WA falls just short of miracle comeback

• Tim Clarke
• October 8, 2008

Daniel Smith of the Blues congratulates Grant Lambert after dismissing Theo Doropoulos. Photo: Paul Kane

In keeping with the rest of WA sport in 2008, the Warriors have contrived to lose their opening game of the season, at home, against young opposition falling six runs short of NSW's 9-220 in the first Ford Ranger Cup match of the season.

With WA football in the doldrums, the Perth Glory shaping up for their worst season in history, and the Wildcats having a shaky start and a road trip from hell this week, a lot was expected of Tom Moody's powerful looking side.

But after winning the toss, bowling well on a helpful pitch and restricting the Blues to a par score, the much vaunted WA top order fell in a heap.

The "fab four" of Shaun Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Adam Voges and Luke Ronchi combined just 29 runs between them, contributing to WA finding themselves at 5-62 after 22 overs.

With two good balls betting rid of Marsh and Ronchi, two awful leg side heaves accounted for Pomersbach and Voges - with only skipper Marcus North standing between his side and a complete trouncing.

Along with David Bandy's lusty middle order hitting, North picked WA from no chance to little chance with a 43-run sixth wicket.

But when Bandy scooped back a simple caught and bowled chance to Stephen O'Keefe, WA's last realistic chance had gone - with only the 176 total to avoid a bonus point defeat a likely target.

Instead, Brett Dorey went bananas, smashing 45 off 47 balls, including three massive sixes, to leave WA needing 11 runs off eight balls for a remarkable win.

Unfortunately the first of those eight bowled Dorey as he went for another leg side smash.

The next was a leg side four to North, bringing him to within five of a century and WA seven of a win. But Mark Cameron ended WA's miracle comeback, bowling North to his delight and the Warriors' despair.

With Nathan Hauritz showing Australia's spin cupboards are not completely bare with 3-29, Nathan Bracken and Cameron looked more than capable of belittling WA - until Dorey's powerful cameo brought the game back to life.

But after looking so far away and then coming so close, it was a bitter end to what had been a sweet start, after North celebrated his return to full fitness with a winning toss and a bold move to insert the visitors.

It paid dividends, with Ronchi claiming six victims behind the stumps as New South Wales nurdled and nudged their way to a half decent score while losing regular wickets along with way.

Grant Lambert eventually top scored with 48 off 49 balls, which in the context of the rest of the batting was a profound effort.

18 off Dorey's final over gave the Blues a modicum of momentum going into their turn on a WACA strip which darkened markedly over the day, becoming harder and harder to score on.

After his heroics with the gloves, Ronchi returned the favour to opposite number Daniel Smith with just the third ball he faced, giving Bracken the perfect start.

The Australian one-day specialist bowled almost the perfect opening spell defending a low score, hitting the seam, nipping the ball away and making the undoubtedly talented Pomersbach look decidedly ordinary.

When Marsh's middle stumped was aggressively disturbed by Cameron, WA were already in trouble at 2-8 - but that did not stop Pomersbach top edging a sweep straight to O'Keefe on the boundary, and Voges found a different man on the same spot, to increase the pressure on his side.

North's fifty off 81-balls had only three boundaries but plenty of grit, but the reintroduction of Hauritz - another of the spinners Australia can apparently do without in India - took two wickets in an over to drive in the penultimate coffin nail.

Dorey though resurrected the contest. Lusty hitting belying his batting position gave the paltry 1,905 crowd - believed to be the lowest ever for a WACA one day contest - belief, until he and then North lost their stumps, and their victory chance.