NMCA 2020-21: Cobras kick-start season with win over Keon Park

After a slow start to the season, last season’s preliminary finalists are showing signs of returning to their best.

Damian Wegener watches the ball closely for Cobras. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Cobras are confident Saturday’s important North Metro Cricket Association Jika Shield victory can act as a springboard for them to get their season back on track.

The home side knocked off Keon Park by 13 runs at C.T Barling Reserve, improving its record to 2-3 and leaving it one game outside the top four.

After reaching the preliminary final in their return to Jika Shield last season, Cobras have had a slow start, with the weekend’s triumph snapping a two-game losing run.

“When the season started, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy despite how well we went last season. It’s very difficult to stay competitive in a competition like the Jika Shield,” Cobras skipper Franky Tomaras said.

“Adapting to playing in the one-day format consistently is also something we struggled with early. It’s much easier to lose control of a one-day game then a two-day game, so adapting to that probably hasn’t been as easy as we’d hoped.

“But we are staying positive, the boys have all been training really hard and have been putting their best efforts on the field each week.

“We feel like we are working in the right direction, so hopefully we can convert those efforts into more wins.”

Cobras won the toss and elected to bat first against Keon Park, putting on 8-141 from their 40 overs, with middle-order batsman Mark Krstitovic top-scoring with 50 not out, while Tomaras (28) and Damian Wegener (26) also contributed.

Dharaneswara Yerradimme did the damage with the ball, taking five wickets to help roll Keon Park for 128 with five balls remaining.

“It was good to finally get back on the winners’ list. We did it hard, but it was pleasing to get the result we did,” Tomaras said.

“In the last few games we’ve been in good positions to win games but we let ourselves down with our finishing, so I felt it was important to really focus on putting in a 40-over performance with both bat and ball last Saturday and be consistent, and I felt like we did just that.”

Tomaras himself has had a slow start after last season boasting a batting average of 38.50 (fifth best in Jika Shield) and bowling average of 12.80 (ninth best)

The Cobras skipper had season’s best contribution of seven before Saturday and four wickets from his four matches.

But after posting a season-best score of 28 and taking two handy wickets, Tomaras is slowly rediscovering his form.

“My personal form hasn’t been great. I’ve definitely struggled this season, more from just stupid mistakes and things like that,” he said.

“But I do feel like I turned the corner a little bit on the weekend, I batted for a little longer than I had been and I’m starting to get the confidence up on the field, so hopefully I can continue to improve on that as the games go on.”

Cobras host Rivergum this weekend in their last game before the Christmas break.

Tomaras is confident his side can take it up to the Kookas and replicate the performance they produced when they toppled the powerhouse in Round 10 last season.

“We go into every game thinking we will win, as we will again this week with Rivergum,” he said.

“They are continuing to show how good of a side they are, but we feel like we can take some confidence from the performances we had against them last season, where we really took it up to them.

“So hopefully we can put in a solid performance with both the bat and ball, and if we can head into the Christmas break at 3-3, it will be a really positive morale boost for the whole side before we head to the back end of the season.”

Rivergum will enter the fixture with back-to-back wins after defeating Holy Trinity by seven wickets.

Elsewhere, Preston Baseballers survived a scare from Cameron to clinch victory by just five runs, while Northern Socials made light work of Heidelberg West to win by 89 runs.