LAVINGTON’S Sam O’Connor is reluctant to bowl another ball after a match turning first over of the season on Saturday.
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Having finished 26no in the Panthers massive 8-300 last week, O’Connor was thrown the ball in the last over before tea with New City building a promising partnership.
He had danger man Hayden Wishart caught brilliantly at square leg by Tom Hargreave off the first ball of the over.
Then, after the early tea, he repeated the dose, having Darcy I’Anson dismissed in the same fashion, with Hargreave again claiming the catch.
The legspinner was then removed from the bowling crease, finishing with double-wicket maiden.
Coach Robbie Mackinlay said O’Connor was a handy net bowler who had turned into a match-day wicket-taker.
“The game was really turned around in one over,” he said.
“New City were starting to work their way into the game and then it was pretty much all over — their two most dangerous batsmen at that stage back in the sheds.
“Sam really is more of a batsmen, but in the past few years he has David Farrell and Robbie Jackson among his wickets.”
Offspinner Michael Galvin was also among the best for Lavington, taking 3-29 off 20 overs as the Phoenix were dismissed for 163.
The victory, the Panthers’ first back-to-back win of the season, puts them in fourth spot at the Christmas break and looking to further strengthen their squad for the run in to the finals in the new year.
“We get fast bowler Steve Keene back for the first game in January and Bryce Swift is expected to return after a side injury,” he said.
“We will also add Matt Sharp to the squad.
“He’s the assistant coach at Lavington Football Club and a left-handed opener who played first grade in Canberra last summer.”
But the 2012-13 premiers will however have to look to other venues after the round 11 home game against Wodonga Raiders as groundsmen prepare the surface for an AFL practice match in March.
“The first game back is a Saturday-Sunday game on January 10-11 and we’re confident the game after that will go ahead at Lavington as well,” Mackinlay said.
“But we won’t have it after that.
“We went through the same thing last year with the A-League game and it wasn’t a big deal, but this year we have built up a bit of a home ground advantage at Lavington so it might cost us a little.”
The game was really turned around in one over. New City were starting to work their way into the game and then it was pretty much all over.
ROBBIE MACKINLAY