Doctors trip over finish line to set up exciting finals series
- Andrew Summers
- Aug 6, 2017
- 4 min read
The Doctors took another road trip this round north to Tramway Street, home of the Ferny Districts Cricket Club for what was their final game of the regular season.
Hoping to shore up a top two position on the table after they expertly displayed the ability to simultaneously win and lose a game of cricket against the Red Dogs in Ipswich the round before, the Doctors were surprised at the ground before them.
Playing at altitude for the first time in many of their prosperous careers, the Doctors were greeted by a field with boundaries smaller than many of the Kanga cricket sized fields they cut and lost their baby teeth on, and expected a high scoring match.
The Doctors lost the first battle, with Captain Corrigan finding his old form again with the toss, and Ferny Districts, well aware that they only had 9 players for the first day elected to bat.
Wickets were hard to come by early with some excellent bowling from Michael Boys and Robert Corrigan being dispatched to the boundaries, hovering over a rock hard and sloping outfield that at times seemed more concrete than grass.
An absolute gem of a ball from the captain finally picked up the first wicket, pitching on middle and leg and finding just the right amount of seam movement to cut across the batsman, grab the and fall into the safe hands of Andrew Summers at keeper, back after sickness had ruled him out of the second week of the game against the Red Dogs.
An early wicket didn’t cease the Ferny District however, with the other opener posting a quick fifty, with equal parts aggressive and equal parts luck. After reaching fifty he went for one hoink too many, chipping the ball to deep midwicket with Ash Masters taking a marvellous catch at ankle height. Another quick wicket was picked up by the Doctors through some tight bowling and excellent fielding, and Ferny Districts went to drinks at 3/122.
Tony Pham was quickly bought on after drinks and took no time getting back into destructive form with the ball, forcing the set batsman to play off the body and chipping the ball to Whittle who took an impressive sliding catch. Not content with one wicket in the over, Tony struck again against the new batsman, and the Doctors were deep into the middle order.
Consistent strikes brought about by committed ground fielding and excellent catches to Abbas, Mitch and KC ended the Ferny Districts innings at 8/214 with two sessions still to play. Abbas and Boys went out to begin the chase, with Abbas falling early in the innings.
Boys channelled his form from Toowong and effortlessly made his way into the forties, with commanding strokes all over the field and Masters at the other end consistently working the strike over and punishing the pink ball through backward point when the bowler erred.
Boys surprised everyone when he finally missed a ball, and unfortunately it was a bouncer that impacted just above the ear. Newly helmeted, Boys soon fell to the first chance bowler and Hassan strode to the crease.
Ash took the mantle of aggressor, continuing where Boys fell until he was given out lbw in a decision that may have been overturned if we had the luxury of DRS. Hassan and Raja calmly played out the end of the day and riding the luck of a dropped catch in slips with the Doctors ending day 1 on 3/109.
The Doctors resumed strongly, with Hassan continuing to work runs behind point and Jeetu subbing in for Raja and slowly starting his innings until finding himself on the wrong end of another lbw decision that could have gone another way. KC took full advantage of the shorts boundaries, crunching fours until he also fell with the Doctors still 70 short.
Hassan’s luck finally ran out, caught off the ankles at 3rd slip and Mitch Boyd walked out to the crease, still with 60 runs to go before the Doctors would take first innings and a guaranteed 2nd place on the table.
Boyd and Summers quickly established a partnership, working the singles and waiting for the bad balls, watching the score slowly climb toward 215.
Summers was bowled after leaving an inswinger that came back into off stump, but Boyd continued to survive and attack, pushing on to 35 until he was also trapped lbw. With 30 runs remaining, the Doctors counted down each run, with only 2 wickets in hand when the captain went out to the crease with Tony at the other end.
A solid partnership bought the Doctors to within 6, until Robert was beaten in flight and bowled. Garry and Tony bought the chase down to 5 until Garry was bowled and the Doctors fell an agonising 5 runs short of first innings point and the safety of a top two finish.
Hoping to resume their aggression from the previous week, Ferny Districts went out to build upon their lead and scored quickly, taking Boys’ first over for 20 runs. Corrigan quickly struck in the following over, bowling a tight line and picking up the first opener bowled, and then drawing the edge which was taken safely by Summers at keeper in the next over.
After the quick strikes, Ferny Districts dug in, with both batsmen making 50’s and one making a century, assisted by a number of injured Doctors in the field, lucky edges and dropped catches. KC came in late in the innings and almost picked himself up a hat-trick after a wonderful outfield catch by Garry at long off and an equally as impressive diving catch down the leg side by Summers and the webbing in the keeping gloves.
A late strike from Jeetu’s left arm offies bought the 6th wicket, and Ferny Districts ended their innings and season with an impressive 6/282 off 30 overs. While the Doctors fell at the final hurdle, it still has been an incredible season 2017, winning more games this season than in the history of team previously.
With semi-finals just around the corner, the Doctors are just one win away from their maiden grand final appearance and will be a real threat when they step onto what will most likely be DM Henderson Park over the next few weeks as they face the red hot Macgregor.