Day two of the First Grade match between Auburn District Cricket Club and Balmain South Sydney, saw the Eagles arrive at Jubilee Oval, Glebe, with the intension of chasing down the first innings total of 215.
The condition of the ground was significantly different to day one and the wicket had dramatically changed from the previous week when it was flat and dry, to being tacky and wet.
The wicket became wet when the covers blew off during the rain that fell during the week.
With the umpires deeming conditions suitable to commence play, the Eagles resumed batting after being 1-49 at the end of day one.
Due to the wicket being soft and slow, runs were hard to come by, but the Eagles kept the scoreboard ticking over.
However, the batsmen were getting themselves out due to poor shot selection, with the regular loss of wickets making the run chase so much harder. In the end, the Eagles were dismissed for 171, 45 runs short of victory.
Top scorer for the Eagles was Captain Asad Usman with 44 runs, while Sajjad Qaiser (30) and Peter Andonopoulos (25) made handy contributions.
The fact that only three batters recorded scores of 20 plus runs, was a major factor in the Eagles falling short of the required target.
There is no doubt that individually the Eagles batters have the ability to score runs, but a lack of consistency and self-discipline has been letting down the team.
The loss was a setback for the team sitting on one win from three matches and it will need to get back on the winners list when it takes on the Epping Bulls at Mona Park, Auburn, next Saturday in a two-day fixture.
Lower Grade Scores: Second Grade – Auburn 206 (T Marlin 68 no), 7-144 (I. Tariq 34) d (Outright) Balmain SS 137, 110 (A Hadley 4-14, A Diwan 4-465); Third Grade – Auburn 8-229 (J Khan 97, N Ross 67) d Balmain SS 192, 6-86 (A Mirza 2-27, S Tawakal 2-18): Fourth Grade – Auburn 254 d (Outright) Balmain SS 105, 95 (T Barton 6-20, S Ullah 2-36); Fifth Grade – Auburn 8-169 (R Barbon 50, S Christou 38) Lost to Balmain SS 9-220 (C Roodt 3-28, A Khan 2-41, I Abubakr 2-36); and Metropolitan Cup – Auburn 9-245 (H Mohamed 67 no, S Mobeen 50 no) d Gordon 244.
Eagles fall short due to ‘soft, slow’ wicket
THE Eagles were determined to chase down Balmain South Sydney but poor shot selection at critical times cost them vital runs in the Sydney Shires competition.
