SPORT STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Werribee loses despite a gutsy effort
Mathew Palmer puts everything into his bowling action for Werribee. (Shawn Smits)
Werribee has given north-west group rival Melton a fright, but fallen short of its desired outcome. The Tigers showed plenty of spirit on day two of their clash, but took a loss on first innings, leaving them without a win after two matches and in an unfamiliar position in the bottom quarter of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association standings. With only 113 runs to defend, Tigers captain Tim O’Brien knew his team had its back up against the wall, but he was proud of the fight displayed to make the Lions earn the result. The Lions passed the target eight down, finishing on 155 for a 42-run win. “We were in the game,” O’Brien said. “They just got over the line in the end. We dropped a few catches, a couple of decisions didn’t go our way, but with 113 on the board, we probably needed everything to go our way.” It turned into a nervous run chase for Melton because of the quality of Werribee’s bowling.
Five of the Tigers’ six bowlers picked up at least a wicket and all bowled economically, building pressure on the Lions’ batsmen. New ball operators Jackson Watt (1-32 off 12 overs) and Jack Budd (1-12 off 13) led from the front, while Stephen Plumridge chimed in with 2-6 off 5.4. Spinners Michael Kelly (3-52 off 19) and O’Brien (2-31 off 13) played their part, but it was still not enough. “I can’t fault the bowlers’ efforts,” O’Brien said. “The bowling was pretty steady all the way through.” The finger was fairly and squarely being pointed at the Werribee batsmen on Saturday night. Aside from 40 from Matt Dean and 47 from Kelly, the scoreboard made for bad reading for the whole line-up. “It was the batting that really let us down,” O’Brien said. “We had two guys made 40, no one from Melton made 40 at all, but they had
six or seven players who made over 10 runs. We only had two. “We just didn’t have as many contributors with the bat as Melton did, even though we had the top two scorers in the game.” The panic button ought to be pressed for Werribee. The Tigers are 0-2, have a Twenty20 clash with undefeated Williamstown at home on Saturday and face a powerful Plenty Valley the week after, so the pressure is on to turn their form around quickly. “Hopefully, we can get some players to step up and produce some good cricket,” O’Brien said. “We really need to get some points on the board to get our season rolling. “You don’t want to start the season zip and three because it’s a long way back from there.” Lance Jenkinson
Werribee Centrals bowler Blake Taylor is frustrated by a near miss as umpire Patrick Colquhoun finds a better viewing angle. (Damjan Janevski)
Centurion bats feel the heat
Boxer Ibrahim Balla and trainer Lim Jeka have formed a great partnership. (Damjan Janevski)
King of the ring reigns By Lance Jenkinson Rising western suburbs boxing star Ibrahim Balla has vowed to “stay humble and keep working hard” after landing the WBA Oceania featherweight title. It is the title belt that could see the Hoppers Crossing-raised fighter move sharply up the WBA rankings and open doors to the world. “Winning that title potentially gets you rated top 15 in the world,” Balla, who trains at The Gym Yarraville, said. “You’re climbing up the world ladder, you know, fights overseas, in America and all over the world. “I’ll just keep moving up, but I’ll keep focused, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. “I’ve still got a long way to go before I can really start to celebrate.” Balla took the victory over undefeated Tanzanian Salimu Jengo by unanimous decision at the Melbourne Park Function 84 WYNDHAM STAR WEEKLY \ NOVEMBER 1, 2017
Centre. All three judges scored the fight in Balla’s favour 99-91, 96-94 and 98-92. It was a win to savour for Balla, who’s last fight for an international title ended in defeat. “I’m feeling pretty good right about now,” the Rockbank resident said. “I know that we’ve put a lot of hard work in throughout this year, so it’s very rewarding and satisfying right now.” Balla was made to go the distance to take the title. It was the early rounds when he felt that he edged the fight. With rounds in the bank, Balla was able to dictate the terms in the late rounds. “I thought I was setting the pace and dominating from the start,” he said. “He sort of had to change his tactics and be more on his bike in the latter half of the fight, but he changed up his strategy and went the distance. “It was a comfortable win from my side. “I pretty much stuck to the game plan, stuck to the basics of boxing, keeping the jab going,
nice straight punches and that won me the fight. “That’s part of being a professional, you’ve got to dictate the pace.” Balla’s experience was crucial in the match-up. The 27-year-old has a five year age gap over his opponent, four more professional bouts and Olympic Games experience to draw upon. “I think my experience played a big role in the fight,” he said. “I was more calm and composed than what he was. “He came down to fight, that’s for sure, but I out-boxed him on the night.” Balla thanked the Melbourne sporting public for coming out to cheer him to victory. He was thrilled to be able to salute for his trainer Lim Jeka and all the other people in his corner. “They’ve put a lot of hard work in for me,” Balla said. “I get the spotlight of winning the title, but my team is the reason why I’m here.”
The sharks continue to circle the fragile Werribee Centrals batting line-up in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association north-west A1. In another bloodbath for the Centurions, they were bowled out by Glenroy for a paltry 37 in 20.4 first-innings overs, undoing the good work of their bowlers in dismissing the opposition for 123. Far too often in recent seasons, the Centurions have delivered unacceptable totals, only to bounce back with solid scores in the second innings of matches. That was the case again when they backed up with a decent 144 on day two. It showed the Centurions have the talent with the bat, but why they fail to produce when it counts is a puzzle. The outright loss leaves Centrals in third-last spot on the ladder. In north-west B1, Point Cook’s solid 229 paled in comparison to Sunshine Heights’ 6-463 at Ainsworth Reserve. Harpreet Singh top-scored for the Warriors with 67, while Brett Talbot (36), Scott Maloney (36) and James Peterson (30) batted into good form. Wyndham Vale is one of only two clubs in the division yet to taste victory. The Falcons’ 77 was gobbled up comfortably by St Mary’s en route to 111. In a much better showing in the second innings, the Falcons made 154, led by 37 not out from captain Craig Duff. In west A1, Seabrook had a hard-fought 26-run win over Williamstown Congs away at Gray Reserve to improve to 2-0. Matthew Rayner led the way with the ball for the Saints with 3-33, while Hitesh Bavarva and Dhaval Patel took two wickets apiece. Bellbridge had a horror outing against Grand United, rolled for 60 in an 81-run loss. The Bears had no answer to Wayne Donaldson, who took 8-27 off 18.5. Lance Jenkinson