Sport
Josh Sidebottom stars with the ball to lead Northerners to consecutive Haisman Shield wins
Death, taxes and Josh Sidebottom getting scalps.
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Another supreme showing with ball in hand from the man they call “Twiggy” sent Northerners back to Tallygaroopna smiling as the Jets knocked over Old Students 59 runs short of the total on Saturday.
Sidebottom removed a quartet of Students bats ― his second four-for in as many weeks ― to go top of the Haisman Shield wicket-taking standings (12) and make it back-to-back wins for Northerners.
Jets captain Stuart Turner credited the wily quick for his game-changing performance.
“Bowling-wise, Josh Sidebottom was unreal again at the front, he really broke the game open for us,” Turner said.
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Bend the back: Old Students’ Callan McCabe. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 7
Pirouette: Northerners’ Zavier Davidson. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 7
Steaming in: Old Students’ Callan McCabe. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 7
Fling it in: Old Students’ James Meek. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 7
Pacing out: Old Students’ Oscar Lambourn. Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 7
Through the gate: Northerners’ Simon Marshall. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 7
Standing guard: Old Students’ Maninderjit Singh. Photo by Megan Fisher“It was a hard-fought win, the scores might not seem that way, but it was pretty cool.
“We only batted for 35 overs, so it was a little bit disappointing not to bat out.
“But to be honest, who cares, if you’re going to win it doesn’t really matter how many overs you’re going to bat I guess.”
Northerners’ order was rife with starts, but lacking finish as the visitors were bowled out 10 overs short on a dry Kialla Recreation Reserve pitch.
Trent Sidebottom was the first to go, caught on 15.
Up next was Lachlan Vassallo, meeting the same fate on 21.
Turner also showed some resistance with a boundary-laden 20, but the bulk of the legwork was made by the young guard of Declan Newbound (56) and Zavier Davidson (33).
Sidebottom, of the Josh variety, was the last Jet standing as the travelling side was all out for 181, with Callan McCabe, James Meek and Mohamed Shahid snaring two wickets apiece.
The start of Students’ chase was a bungle in all senses of the word.
Sidebottom unravelled three of the hosts’ opening five batters, including the dangerous Felix Odell and McCabe for four and two respective runs.
Students limped to 4-25; panic had set in.
Oscar Lambourn was on a damage control mission before being trapped LBW on 19, leaving Shahid to pick up the slack.
When he was run out on 40, hopes of a comeback were snuffed out with victory for Northerners arriving in the 37th over.
The win pushes the Jets up to ninth, while leaving Students rooted to the table’s foot as two-day cricket begins this coming weekend.
Turner, while not over the moon with his side not batting the full 45 overs, said the form of Sidebottom and the likes would be handy in the longer format.
THE GAME
Northerners 181 (D Newbound 56, Z Davidson 33, M Shahid 2-23) d Old Students 122 (M Shahid 40, J Sidebottom 4-18, J Davidson 2-16)
STAR PLAYER
Josh Sidebottom (Northerners): Sidebottom rivalled Newbound for best-on-ground merits, but his three early wickets flipped the game on its head. If he continues with this vein of form “Twiggy” could be looking at 30-plus poles for the season.
“It wasn’t exactly easy to bat on; there was a bit in there for the bowlers,” Turner said.
“The pitch was a bit tricky, so it wasn’t too bad at all really. Batting-wise, most of us got starts, so it’s a bit disappointing not for someone to kick on with it.
“(Two-day cricket) gives people a chance ... there will be more minutes in the batting.
“There will be some big scores in two-dayers now; there are some class bats around the comp.
“Now there’s no rush, you are really going to have to be on your game with the ball, otherwise you’ll be chasing a bit I imagine.”
Senior Sports Journalist