A Grade cricketers fall short

Phillip Island A Grade returned to Inverloch on Saturday, chasing the 186 runs required for victory after a competitive opening day.

Overnight rain threatened conditions, but the pitch held up well and the stage was set for a tight contest.

Openers Connor Epifano and Max Arceo began patiently, defending well against the disciplined opening duo of Rhys Newman and Harry Butcher.

Run scoring was difficult as the Inverloch attack maintained tight lines and lengths.

A switch to spin eventually broke the stand, Epifano stumped while advancing down the wicket as he searched for momentum.

Brodie Johnston joined Arceo, and the pair looked to lift the tempo, though Inverloch continued to apply pressure.

Spinner Abeysinghe struck again soon after, trapping Arceo LBW for a well-crafted 24, leaving the Sharks 2/54.

Kurt Lane arrived with intent and wasted no time, clearing the boundary with a towering six to inject life into the innings.

His stay, however, was brief, a return catch ending his knock on 10.

Captain Daniel Mock partnered Johnston next, and together they began to rebuild, finding regular boundaries and turning the strike well on a day where scoring was hard-earned.

The score sat evenly poised at around 3/100 when lunch was taken.
A sharp shower interrupted the afternoon break, but play resumed quickly.

Mock and Johnston continued strongly before Newman returned with a short-ball plan, one blow striking Mock awkwardly during a pull shot.

The very next over, Mock was controversially given caught behind after a faint noise was claimed, despite appearing to miss the ball entirely.

His disbelief was obvious, and his colourful exit was broadcast clearly across FrogBox.

The Sharks were suddenly 4/116.

Kohen Beaumont joined Johnston and survived an early no-ball reprieve, then counterattacked with boundaries and a superb lofted six.

Chaotic running between wickets saw Johnston raise a well-deserved fifty, his second of the season and a key innings in keeping the chase alive, before he feathered one through to the keeper for 51.

Tom Niven looked promising but was dismissed for 18, leaving the Sharks 6/141 with 15 overs left.

Jobe Williams joined him, but only managed one before falling.

Veteran Simon Kirton entered as the week-two replacement and worked alongside

Williams to keep hopes alive.

Jobe found the rope a couple of times, but Inverloch’s persistence held strong.

A sharp run-out ended Williams’ valuable 17, and Kirton was caught attempting to clear the infield.

It came down to the final pair – Justin Tran and Harry Arceo to have a crack at bringing the runs home.

Unfortunately, Harry misjudged an Abeysinghe delivery, shouldering arms as it hit the top of off and ended the match.

The Sharks were bowled out for 169, 17 runs short after being well placed earlier in the day.

A disappointing finish, but the side remains inside the top four heading into a T20 and one-day fixture before the Christmas break.