East Albury has scored its best win of the season, but the club admits making a mistake over player eligibility.
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Crows’ captain Dylan Weeding’s father Brad passed away suddenly, days out from the first day of the game against North Albury.
“We approached the league before the game started, just to make sure that we could have a spare player to replace Dylan, if he couldn’t see out the whole game,” Crows’ captain Cameron White said.
“As it turned out his dad’s funeral isn’t until tomorrow (Monday), so he didn’t miss any play at all.
“We had replaced him with another keeper in Miles Hemann-Petersen, and he kept for the first hour until he was injured.
“Dylan then kept, but it was brought to the umpires’ attention (by North Albury) we shouldn’t have done it that way, either Miles should have done the whole day or Dylan.
“At tea time, the umpires told us and we changed it (to Kris Milosta).
“Technically, I think we didn’t play it right, but I thought we had the all-clear to do it that way.”
The association hadn’t seen a report by early Sunday morning.
Technically, I think we didn’t play it right, but I thought we had the all-clear to do it that way.
- Cameron White
“The association had given special dispensation to Dylan and Jarryd (who plays for Lavington) Weeding if there was an issue after the passing of their father,” CAW chairman Michael Erdeljac said.
“There was a process to be put in place. If that process was adhered to, there’s no problem. If a mistake was made in that process, we’ll have to make a decision on the mistake.”
North coach Matt Kirkwood didn’t want to highlight the issue.
“It’s a difficult situation. At the end of the day the only thing I really want to discuss is the cricket and, unfortunately, we were poor,” he said.
Chasing East Albury’s total of 196, the visitors were in early trouble, losing star batsmen Ash Borella (six) and makeshift opener Greg Daniel (eight).
Daniel was forced to open as had a commitment in the afternoon.
Brendan Simmons came to the wicket at 1-6 and was the last batsman out, with the score on 178, in the 70th over.
He was cruelly dismissed for 99, caught in the outfield, about 15 metres short of the boundary.
“(He was) fantastic, incredible, if only we had three of four other blokes who batted with him,” Kirkwood said.
To an outsider’s point of view, it appeared a waste of a century, but White says it was an extraordinary knock in 41 degrees.
“He would have been that buggered, he’d been batting all day,” he praised.
Simmons has now moved into the top 10 run-scorers.
He struck six boundaries in his 195-ball innings.
Import Dom Blampied finished with 3-30, while White snared 3-37 from 13 overs.
The Crows remain in sixth spot but, if the club ends up making finals, that win could prove crucial.
North, meantime, dropped three spots to seventh.
