Premier Cricket 2019-20: Prahran takes first innings points on day one
Prahran’s star attack was on display against Camberwell Magpies as the True Blues showcased why they boast one of the best attacks in Premier Cricket this season.
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Both Camberwell Magpies and Prahran were tipped to be big improvers ahead of the Premier Cricket season.
Camberwell was expected to build on last season’s elimination final appearance, while Prahran’s significant firepower with the ball would be the cornerstone of its rise.
But on Saturday’s evidence, only one will contend for finals.
Prahran walked away with first innings points after dismissing Camberwell for just 121 at Camberwell Sportsground.
But Camberwell coach Brad Loveluck warned “we’re going to take the game on” when the game resumes next weekend.
“We’re going to go for broke,” Loveluck said.
“We’ll be looking to take early wickets and maintain pressure … and then when we bat, we’ll try and be as positive as we can and try set them some sort of total.”
Prahran’s even bowling performance highlighted why the True Blues could climb into the top eight in 2019-18.
They sat fourth on the ladder with three victories coming into the Round 7 fixture.
Camberwell was languishing in 15th with one win.
Prahran reached 4-146 at stumps, holding a lead of 25 runs.
Loveluck said his side’s shot selection was costly.
“I’m not questioning their effort, it was more around decision making and moving from white ball into red ball,” he said.
Camberwell reached 0-24 before Andrew Perrin removed opener Ben Rowles (14) and No. 3 Oli Gunning for a third-ball duck in consecutive blows.
Perrin finished with 3-39 and Sam Grimwade (3-26) also picked up three wickets as the Magpies collapsed to 6-77 on a wicket that was variable in bounce.
Matt Wilcox (2-25) and Tom Loten (2-30) were the other wicket-takers.
Only Akshay Kodoth (27) and Isaac Conway (24) reached 20 for the home side.
Loveluck said his side did not handle Prahran’s disciplined efforts with the ball.
“There’s no excuse really,” he said.
“They batted pretty well on the same wicket so it probably came down to a little bit of decision making.
“The wicket probably only played a part in a couple of dismissals and the message was that we need to bounce back but it’s about being positive and committing to what we’re doing and focusing on the team as much as we can.”
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Loveluck backed his group in to respond.
“I’m still really positive with the group,” he said.
“I know they’ll bounce back. I challenged them pretty heavily to respond with not so much their effort … it’s more about trusting the process and getting back to being more disciplined.”