Opening partnership powers huge BLU total

BLU won the toss and elected to bat first at home on a pitch favouring runs.

Knowing they had time at the crease, veterans Kade Pearse and Regis Chakabva got off to a slow start, scoring only 12 runs inside the first 10 overs.

The pair looked to build a strong opening partnership and was willing to weather Rochester’s bowling barrage early before cashing in as the innings went on.

In the next 10 overs, Chakabva began to show his explosive batting prowess, tallying 29 runs at the drinks break, with Pearse holding down the other end.

While dot balls came plentifully for Rochester, neither opener seemed fazed, putting away the bad balls and continuing to rotate the strike.

After passing 50, Chakabva started to free his hands with the run rate increasing.

However, before the Zimbabwean native could storm to a momentous century, Chakabva was caught by Brad Major while trying to take on Rochester captain Angus Martin, his innings coming to an end on 77 in the 35th over.

While Chakabva’s knock set up his side, the job was only half finished, and now it was on the rest of BLU to get it to a competitive total.

First drop Liam Hamilton hung around with Pearse for 12 overs and managed to score 10 before heading back to the sheds after a superb caught-and-bowled effort by Jesse Cuttriss.

BLU’s greatest strength in the beginning of its innings was its ability to develop partnerships that spanned a decent amount of time, with Pearse’s new partner Noah Turner sticking with the opener until the 65th over, nearly 20 after Hamilton was dismissed.

Turner’s hard fought 27 was all the number four could muster before he was caught by Matthew Harrington off Cuttriss’ bowling, the finger spinner collecting his second.

Thus began a collapse of sorts for the Lions, with wickets falling at a quicker pace as the 80th over loomed.

Luke Thompson was next to go just four overs after Turner, finding the safe hands of Martin for 15.

Thomas Dicker toiled for his seven runs before succumbing to a beautiful ball by Angus Martin, who collected his second.

Martin couldn’t stay out of the action as his crafty work in the field caused confusion in between the wickets between Jake Toll and Pearse, with the latter being run out on 73 on the cusp of carrying his bat through the innings.

In his 16th over, Martin struck twice at the back end of the innings, tallying the scalps of Jeremy Felmingham and Simon Van Duinen for one and a duck, respectively.

On the final ball of the innings, Jake Toll was run out trying to come back for a second run by Jake Wright, with the home side finishing the day at 9-254.

Rochester’s Angus Martin led from the front all day, with figures of 4-37 and a run-out. His knack for slaying giants meant his side has a chance in the second innings.

The questions as we head into the second day of this interesting match-up will be can BLU’s bowling attack compare to its batting and does Rochester have enough batting firepower to get itself over the line?