Matt Ellis has urged his batsmen to value their wicket more after Sunday’s loss to Narromine left Dubbo’s Brewery Shield premiership defence on edge.
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Skipper Ellis and his side went down by three wickets at Dundas Oval, that result following on from a loss at Wellington earlier in the season.
“We’ve left ourselves with a bit of a job to do,” Ellis said.
“We’ve lost in Wellington and Narromine so we’ve really got to apply ourselves between now and the end of the season.
“We’ve got games against Nyngan and Cobar left and they’re now must-win games.”
In terms of application, Ellis wants to see more of it at the crease.
Much like the match at Wellington, Dubbo failed to bat out its 50 overs at Narromine.
The top order struggled, Brock Larance (23) and Ben Wheeler (2/22) failed to capitalise on starts, and at 5/97 the hosts were well on top.
We’ve left ourselves with a bit of a job to do.
- Dubbo captain Matt Ellis
But Thomas Nelson led a fightback, digging in from the middle order.
Ellis stated Nelson “paced his innings beautifully” and despite moving past 50 he found partnerships hard to come by.
Nelson finished unbeaten on 73 as Dubbo was bowled out for 206.
“We left ourselves short by not batting the 50 overs,” Ellis said.
“If we bat another seven overs that’s another 30 or 40 runs and that can make all the difference.
“But that’s taking nothing away from Narromine. They applied themselves well, bowled a good line and length and took wickets at crucial times.”
The run chase began in a rapid fashion, as Narromine opener Dan Holland began to pile on the runs.
He found support in Adam Davis and quickly reached his half century.
“Dan Holland is a class act and is very exciting to watch but unfortunately it’s not as exciting when you’re bowling,” Ellis said.
Holland’s clean-hitting knock, including six fours and five sixes, came to an end on 62 and Davis departed soon after with the score at 3/86.
Doug Potter (41) and Kale Bock (36) steadied the ship and kept Narromine on track. When the pair departed Ellis stated he still felt a chance but in the end Dubbo’s total wasn’t enough as the hosts made it two wins from two games in 2017/18.
“We just need a higher priority on our wicket,” Ellis said of his side.
“We’re playing 50 over cricket and rule one of the game is to bat to a plan and ensure you’ve got wickets in hand late on and we just haven’t done that in either game.”
Dubbo takes on both Nyngan and Cobar in February while Narromine travels to Cobar on Sunday, and Ellis said another win there wouldn’t be a surprise..
“I certainly rate them as a strong contender,” he said of Narromine.
“They’ve always had good cricketers like Kale Bock and Bart Goodman but now they’ve added Potter, Holland and Matt Hull’s leg spin they’ve got a lot of options and the batting has been bolstered too.”
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
