VI.SA in Credit

by Rog Moore

Returning to the northern beaches, the Breakers went down to competition leaders VI.SA Australia by 56 runs in a defiant duel at Artarmon.

The start was faintly ominous, with the gates locked. The ground was not underwater, touch rugby teams were practicing (badly in some cases), and the Breakers eventually missed one more attacking bowler.

Rob Lavery: Captain's effort with bat and ball in a loss to the competition front runners

The VISA (Mastercard?) team proved to be block and belt batsmen (often effective, and too often successfully chasing records). They also wore sunglasses, so fortunately (for them) they were able to actually play. Their score of 220 to be enough in the conditions, and although front liner bowlers Gunna (0-31), Fopper (2-29), Nath (0-28), and Laves (a hostile 0-18) were tight and efficient, the absence of Matt Fisher was eventually felt. Bally claimed his best figures of 2-32.

Boosted by the inclusion of Roger Christie and Oli Thomas, the Breakers batting line-up ran into VI.SA’s own bowling sub Fulton. Bowling quickly, and finishing with 2-21 in partnership with Keys (2-27), the Breakers innings just couldn’t get going despite a series of defiant efforts. Angivan held the top order together with a defiant 31, though only when skipper Rob Lavery was batting with old gun Chris Sweet (21 - runs, not years) did a successful run chase look on.

Rob came out of enforced retirement (he’d scored 40) for a final stand with Mark "Skid" Mullineaux, clobbering up his 50 as the Breakers chased 10 runs an over. The captain's dismissal, after an excellent knock, led the Breakers’ keeper, nursing a broken finger, to definitely bat out the remaining overs, sending a message that while VI.SA deserved their win - and a quality team and deserved favourites in Division 4 - the Brookvale Hotel boys were hardly over-awed. TLG.