Extras nightmare condemns Eagles to first defeat as Dunleavy stars for Rhinos
Roebuck Rhinos became the first side to take the scalp of Belgrove Eagles, as their difficulty in fielding a full complement of players finally caught up with them in their fifth ISL outing. A combination of early complacency with the ball, a match-clinching knock by Dunleavy, and being forced to have a novice bowler complete their overs undid some fine work by their three batsmen in the first innings.
Put into bat by Roebuck's Rob Maweni, Eagles' opener Usman Haroon, eager to put quick runs on the board, immediately went after Alan Elliott and Mike Hickey, and got to 29 before Hickey eventually got his man at the halfway point of the innings.
His partner Bard Ovenden, battling flu, was taking slower to get his eye in, having to contend with the pinpoint seam bowling of Jeremy Dunleavy, who sent down an unplayable maiden at his second attempt.
With the change of bowlers, he began to find the back wall with increasing ease, in total contrast to his previous knock against Glenomena. His undoing eventually came from a most unlikely source. Maweni, giving himself an unprecedented but deserved second over, bowled the Australian immediately after a six, his sixth of the innings, had brought him to 65 runs.
By the end of the twelve overs, Haris had put together a useful 36* with only two singles, setting Rhinos a total of 147, one more than their previous ISL best.
In previous fielding efforts, Eagles had been able to rely on almost unplayable bowling from each of Haris, Haroon, Yadav, Knox and Ovenden, as well as a miserly return in the sundries column. On this occasion however, perhaps sensing yet another victory regardless of the opposition's early efforts, the opening pair of Nagesh Yadav and Haroon uncharacteristically tossed up at least a dozen 'four-balls' and wides between them.
Playing and connecting with anything even a fraction short or wide, Dunleavy racked up runs off every wall in a strong message of defiance and intent from the top of the order. Maweni, eager to increase his average, was caught behind on 9, unable to dominate the sharply turning legspin of Jonathan Knox.
Haris and Ovenden were less wayward, with both men picking up valuable wickets. The skipper bowled the dangerous Elliott for just 1, and Ovenden got his revenge on Dunleavy in the tenth over, sending him on his way for what had been a highly proficient 52.
Despite only 87 runs having come off the bat, Eagles' first-choice attack was unable to dismiss every Roebuck batsman. To make matters worse, their lack of a sixth specialist bowler on the night left Haris with no choice but to give the novice O'Reilly the last over of the match, and it was clear to all the 27 runs required would arrive by the unfortunate route of further wides and no-balls. With the exception of a four and a dot-ball, that was the case.
Despite the shock of a first defeat, Mustafa and his men were gracious to the victors but understandably quick in taking their leave of the venue. An unseemly end to a contest full of genuine cricketing talent that had been a pleasure to watch for so long, but a victory the Roebuck captain will be happy to chalk up nonetheless.
The League resumes in January.
