Pura Cup final - Bushies v. Bulls

[Donny]

Bulls call up Jurgensen

Fox

FORMER Tasmanian pace bowler Shane Jurgensen has been included in a 14 man Queensland squad for Friday's Pura Cup cricket final against Victoria.

The Bulls squad includes injured captain Jimmy Maher (hamstring) and pace bowler Ashley Noffke (ankle), with the team not expected to be finalised until at least Thursday.

Jurgensen comes into the side for fellow pace bowler Damien MacKenzie.

Batsman Craig Philipson was not considered due to a hamstring injury.

Jurgensen played three matches for the Bulls earlier this season, taking 13 wickets at 23.15.

He played for Tasmania in the 2001-02 Pura Cup final at the Gabba won by the Bulls.

The right-arm pace bowler was preparing to play for Sandgate-Redcliffe in the Brisbane first grade final against Wests this weekend.

He will first travel to Melbourne to prepare for the Pura Cup final but return to Brisbane if not required by the Bulls.

Qld: Jimmy Maher (c), Clinton Perren, Martin Love, Stuart Law, Aaron Nye, James Hopes, Chris Hartley, Andy Bichel, Nathan Hauritz, Ashley Noffke, Joe Dawes, Chris Simpson, Shane Jurgensen, Brendan Nash (two to be omitted, 12th man to be named).

[Donny]

The Bushrangers team for the final will be interesting.

Andy McDonald was to miss out on the last game against Tassie to fit Ian Harvey in. Harvey was a late withdrawal and McDonald played. He hit 51 n.o. and 8 n.o. and took 4 wickets in the first innings.

The other all-rounder, Jonathon Moss took 4 wickets in the second innings and was once out for 99 runs.

Brendan Joseland will probably make way for Harvey in the final even though he scored a run-a-ball 50 in The Bushies run chase today.

Mick Lewis looks like being the unlucky one to miss the final as his big hearted efforts have been part of the Bushies' success this season.

The other possible change could be Arnberger in for Mott or even Joseland retained and Mott dropped.

[Ev5Magpies]

Could be interesting now that Bichel may replace B.Lee on the Sri Lankan tour. Apparently on the Ch 10 news they said if so, he'd miss the final...

[piedys]

[Donny]

Gloves off as Berry digs deep

By Ron Reed - Fox


TRUE tragedy - as distinct from mere disappointment or defeat, with which the sports community sometimes confuses it - has struck twice at the heart of Victorian cricket in the past year.

By no means exclusively but certainly more than most, Bushrangers captain Darren Berry has borne the burden of the premature deaths of John Scholes, 53, last July and David Hookes, 48, in January.

The two former coaches were both influential and inspiring mentors and close mates of the veteran wicketkeeper, who will carry his memories of them into tomorrow's Pura Cup final against Queensland.

As he proudly leads his confident team onto the gap-toothed stadium, Berry will have much on which to reflect.

He has been through a year or two of incredibly mixed emotions, a journey that he agreed yesterday had been "really tough".

Perhaps because he has experienced so many ups and downs in a highly distinguished but still slightly unfulfilled career, Berry has emerged from the emotional maze claiming he is feeling no pressure about the task ahead.

The negatives have been many, the two deaths at the top of the list - especially as he was a witness to what happened to Hookes.

He has also seen another mate, Shane Warne, spend a year in disgrace. He has watched one wicketkeeper after another selected ahead of him for national duty. He broke a finger that kept him out of action for eight weeks.

And flash back a little further, and he suffered the indignity of being suspended by Hookes after sleeping in and missing training.

The upsides are headed by the recent birth of his and wife Kath's first child, a girl named Jordan; the "huge honour" of his appointment as permanent captain after more than 20 games as a stand-in over several seasons; and the manner in which the team has dominated all summer.

Jordan's birth, he says, "picked me up enormously because I was really low at the time. It is a lovely thing to happen."

Privately, he probably shed a tear when that happened. Somehow, though, he managed - just - not to do so when he was obliged to be the public spokesman for the team in the grim days after Hookes died.

"Obviously, to be with him on the night it happened I suppose is something I'll never forget," he says now.

Neither he nor the team has dedicated the season or this match to Hookes' memory in case they fail, but nor can they ignore what is certain to be a major talking point.

"He'll be in everyone's mind and it's quite an incentive to do the business," Berry said.

But he is also anxious that the Hookes factor does not obscure the crucial contribution made by the popular Scholes, who changed the culture of a politically unstable dressingroom and led the team into successive Pura Cup finals.

He refers to Scholes as "like a second father to me" and says: "He set us up where we are now.

"In all sports, the premiership coach gets the plaudits, but I believe 'Barrel' put a lot of values on the team: trust, honesty and respect.

"The Victorian passion you see now is the culmination of five or six years of preparation, not one or two."

That is not to diminish Hookes' input.

"There's no doubt Hookesy touched a lot of guys like Jon Moss and David Hussey, who play in the style he played - very much so," Berry said.

"We said at the time of the tragedy that we would continue to play in the same style - to go for six points every game - and we have."

Asked if he had felt at any stage that the emotional strain might become too much, Berry cited the death of his parents when he was 19 and 25.

"Losing your parents, no matter how old you are, probably makes you a stronger person," he said.

"They put all their time and effort into giving me an opportunity to play footy for St Kilda and cricket for Victoria."

