By Steven Dobel

With a squashing in mind, Astute Financial Muddies drove south to complete their two day match last Sunday against Mulgrave Toads. 

An early thought to bat all morning changed as Doble (5) and Walz (6) were sent back to the shed and then Darlington (17) followed by Tom Goodall (45) both dramatically picked up the run rate well supported by Taylor (31). Such was the rate that Muddies switched to try and pass the Toads 128 as quickly as possible and then declare their innings to see what pressure that would place on the home team. 

Sam Evans smashed a six second delivery but only survived three more to be bowled going for the objective, Ged 2 off 1 and Happy Gilmour managing 13 off 5 deliveries to allow the declaration just after drinks, both not out. 

The theory with a first innings win on the board was to manipulate the highest worth of bonus points for the Muddies with 0.2 awarded per wicket Vs 0.01 per run; translated to 100 runs = 1 bonus point Vs taking 5 wickets = 1 bonus point.

Three maidens started the Toads' second dig before Pistol Pete/Happy Gilmour caught the batsman on the crease adjacent to the stumps - LBW (0) followed by Gilmour presenting Barnes with a slips catch (2) then Barnes himself getting the other opener (0) to a very sharp reflex catch to Evans, Toads 3/2 and Muddies plan looking like a great one.

Toads' #5 bat fell to magical line and length, bowled by Pistol for 3, 4/5, then bowling the #4 for 1 and Toads looking like they jumped around on the highway once to often, splattered at 5/10. The opening bowlers would not let the ball go and rightfully so when both again broke through to leave the Cane Beetle Imports at a very precarious 7/24 with virtually an hour to go. 

Toads Leader set about to change the decay and played aggressively well supported by his son as the two not only dug themselves out of trouble but saved what otherwise was looking like an amazing outright loss. Sorensen bowled well as did Taylor (after a couple of loose ones), both delivering 0/9, Darlington was given a quick try (0/2) before the nagging (of the verbal kind) found Evans an over, finally breaking the 53 run stand with a simple caught and bowled, almost as simple as the couple of boundary balls he dished the batsmen.

The Muddies improbable outright had vanished with Courthouse Man of The Match Gilmour on match figures of 9/81, so he was awarded the last of a rampant 28 Mudcrab overs and almost pulled off a remarkable tenth wicket caught and bowled. Barnes delivered 2/9 off 8 overs (match figures 5/28). The result was a bonus 1.6 points for Muddies for the 8 wickets taken, the equivalent of having scored an unlikely extra 160 runs!

Next weekend sees the last two day match until the last round of the season, Vs United at Griffith Park 2 commencing 8.30am as Muddies continue their third grade dominance.