By Tara Murray
Plenty Valley will miss finals for the first time since 2010-11 in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association after another disappointing performance.
Last season’s north-east premiers, the Bats have struggled to recapture that form in the north-south competition this season.
With just three wins, Plenty Valley sits 12th with two rounds remaining.
With teams above them facing each other in the coming weeks, the Bats will still miss finals even if they score the maximum 16 points on offer.
Bats captain-coach Ryan Pearson said the group was disappointed with how the season had played out.
“We know we have the ability and we have proven that for three quarters of games that we can be the better side,” he said.
“But you can’t play three quarters of a game of cricket, you have to put the performances on the board.”
Pearson said it had been their batting that had let them down throughout the season, with the side playing some “dumb cricket”.
“Looking at the stats, in eight games this year, we’ve lost eight for 100 or less, we’ve lost clumps of wickets all year. “It’s poor shots, dumb cricket for a lot of it.
“You don’t get too many absolute jaffas that get you out. Most of the time it’s the batsmen getting themselves out.”
For a third straight match, the Bats have been left to rue not putting together a complete performance.
Facing Ormond, in a one-dayer, after day one was washed out, the Bats were on top early.
Pearson said they did a good job with the ball. “We started off well, as we have for a lot of the season with the ball,” he said.
“Blacky [Simon Black] and Dayne [Smith] had them 4-15 and then they were 6-60 on a pretty flat wicket.
“To get them 9-149 we thought that score was unders.”
Black, Smith and Michael Rogneda finished with two wickets each for the Bats.
Things started off well with the bat for the Bats, who were 0-30.
Pearson went out and then it was all downhill from there, as they were bowled out for 130.
“Every time we would get on top we would lose a wicket,” he said. “Four or five average shots doesn’t help the cause.
That’s the story of the year.” Blake Pearson was the pick of the batters with 45, but there was little other support.
Ryan Pearson said that they would fight out the season and wanted to finish it on a high.
He said they would look at giving some of the younger players more of an opportunity up the order in the final two rounds, with finals already out of the equation.
“Hopefully we can finish the season with some fight and we’ll play out every game.”
In good news for Plenty Valley, Pearson said most of the group had committed to returning next year.
