South Australia maintained their dominance of their ACB Cup match.

David Bebb14-Jul-2005South Australia maintained their dominance of their ACB Cup match with Western Australia in Perth yesterday and left the home side battling to avoid the follow-on.The breakthrough for Western Australia came in the 12th over of the daywhen Shane Deitz was cleverly deceived by Michael Clark who held back on the delivery enough to have the ball played back to him and he held on with delight.Deitz had spent five hours at the crease amassing 140 runs with 16 fours and ahuge six. His defence was impenetrable, the array of his shot selectionvast. South Australia working up to an imposing first innings total of 347with six wickets gone.Together Deitz and Callum Ferguson put on 179 runs in three hours and 20 minutes to form the backbone of the South Australian firstinnings.Clark finally got some reward for his patience and diligence. Lookingmuch better from the River end as opposed to the Canning Road end where hehad bowled all throughout the previous day.John Davison didn’t last long at the crease. He became Clark’s second victim14 balls after the fall of Deitz – shaping to play toward off and beingstruck on the pad and ajudged leg before wicket. South Australia were 7/355.Ferguson hit a huge six off Karppinen when the bowler delivered the firstball of his fifth over of the day a bit short down the leg-side andFerguson pulled the ball four metres over the boundary backward of square legand it almost rolled through the door of the green keeper’s hut.Ferguson struggled a little bit through the nervous 90s but eventuallybrought up his maiden century at this level of competition after four and aquarter hours at the crease having faced 195 balls and striking theboundary 10 times while going over it once.Cleary opened the shoulders to the fourth ball of Casson’s third over ofthe day – a long hop – that Cleary dispatched with a forward pull (slog)shot that landed 10 meters over the boundary behind mid wicket.Having just posted a fifty-run partnership with Ferguson, Mark Cleary looked tobe getting on with the job of scoring when he lofted a straight drive offthe bowling of Beau Casson straight down the throat of Callum Thorp standing in off the boundary at long-off. The third wicket of the session saw South Australia eight wickets for a total of 409 runs and at that point lunch was taken at which point South Australia declared their innings.Seventeen-year-old Callum Ferguson remained unbeaten on 108, a much bettershowing than his pair in grade cricket for Prospect the weekend before.Neither Thorp (one for 49) nor Michael Thistle (one for 52) were bowled today. Casson (one for 60) and Clark (two for 63) were rewarded at last. Despite spells of fiery quick bowling, Stuart Karppinen (one for 77) and Andrew James (two for 96) were unable to add more scalps.Craig Simmons and Brett Jones opened the batting for Western Australia. TheSouth Australian attack was led by Mark Harrity from the Canning Road end andTrent Kelly at the River end.With a half-hearted push at the ball outside off from Kelly, Craig Simmons13 (20) feathered an edge through to Deitz who took it well down. WesternAustralia’s first wicket fell after 22 minutes had elapsed in the inningsand with 19 runs on the scoreboard.Brett Jones pulled a short ball on the line of leg stump from the third ballof Trent Kelly’s sixth over (the first of a new spell) for six that travelledover the boundary behind backward square leg.Geoff Cullen 13 (38) went to drive at Kelly but instead he edged into thegully where Cosgrove took a safe catch and the second wicket for WesternAustralia fell with the score on 63 in the 19th over.The aggressive innings of Brett Jones was tragically ended on 49 (67), whenbacking up at the non-striker’s end. He was out of his crease after adelivery from Harrity was driven by the striker Shaun Marsh, back at the bowler,who deflected the ball with his left foot into the non-striker’s stumps.Western Australia had 86 on the board but with three wickets down.At the tea-break, the score was 97/3 after 30 overs with Shaun Marsh 16 (42) and Adam Voges one (16). Kelly was the only successful bowler of five bowlers used by SouthAustralia.Cutting Davison toward backward point, Voges six (43) nicked the ball into Deitz’s gloves. Western Australia were in trouble at 4/118.Davison grabbed his second wicket when he had Casson trapped in front andleg before wicket after he had scored only five (29). At 5/121 Western Australia were under serious threat of having to follow on if the wicket of either Marsh or Luke Ronchi (the last of the recognised batsmen) were to beremoved.With trademark aggression, Ronchi set about hitting the ball hither andthither making the bowling look ordinary. Then with the last ball of hisfirst over Jamie Marsh delivered arguably the only poor ball of his overand was delighted to see it hit down the throat of Davison just back of midon. Western Australia had lost all hope with 166 on the board and only fourwickets remaining.With only his second ball faced, the WA captain Karppinen hit JamieMarsh out of the ground over the long on sending the ball crashing into thesecond story of the Melville CC pavillion scoring a six – his first scoringshot.His third, off the 12th ball he faced and the last ball of Marsh’s third over disappeared straight back over the bowler’s head, over the sight screen and into the pavilion car park, again scoring six behind long on, bringing wows and applause from the small crowd gathered.With his fourth scoring shot and the 14th ball faced, Karpinnensent the second ball of Marsh’s fourth over into the wall of the players’rooms at the side of the pavilion again scoring six over long on.Dancing down the pitch in an attempt to put the second ball he facedfrom Davison into the river behind the bowler, Karppinen missed and wasstumped. His entertaining knock contained the three sixes, a two and asingle for the total of 21 (17). Western Australia had slumped to 7/189 in the 64th over with stumps looming.At stumps Western Australia Marsh was unbeaten on 64 (156) and lookingvery solid. Callum Thorp, newly-arrived, was on two (5). The WA first inningstotal was 7/202.For South Australia, Davison was the best of the bowlers with 10 maidensduring his 21 overs gathering three wickets for 30 runs. Kelly bowled fromboth ends taking two wickets for 65 from 15 overs, Mark Harrity, Cleary, Wes Thomas and Marsh all bowled without success.The tail-end will have to wag for Western Australia to survive thefollow-on target of 259. But with a night’s rest and a new ball due just 14overs away, South Australia should easily achieve this mission. The mettleof the Western Warriors youngsters is sure to be tested.