. Cullen’s 76 not out is the Glamorgan wicketkeeper’s second straight half-century after smashing 59 in the T20 Super Slam win over Melbourne University before the Christmas break. Saturday’s loss to Fitzroy Doncaster was reduced to 26 overs and it seemingly worked in Cullen’s favour. Entering the game he’s scored more runs in four Super Slam matches than six Premier Cricket outings.
5. ADAM CROSTHWAITE (St Kilda)
At 37 the former first-class wicketkeeper is batting as well as he ever has. Shorn of quite a few First XI regulars, the Saints needed a substantial innings from their captain against Geelong at the Junction Oval and he supplied it, creaming 74 off 81 balls, with three sixes and three fours. It was the backbone of a successful chase. St Kilda, needing to top 8-219, reached the target in the last over to stay undefeated. Crosthwaite filled in as an assistant coach for the Melbourne Stars recently, maybe the Stars should have asked him to play for them too.
6. BRODIE SYMONS (Frankston Peninsula)
The allrounder was undoubtedly man of the match in the Heat’s win over Melbourne University. Stars James Nanopoulos and John Holland took three wickets apiece, and Symons backed them up with 1-28 off eight overs. He then led from the front with the bat, hitting 68 as the visitors hit 8-159 in reply to 158. It was a good win from a team needing it. And Symons is a good cricketer.
7. DAANISH MEHTA (Geelong)
Mehta almost dragged Geelong over the line on Saturday but couldn’t stop St Kilda claiming victory with one ball to spare. The opening bowler started the season in the Second XI and made his debut against Kingston Hawthorn in the last game before Christmas. On Saturday he started the new year on fire, coming in at No.7 and smashing 60 not out off just 50 balls – five fours and a pair of sixes – before picking up 2-23, including the key wicket of Saints opener Michael De Iacovo second ball.
8. DOM MATARAZZO (Richmond)
The Richmond skipper has hit a patch so purple his teammates should be calling him “Alvin”. Before Christmas he took a career-best 6-30 against Fitzroy-Doncaster and on Saturday he topped that with a dazzling 8-16 off 10 overs, capturing the first eight wickets of the Footscray innings. The Dogs went from 0-35 to be all out for 86. The Tigers picked off the target four wickets down. “It just happened for me,” he was saying on Sunday. “You get on a roll and it just felt every ball I might get a wicket. It was fun, it was a lot of fun. Getting one first ball helped. That obviously settles you down. You think, ‘well, at least I got something out of the day, I can relax now, it’s not going to be 0-40 off three, someone else is going to have to bowl’. I had four and then a couple of shouts to get five and then I thought maybe it wouldn’t happen, but at least we were back in the game. Then five, six, seven and eight seemed to happen really quickly and I had seven or eight balls to actually have a crack at nine and 10. Didn’t happen but it was nice just to have a chance.”
9. NATHAN LAMBDEN (Casey-South Melbourne)
The big quickie edges out the likes of James Nanopoulos and Kieran Elliott, getting the nod to open the bowling after opening up the Essendon batting with three early strikes at Casey Fields on Saturday. The right-armer removed Isaac Willett, James Ryan and class act Michael Hill, reducing the Dons to 3-23 and finishing with 3-33 from 10 overs. No doubt he’ll be looking forward to the pace and carry of the Geelong wicket this Saturday when the Swannies pay a visit to the Cats.
10. MATT WILSON (Dandenong)
The former Carlton player has given Dandenong sterling service this season, striking handy runs and claiming important wickets. He contributed with bat and ball on Saturday against a depleted Ringwood, taking 4-20 off 8.5 overs and making 37 off 38 balls in a run-chase victory. Wilson now heads the competition wickets list with 16 at 15.56. No one at Dandenong is holding him up as a champion but he’s a capable and committed cricketer taking his taking his chances with the Panthers.
11. ROBY LANE (Northcote)
The unassuming Northcote spinner is now sitting equal fifth on the Premier Cricket wicket-takers charts after a career-best 4-34 in Saturday’s win over Prahran. Lane is level with state tweaker Todd Murphy on 12 scalps and has taken at least two wickets in four of six outings. He ripped through the heart of the True Blues batting line-up, removing skipper Jake Hancock, Nick Morrey, Bailey Moon and Blake Parsons, as the home side fell from 3-93 to 8-132, ensuring an easier chase for the Dragons.
12. HARRY DeMATTIA (Melbourne)
At just 16 years old DeMattia opened the batting for Melbourne against Kingston Hawthorn and upstaged opening partner and Test hopeful Will Pucovski in his comeback from concussion. The batting prodigy finished unbeaten on 48 from 61 balls in just his second Premier Cricket game to ensure the Demons comfortably chased down the Hawks’ 104. Doubtful this will be his last appearance in a Team of the Week.
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