Frankston Peninsula stuns Melbourne to bank first win

Frankston Peninsula’s young captain Brodie Symons was brilliant in his side’s memorable win over Melbourne.

Frankston Peninsula players celebrate after beating Melbourne. Picture: Glenn Davey

It was the upset of the season and few saw it coming — especially Melbourne.

Frankston Peninsula, brilliantly led by rookie captain Brodie Symons, recovered from 7-98 to beat second-placed Melbourne and record its first win of the season at Adrian Butler Oval on Saturday.

Symons cracked 78 not out to steer the Heat to 9-220 off their 50 overs after being sent in by the Demons.

He then grabbed 1-31 and took two catches to help roll the powerful Demons for 146.

It was Frankston Peninsula’s first victory since round two last season.

Heat skipper Brodie Symons (left) is congratulated.

Heat assistant coach Peter Buchanan said it was a win to savour.

“They (Melbourne) probably thought, ‘ah, yeah we’ll win the toss, put them in, knock them over, get an easy bonus point and have an early day’,’’ he said.

“And it was probably looking that way at 7-98 but cricket’s a funny game. The minute you get a little bit complacent, momentum changes.

“I mean when you’ve got someone like Brodie Symons still at the crease, anything can happen.

“We found a way.’’

Symons and Bailen Clarke (10) led a rebuild with a 39-run eighth-wicket partnership.

Jamin Barron-Toop (17) then joined Symons and the pair put on 69 to take the score past 200.

Symons batted for 127 minutes and faced 91 balls, hitting 8 fours and 2 sixes.

Earlier, No.3 Matt Gapes made 38.

Debutant Anurag Dhaliwal snared 3-13 off 7 overs. Picture: Glenn Davey

Frankston Peninsula then fielded its bootlaces off and its bowlers were superb, led by debutant Anurag Dhaliwal, who snared 3-13 off 7 overs of medium pace.

Spinners Clarke (3-33) and Jack Conroy (1-22 off 10 overs) also starred, and Barron-Toop took two key wickets.

“To come back from that position…we’ve gone from nowhere to giving them a bit of a touch up,’’ Buchanan said.

“To come from that position with our young group it’s almost like winning a grand final.

“They were shocked, fairdinkum. They didn’t see it coming. They just expected to roll up and win and in the end they’ve gone home with their pants pulled down.’’

It was a breakthrough win for the Heat — the first for new coach Paul Boraston and Symons as skipper.

Melbourne's Jackson Koop is bowled.

Jamin Barron-Toop is pumped. Picture: Glenn Davey

Symons said the win would help get his side’s season “back on track’’.

“The confidence it will give us for the rest of the season will be huge,’’ Symons said.

“The boys were pretty excited after the game, it just gives us that self-belief that we can match it with the best.’’

Symons played down the magnitude of the win but said it was a vital victory.

“I wouldn’t say grand final…all the boys were pretty happy. I think our last win was round two last season. And we obviously got embarrassed by Melbourne in the last game of the season as well, so it was a pretty big win for us – just to get us back on track really,’’ he said.

“I think once we got to 220 I thought if we bowl well we can defend it.

“And then they hit a couple of early boundaries and I thought, ‘oh, we’ll see how it goes’. When we took the first wicket I think that’s when I thought ‘we can do this’.’’

Symons said young Indian seamer Anurag Dhaliwal was outstanding.

“He was the pick of the bowlers by far,’’ he said.

“He took 3-13 and bowled seven (overs) straight and that turned the game, those three wickets that he got. He wouldn’t leave a good length.

“He was definitely the best bowler of the day and then Conroy and Clarke both bowled really well, really tight.’’

Symons hopes the win wasn’t a flash in the pan and said the Heat would journey to Geelong on Saturday chasing back-to-back wins.