Premier Cricket: Tyler Pearson takes 4-19 to spark Kingston Hawthorn

There was high emotion after a 17-year-old second-gamer orchestrated Kingston Hawthorn’s great form reversal in Premier Cricket.

Tyler Pearson took 4-19 for the Hawks on Sunday.

Kingston Hawthorn coach Peter Marshall was in a philosophical mood after a weekend of highs and lows.

“I think in sport things are never as bad as they seem,” he said on Tuesday.

“And perhaps we’re never as good as we think we are, either.”

On Saturday, Marshall’s Hawks had their wings clipped by a rampaging Northcote.

Fuelled by Jonty Rushton’s 155 off 132 balls, Northcote amassed 5-338.

In reply, Kingston Hawthorn managed only 176.

It was a stinging defeat and the Hawks were flat as a biscuit on Saturday night, Marshall doing his best to lift his players’ spirits knowing they had to front up the following day for a game against Dandenong.

“On Saturday night I went home and thought, gee, 338, and one bloke makes 155,” Marshall said.

“We just didn’t bowl well, we just didn’t play well.

“And then Sunday comes and I had on the whiteboard, ‘It’s a new day’.

“You don’t lose your ability. You might have a bad day but you don’t actually lose your ability to play cricket.”

Kingston Hawthorn needed a spark and on Sunday 17-year-old Tyler Pearson, playing only his second game, provided it.

With Dandenong 0-47, Pearson struck, removing champion opening batter Brett Forsyth (20) caught behind by Joel Lewis.

Minutes later, Pearson scalped Forsyth’s longtime opening partner Tom Donnell (27).

The young man had his first two wickets in Premier Cricket, and a change had come over the Hawks.

Energised, they cut through the Dandenong batting line up — at one stage they took four wickets for 15 runs — to dismiss the visitors for 148 in the 44th over.

Pearson finished with 4-19 off 8.3 overs, while Sacheen Paramesh also bowled beautifully to take 3-33 off 10 overs.

Sacheen Paramesh.

Joel Lewis.

In reply, Kingston Hawthorn coasted to victory, making 3-149 off 47.3 overs, with Leicestershire opener Sam Evans unbeaten on 60.

Hawks skipper Shorye Chopra (43) and Lewis (20no) also played well. Lewis is fast making a name for himself; he also took four catches behind the stumps on Sunday, plus a run out, to continue his excellent start to the season.

In the rooms after the game, Marshall’s voice wavered with emotion as he addressed his team.

“I got a bit emotional after the game on Sunday because I’ve come to Kingston and I’m really trying to develop young local cricketers and our Dowling (Shield) program for two years has been really good,” he said.

“And he (Pearson) was our first Dowling product from the past two years.

“He’s from St Brigid’s St Louis (Cricket Club) and to play in the ones and to come out and take 4-19 against Dandenong’s top order was outstanding.

“And they were genuine wickets, bowling blokes out, nicking blokes off…to take Donnell and Forsyth as his first two Premier wickets were pretty good scalps.

Tyler Pearson, sitting on ground, with the Hawks' Dowling Shield side last season.

“He’s a 17 year old boy and we’ve got a few others coming through.

“So we can make Kingston a club for our locals cricketers if people are prepared to come down and put their head down.”

Kingston Hawthorn faces undefeated Melbourne, at the Albert Ground, this Saturday.

It looms as a huge test for the young Hawks, who, with two wins from three games, sit proudly in the top eight.

The Hawks have finished on the bottom of the ladder for the past four seasons.

But the the tide is turning at Walter Galt.