Premier Cricket 2019-20: Camberwell Magpies score Round 1 win over Geelong

Camberwell Magpies opened their 2019-20 account with a thrilling four-wicket win over Geelong in Round 1 of Premier Cricket.

Star Geelong batsman Eamonn Vines knocks one into the off-side. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Camberwell Magpies started the 2019-20 Premier Cricket season by taking down last season’s grand finalist in a pulsating four-wicket win in the final over on Saturday.

Camberwell passed Geelong’s target of 6-255 with one ball to spare at Geelong Cricket Ground to score a Round 1 victory.

Captain Andrew Fekete joined debutant Alec Smith in the middle with 37 runs required and less than four overs remaining, working the equation down to 10 runs off the final over.

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A six over backward point from the blade of Smith off the bowling of Dom McGlinchey left one run required with two balls remaining.

He survived a run out chance at the non-striker’s end on the second last delivery when he scrambled through for a single as Camberwell finished with 6-256, with Smith (19 not out) Fekete (18 n.o.) walking off to the applause of their teammates.

Eamonn Vines and Josh McDonald cross for a run. Picture: Peter Ristevski

“I guess it was at the stage where we needed to try and go from the first ball I was out there because we didn’t want to leave too many runs until the last over,” Fekete said.

“If we needed 15 or 20 runs off the last over, the game was probably gone.”

Fekete had earlier claimed three top-order wickets to finish with 3-40 off his 10 overs.

Camberwell’s chase pivoted on three key partnerships — Ben Rowles (44) and Isaac Conway (56) shared a 97-run stand for the opening wicket and Tom Russ (46) and Akshay Kodoth (30) recovered the innings from 4-134 to 5-209 with 73-run union.

Kodoth departed at 6-219 before Fekete and Smith guided Camberwell home.

“It ebbed and flowed all day — I guess neither team was really on top for long periods of time and it was a bit of an arm wrestle on a slow and sticky wicket,” Fekete said.

“Good to be on the right side of the result.”