Redbacks fall short in the final over.
On a glorious Saturday afternoon in Macclesfield, the (A grade) redbacks took on the Lobethal Tigers in what proved to be the biggest challenge of the season so far. The exclusion of captain David Schulze this week meant Joe Lions returned to the side after missing last week’s win against Callington on a soft wicket in unusually cool weather conditions.
Interim Captain Josh Lewis- Burns lost the coin toss and Macclesfield was sent out to bowl to a full-strength Lobethal team. Connor Moore and Lachlan Barrett set the tone for the home side bowling four overs before giving up the first runs.
Momentum swung throughout the Lobethal innings with high-intensity fielding carrying over from last week’s win away from home, but despite Macclesfield’s best efforts with the ball, the Tigers put 195 runs on the board for the loss of 7 wickets.
Requiring nearly 4.5 runs an over the Macclesfield opening pair of Filsell and O’Connell wasted no time in punishing some erratic bowling. The opening pair put on 67 runs before Filsell was dismissed for 17.
Keiran O’Connell continued to make batting look easy and breezed his way to 50 before being caught for 62 leaving the crease with the Redbacks 2/106 and bringing Lachlan Barrett in to join Connor Moore in the middle. Moore added 22 runs to the total, with Lachlan Barrett being caught off a ball that was lucky not to be deemed illegal for 21.
Captain Josh Lewis-Burns and Joe Lions kept the run rate steady entering the final phase of the game – Josh Lewis-Burns dismissed for an efficient 17 runs before Jay Dawson joined Joe Lions at the crease.
Dawson was the next to go, being run out without troubling the scorers which resulted in Craig Lions joining his brother to try and chase down the remaining runs required for victory.
The Lions’ partnership was ended by the Tigers defensive field setting as Joe was caught for 12 runs with Macclesfield needing 20 runs from 20 deliveries when Jones was brought up the order to head into the middle next.
Jones quickly added 10 runs from 5 balls faced and was caught “playing his natural game” leaving the middle with just 12 runs required for victory from 2 overs.
Voogt, who had been shuffled down the order, was trapped by a full ball that did enough to take his wicket leaving Craig Lions to be joined by Arif Malik in a tense last 2 overs. The innings ended when Lions was run out trying to squeeze out the extra runs required for a Redbacks victory.
Last year’s minor premiers defeated Macclesfield by 8 runs (unofficial) which leaves the Redbacks with just the solitary win from the three matches played so far.
Moore was a standout with the ball for the home side taking 2/21 from his 9 overs which included 5 maidens, while O’Connell looked comfortable at the crease making an impressive, and very efficient 62.
Next week the Redbacks A’s travel to Strathalbyn to take on the Stallions, before another game on the road at Langhorne Creek on the 6th of November.