Brian Mollet
It was a classic clash of cultures in the Nick Shand Memorial cricket series on Sunday as the free-loving, fast-living Suffolk Swingers took on homeboy hillbillies, the pork-and-bean eating Left Bankers.
Lomath Oval was flagellated like a guilty Catholic by a stinging southwesterly breeze as Wortho of the Swingers and Scruff of the Bankers flipped the disc.
The Bankers, asked to bat, were soon heading into receivership as Toby (2/5) and Scott called an early royal commission.
Scruff (38) seemed like the only batsman up to the task as the top order eroded like the topsoil on the Adani mine site.
It was plain the Swingers had brought their A-game as the Bankers struggled even for dodgy deposits as Ben and Cameron nabbed two scalps apiece and Azza dazzled with a diving catch at slip.
Sean (31) showed surprising restraint to hold up an end but Suffolk showed more form than the lobby at Centrelink and the Bankers went sub-prime, crashing out in the 29th over for a skinny-looking 115.
Swingers opener Owen (33no) then set about monstering the new ball and soon the field was scattering like pedestrians in a Barcelona backstreet.
Talented Eli (2/14) broke through for Left Bank but ran out of fingers to plug up the dyke as Azza (31no) and Ben (34no) barely raised a sweat spanking the Swingers home with seven overs to spare.
Eyes now turn to Sunday’s clash between the Geckos and the Byron Full-Tossers as the winners will fill top spot in the competition and the losers will join Suffolk and Left Bank on two wins apiece.
This invisible committee will decide who plays who in the semifinals.
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