Mooroopna import Henry Barrow has won plenty of matches single-handedly this Haisman Shield season - but his weekend heroics would have to take the cake as his most valuable contribution.
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Barrow entered the contest with 49 wickets for the season, but it was his batting that saved the Cats from a disastrous loss that would have ended their campaign.
He came to the crease at 8-72, and truly defied his Haisman batting record that saw him enter the match with 59 runs at 6.5 for the season, more than doubling that tally in smashing a priceless 65 to dig his side out of a deep hole.
Barrow got help from number 11 bat Aaron Di Fede, who stayed strong to make 25 before he was bowled by Josh Sidebottom, wrapping up the innings for 173 after the duo had added 70 for the final wicket.
There was much less drama on Sunday, the Jets’ top-order picking a terrible day for a brutal collapse, crumbling to 5-10 before rallying somewhat and making 102 before their day was done.
Cats’ coach Brad Lowe said the 10th-wicket partnership had saved the day.
“He (Barrow) came over with wraps he could bat and he's been saying that all year, but maybe he lost a bit of confidence batting so low and not making many runs,” he said.
“They assessed the situation really well and the wicket probably flattened out a bit, those 70 runs were huge and we didn't go in over-confident, but we really thought we'd be hard to beat the way our bowlers have been performing.”
The Cats made a promising start with the bat in adding 25 for the first wicket, but the rapid loss of 3-6 changed the complexion of the innings.
From there the wickets continued to drip feed, although Shoaib Shaikh looked strong making 24 as they fell around him.
Joel Brett (3-56) was the pick of the Jet bowlers, while Grant Hutchins took 2-44.
“The wicket didn't look too bad but they put us in, we fought hard early but weren't scoring much, I thought Mat MaCansh and Brodie McDonald did a good job,” Lowe said.
“But it was a tricky wicket and we got ourselves in a bit of trouble, but that last wicket stand really put us in a good position, and gave us something to bowl to.”
And with the ball, Lowe said his bowlers had done their standard thing, with Jake Wright (3-13), Simon D'Elia (2-12), Paul Marshall (2-32) and Barrow (2-43) all taking multiple wickets.
“We had them 5-10, we ran (Ben) Pedretti out in the fourth or fifth over and that opened things up - we snicked off (Rhiley) Lau, Marshall and Barrow were fantastic bowling 10 or 15 overs straight each,” he said.
“Scooter (Glen Davidson) and Joel Brett got a partnership going, Bretty had a bit of a crack and was hitting a few pretty sweetly, but they were always going to find a partnership.
“We gave the ball to Jake Wright and he took three quick ones, and that pretty much sealed the deal.”
With Numurkah's loss to Nagambie, Mooroopna becomes the highest-ranked side and faces the Blues next weekend - and Lowe said his side would not shy away from the challenge of taking on the league's top-ranked side and reigning premier.
“Whatever you do this time of year you have to play the best sides, so we're just happy to be playing at home,” he said.
“We're in good form, our batsmen are due, too, Shoaib Shaikh looked good for his 24 on Saturday and I reckon he's in line for a big score. We feel pretty confident.”
THE GAME
Mooroopna 173 (Henry Barrow 65, Aaron Di Fede 25, Joel Brett 3-56, Grant Hutchins 2-44) d Northerners 102 (Jake Wright 3-13, Simon D'Elia 2-12).
STAR PLAYER
Henry Barrow (Mooroopna): The paceman delivered in both aspects of the game, but his exceptional 65 with the bat stands out. Saved the side by more than doubling his previous run tally for the season.
