VSDCA 2021-22: Croydon recovers from middle-order collapse to grind out win

A damaging display with the ball helped Croydon recover from a middle-order batting collapse on Saturday, as it toughed its way to victory.

It wasn’t his side’s best performance by his own admission, but Croydon coach Tom McQuinn says Saturday’s victory was another step in the right direction.

A modest 183 runs proved enough for an 80-run win over Noble Park (103), with the Cockies recovering from a quick middle-order collapse.

The visitors looked to be cruising at 3-145 following a leading 54 runs from captain Steve Wright, alongside 37 from No. 4 Daniel Ivanovic and 36 from opener Will Pleming.

But the dismissals of Ivanovic, Mitch Brooker and Riley Paterson in six balls spelt trouble by the middle of the 33rd over – and David Hickey’s exit at the start of the 35th plunged the Cockies to 7-146.

Hamish Paterson took 2-18 for Croydon on Saturday. Picture: Steve Tanner

Some handy batting between Hamish Paterson and Jake Simpson steadied the ship late as they combined for 27 runs.

Noble Park skipper Dale Christie led the bowling for the hosts with 4-30 off 7.5 overs – including the scalp of Croydon opener Jake Marnie who fell for eight runs, while Josh Crozier’s run of 3-27 off nine was highlighted by his dismissal of Wright.

“We set ourselves a platform early on to get a big score … (then) we were in a bit of strife, but Hamish Paterson and Jake Simpson got a nice little partnership to lift us to what we thought was a competitive total, but we definitely knew we left some runs out there,” McQuinn said.

Enter the bowlers, who proved the matchwinners, as Hamish Paterson (2-18 off six overs) and Chris Brown (2-28 off nine) claimed openers Max Heffernan and Josh Crozier respectively by the sixth over, before the Cockies tore through the middle order.

Wright finished the job, making light work of the tailenders as he finished with 3-3 off 2.4 overs, while Simpson (2-14 off five) also stood out with a pair of wickets in the top and middle order.

While McQuinn admitted a 183 total isn’t always going to win matches, he credited his side’s resolve and recovery after a collapse – a positive step he said was in stark contrast to this time last year.

“Twelve months ago, we might’ve been all out for 140 or 150 and got rolled, but it is a good sign for our side to be able to grind that win out and just do enough when we didn’t play anywhere near our best brand of cricket,” McQuinn said.

“It’s not what you want, but it’s another sign that we’re developing in the right direction.”

Croydon hosts Strathmore this Saturday.