"I just wish Mum and Dad were here to watch me walk out as captain of the state in the final."

He never wore the Saints' colours, but he certainly fulfilled the other half of the deal.

He has played more games for Victoria than anyone, is the last survivor of the most recent title win 14 years ago, and holds virtually every wicketkeeping record possible, including more than 500 dismissals.

His enormous skill has seen him complete stumpings standing up to fast bowlers of the ilk of Paul Reiffel, David Saker and Mathew Inness, and he handles Shane Warne's bag of tricks with ease.

Warne is one of many who have suggested down the years that he has been the best keeper in the world, but a lack of runs meant that he never realised his dream of wearing the baggy green cap in a Test.

He was close in 1997 when he spent the last few weeks of the Ashes tour as a replacement for the injured Adam Gilchrist, but Ian Healy was still the incumbent and no opportunity materialised.

So he has had to be content with a honourable career at the next level, where he is universally regarded as a fierce competitor and savvy strategist.

He doesn't mince words with either friend or foe.

Chairman of selectors Mick O'Sullivan, himself a former keeper and another of Berry's coaches, says: "He tells you what he thinks and he wants to hear what you think.

"He doesn't have to agree, but he doesn't sit on the fence.

"He devours game plans, remembers every last detail and then drives it out on the field, making sure players are responsible for it.

"He's as hard a nut as you'll ever get in any aspect. He's a very honest player and the young blokes look at him as a tough leader."

That includes being one of the better sledgers, although he was one of the first to publicly embrace the official spirit of cricket campaign.

"He's quite an aggressive person by nature," agrees veteran teammate Matthew Elliott. "He adds that bit of spark that maybe isn't there with the group a lot. You need those people there to recognise the times when you're off the mark, and to tell you.

"I don't know how to put it in nice words, but maybe it's the c-factor that's not within all of us, and I don't say that disrespectfully."

Apart from Warne, Berry is the only Victorian player born in the 1960s, which raises the inevitable question of how much longer he's got.

He is already working in the media as a newspaper columnist and will call football on radio this season in preparation for life after cricket.

He is still enjoying it and reckons he can keep going, but all ageing cricketers say that.

The reality may well be that victory this weekend would be the perfect platform from which to move on with the rest of his life - but it's wait and see.

"What I won't be doing is announcing anything before the game because it will take away the focus," he grins. "I'll look at it after the game."

[Ev5Magpies]

Queensland have won the toss and sent Victoria in, Victoria making Matthew Inness 12th man whilst Queensland have named Aaron Nye as 12th man.

[Donny]

Bichel's first over went for 7. A good positive start from Elliott and the recalled Arnberger.

[Donny]

In the 16th. over, it's 0/50.

Interesting sendind the Pura Cup batting champ in to bat ? It's early days, I know, but no wicket in the first hour and The Bushies can just bat Queensland out of the game if good enough.

They don't need to win the match to win the Cup. Maybe the wicket was a greentop. In which case, Elliott and Arny are doing the job.

[Donny]

Elliott goes to 53 n.o. and Arny is 29 n.o.

0/84 after 27 overs.

[Donny]

What an excellent start from the Bushies openers.

At lunch, it's 0/98 with Elliott on 63 and Arny, 32.

All this week, I've been thinking, "I hope Berry wins the toss so we can bat." He lost the toss and we still batted.

I reckon he'd be grinning from ear to ear when he went back into the rooms to tell Elliott to pad up.

Matthew Elliott is 37 runs from equalling Matt Hayden's record of 7 centuries for a Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup season. I'd reckon his sights are already on a double as the Vics can bat on and on and on.

[Donny]

Bushrangers bat in cup final

Fox


QUEENSLAND captain Jimmy Maher has won the toss and elected to bowl first in the Pura Cup final with Victoria at the MCG today.

Victoria will start their innings in cloudy, overcast conditions but on what's expected to be a true, even wicket.

The Bushrangers, needing only a draw to claim their first first-class domestic title since 1990-91, will take a strong batting order into the match having picked allrounder Andrew McDonald over paceman Mathew Inness, who has been named 12th man.

Maher proved his fitness from a hamstring injury yesterday, while fast bowler Ashley Noffke overcame an ankle injury.

Batsman Aaron Nye, who made a century on debut against New South Wales last week, has been named 12th man.

Queensland need an outright win to claim their fourth title in five seasons.
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OK. So it's cloudy and overcast but the wicket is described as 'true and even' and your sending in the Pura batsman of the year on his home turf at the head of the season's best batting line up.

Baffling, to say the least. I'm not saying Jimmy Maher is an idiot but when you consider The Bushies only have to draw, why would you give away the advantage of winning the toss ??

[Donny]

Arnberger goes to 53 with a boundary. 0/123.

[Ev5Magpies]

Arnie is going nuts... He is on 90 while Elliott is on 73

0/165 (53 overs)

______________________________________________

Just as i was writing Arnie out lbw to Hauritz for 90. 1/165

[Donny]

Welcome back Jason Arnberger !! He's going OFF. Well he was. He just went for an excellent 90, l.b.w. to Hauritz.

At one stage he was 30 odd behind Elliott but caught him and powered past with two mighty sixes and on to 90.

It's 1/165 with Elliott on 73 n.o.

[Canberra]

Arnie will really be going nuts now,missed a full toss and went LBW. Vics 1/165