Premier Cricket 2020-21: Melbourne Uni hands out lesson to Essendon

No Simon Mackin, no Fawad Ahmed, no worries as the Students scored a crushing win over Essendon in Premier Cricket.

Jarrod Martignago made 36 in Melbourne University’s crushing win. Picture: Hamish Blair

Two Melbourne University bowlers who started the season in the Second XI put Essendon’s vaunted batting line-up in a spin on Saturday.

With star recruit Simon Mackin (family reasons) and Fawad Ahmed (BBL duties) unavailable, leg-spinner Ben Rolfs (4-16 from 8 overs) and left-arm orthodox tweaker James Bett (3-11 from 9.2) bamboozled the Bombers.

Ben Rolfs helped himself to four wickets. Picture: Valeriu Campan

After losing the toss, the visitors were rolled for a paltry 97 in 33.2 overs as the Students marched to an eight-wicket triumph in the Premier Cricket clash.

Melbourne Uni is a proven producer of spin bowling talent, with leggie Peter Hatzoglou – now at South Australia grade club Prospect District – also starring for Melbourne Renegades in his first two Big Bash League appearances.

“We’ve probably got an embarrassment of riches with spin bowling,” coach Antony Keely said.

“Particularly for those guys (Rolfs and Bett) who can go in and out of the side a little bit depending on our availability, it was pretty amazing to just watch them thrive.

“They’re both quality, quality players and bring more to the table than just their bowling too, which is great.”

The Students’ pacemen, however, laid the foundations by removing Essendon’s three gun batsmen.

Steve Reid dismissed Aaron Ayre (6) and opposition skipper Michael Hill (0) cheaply before Fergus McKenna held on to a sharp chance off his own bowling to take the scalp of the prolific James Seymour (34), leaving the Bombers 3-64.

Insane reactions from @Fergus1McKenna to dismiss @EssendonCC’s James Seymour yesterday! @vicpremcricket pic.twitter.com/sM1tE6oAIV

— Melbourne University Cricket Club (@MelbUniCC) December 13, 2020

The next seven wickets tumbled for just 33 runs as the spinners stopped the scoring and ensured the bleeding continued.

“We thought, which I assume is something that’s not uncommon throughout the competition, that if we could get Ayre, Hill and Seymour, we get a good look at their middle order,” Keely said.

“And particularly this season, they haven’t batted.

“We thought if we could get into there and have the expectation that someone else has to get runs for them, that we’d be able to put a lot of implied pressure on them.

“That was certainly how it looked from the sidelines. They were missing that Ayre, Hill or Seymour to drive them and it really played into our hands.”

Melbourne Uni took just 22.2 overs to reach 2-98, with openers McKenna (47 not out) and Jarrod Martignago (36) killing the contest with a 79-run stand.

Keely said the home side was “pretty clinical with the bat” as it improved its win-loss record to 2-1 after a first-up defeat to Carlton.

The Students will face Geelong away in Round 4.

“We’re pretty happy,” Keely said.

“We feel like we’re a couple of months away still from playing our best cricket, just with team changes and everything else that goes on at this time of year and just learning how to best operate.

“Hopefully it’s 3-1 next week. We’d be absolutely rapt with that.”