Geelong cricketer Ted Bain produces masterclass to lead Geelong College to win over Caulfield Grammar

A Geelong cricketer single-handedly led his side to a win after producing a stunning display. And it came after an agonising dismissal as he closed in on a milestone.

Ted Bain had a day out for Geelong College. Picture: Mike Dugdale

It would have been easy for Ted Bain to drop his head.

The Geelong College captain was one run away from a century against Caulfield Grammar when he swung at a wide delivery and chopped it onto his stumps.

But Bain, who plays Premier Cricket thirds for Geelong, wasn’t done there.

Bain went on to take a five-wickets with the ball and take two catches to single-handedly lead his side to a 44-run win, his 25 overs ending a marathon day where he also faced 190 deliveries.

One of those wickets was the vital scalp of Caulfield Grammar captain Christopher Kellaway, who challenged Ted Bain for man of the match honours with a stunning 150 of their 235-run total.

Caulfield bowler Jez Rigoni was another to produce a masterclass, taking 7-79 from 32 overs in an inspired bowling display.

Geelong College coach Peter Blanchfield said Bain’s progression reminds him of Australian run-machine Steve Smith, with Bain having started as a young leg-spinner before becoming a force with the willow.

Christopher Kellaway and Jez Rigoni starred for Caulfield Grammar. Picture: APS Sport

“If we had of said to him at the start of the day, ‘what is it like to make 99, take five wickets, take two catches and win the game’, he’d probably take it,” Blanchfield said with a laugh.

“Very unlucky. But he should be really proud of his efforts. One of those ones I think, every batter wants those balls when they are on 99 and he probably played that shot 15, 20 times beautifully prior and it’s the one that maybe dropped on him a bit faster or whatever it may be.

“From the agony of 99 to the ecstasy of taking five wickets, just shows obviously a mature cricketer for his age but then able to put that disappointment behind him to understand as the captain and also our leading bowler across a number of years now.

“He was able to put that behind him and bowl so well and just a pretty impressive all-round performance from him.”

Geelong College still sits towards the bottom of the ladder but Blanchfield said their form has been encouraging throughout the season.

“In Term 4 we feel as though the boys were right in it. In every team in the APS we have seen exceptional performances from the opposition, whether it be bat or ball,” he said.

“We have had some outstanding performances with the bat from Tom Patterson and from Ted and Will, it’s not the same person every week. That’s the values we want to continue to drive in our players.”

Originally published as Geelong cricketer Ted Bain produces masterclass to lead Geelong College to win over Caulfield Grammar