Hodge Leads Chase Againsttait-less Redbacks

The Age

Thursday February 1, 2007

LYALL JOHNSON

WITH a win over South Australia last night needed to guarantee a place in the Ranger Cup final, Victoria had batted itself into a strong position against the Redbacks with 17 overs still to face.

Chasing South Australia's modest 8-238 on an unthreatening MCG pitch, Victoria was looking poised on 3-173, with Brad Hodge on 69 and new batsman Aiden Blizzard on 0.

Michael Klinger and Jonathan Moss (44) had given the Bushrangers a solid start, rotating the strike and getting on the front foot to a South Australian attack depleted by the loss of Shaun Tait to the national side.

Continuing the form that has helped him steer Victoria to victory in the past two Pura Cup matches, Klinger cracked 35 off 46 balls before trying to pull Jason Gillespie, only to sky the ball off a top edge straight into the bowler's hands.

His wicket brought Hodge to the crease, and Australia's best batsman not in national colours looked in complete control, playing every shot from late cuts to cover drives or clips off the pads to post a 50-run partnership with Moss off 61 balls.

South Australia started its innings at a gallop, but as has too often been the case this season, the platform was soon squandered, this time under pressure from fine bowling and fielding by the Bushrangers.

Having made 52 off only eight overs, Matthew Elliott and Daniel Harris looked settled before Harris went for 19, caught behind off Shane Harwood.

Elliott looked like he had finally found some touch, but on 63, when he needed to cash in on the early work, found David Hussey at cover off Andrew McDonald, who made up for dropping Elliott in slips when he was on 32.

Ben Cameron had joined Elliott and the pair put on 55 runs. Cameron, with the aid of a runner, then found support in Mark Cosgrove.

But just as the pair appeared as if they could start to punish the part-timer spin of Hussey and Hodge, Cameron lofted a drive to McDonald on the long off boundary, who took an assured catch just inside the rope.

The Victorian fielding, apart from two dropped catches, was top shelf and Rob Quiney set the bar high with two fine efforts.

First he took a brilliant catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Cosgrove for 33, just when he was starting to cruise.

Then in the dying stages he threw down the stumps from deep backward square to remove Ryan Harris with a direct hit.

Moss captured James Smith (27) with one that appeared to keep slightly low, and Harwood, having returned to the attack, bowled brilliantly and with a bit of help from at least another that seemed not to bounce much, removed Graham Manou (3) and then Nathan Adcock (32).

By this stage the South Australians' run rate had slowed to a trickle and after Harris fell to Quiney's throw to make it 8-234, their score would only progress by a further four runs.

© 2007 The Age

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