UPDATE: After a season of near-invincibility, Plenty Valley’s Sub-District season came to a sudden end on Sunday with a shock loss to Malvern in the semi-finals of the North/South division.
It was a disappointing finish for the Bats after winning all 14 of their previous matches, while Malvern moves into the grand final against Caulfield.
The damage was done for Plenty Valley on the first day on Saturday, when Malvern skipper Simon Conway sent the Bats in first on a lively wicket at Malvern City Oval.
The Valley batsmen lasted just 46 overs to be rolled for 134, the team’s lowest completed total of the season.
PICTURE GALLERY: Plenty Valley v Malvern
Dylan Forster and Sean Ayres saw off the new ball with 28 for the first wicket, but the loss of Forster for eight triggered a collapse.
Captain Michael Sheedy followed soon after for a duck, bringing Lorenzo Ingram to the crease. It was a partnership Malvern needed to break, given Ayres and Ingram have scored more than 1400 runs between them this season.
And Tim Arbon got the breakthrough almost immediately, having Ayres caught for 21. Ingram could muster only 10 and Daniel Heatley five, as Malvern continued the unrelenting assault.
At 8/89 the Bats were in massive trouble before Brad Mitchell provided important late-order resistance with 17 not out and, along with Justin Jaensch (25), put on 45 for the ninth wicket.
Malvern had the better of the batting conditions in the first innings, and Ashlin Streker (21) and Dean McAuley (18) put on 35 for the first wicket. But the loss of McAuley triggered a collapse of 4-22, including the prize wicket of Michael Jones.
But Nick Gill (41) and Leigh Alford (34) got Malvern back in the game, sharing a 48-run stand, though another collapse, this time of 3-4 – all of the wickets to the tireless Justin Jaensch – gave Plenty Valley a sniff at a first-innings lead.
But Alford and Danniel Black – who has provided several handy lower-innings digs this season – put on 32, giving Malvern a first innings victory. The Roosters finished their innings all out for 156, 22 runs ahead, with Jaensch (5-49) and Ingram (3-25) the pick of the bowlers.
Plenty Valley’s second innings was the polar opposite to its first. In just 9.5 overs they racked up 3-104 – led by Ingram’s incredible 50 off 18, two fours and a six, to give themselves a tiny sniff.
Malvern needed 82 and despite the loss of their openers early Jones (39) and Gill (32) guided them over the line.
Plenty Valley captain-coach Michael Sheedy was a broken man following the loss. “It’s a pretty hollow feeling,” he said. “Everything we worked for all year was gone in two hours.
“That’s something that we have to live with over the next 12 months before we get another crack.”
Sheedy said losing the toss on day one hadn’t helped. “It wasn’t ideal that we were put in, the sun didn’t come out and the wicket kept doing what it did all day,” he said.
“We got off to a really good start but after that couldn’t get a partnership together. They put a lot of pressure on us and the ball was in their court all day.
Resuming at 4-63, Malvern pushed their way to 4-82 when a shout against Nick Gill was turned down. “Whether it was a mistake or not… we should have had more than 130 on the board,” Sheedy said.
“That’s cricket. We created opportunities to bowl them out and there were a couple of frenchies and balls flying either side of fielders.
“Jaenschy was admirable, as you’d expect and Lorenzo Ingram was just massive, he hit a ball into the library and one into High St, but it was never going to be enough.”
Despite the loss – combined with the thirds and fourths also bowing out – Sheedy said there were still positives to draw from the season, though it was too early to reflect.
“We’ll have a think about it come presentation,” he said. “We did win the club championship but you are judged on premierships.
“But I will say you do not need to lose a game. People will say you need to lose a game, you can’t go through undefeated, but I don’t believe in that.
“We were beaten in two hours of play and if you’d told me at the start of the year we’d only lose two hours of cricket all year I’d have been pretty happy.
