da cassino： Matthew Elliott has endured a frustrating season
www.baggygreen.com.au26-Jan-2001Matthew Elliott has endured a frustrating season. But the last week of it has been as close to as enjoyable as it comes. Preciselyseven days after plundering a one-day century from Queensland, the left handed Victorian opener was at it again today, leading histeam to a fifty-nine run triumph over the Bulls in the Mercantile Mutual Cup match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.In combining with opening partner Jason Arnberger (75) to produce a spectacular 161-run stand for the first wicket in the space ofjust thirty overs, Elliott (112) not only made a mockery of rival captain Stuart Law’s decision to send the Bushrangers in. He alsoprovided his team with an advantage that it never relinquished.Aside from the always efficient Adam Dale (2/30 off ten overs), the Queensland attack came in for serial punishment. At both endsof the innings, Test player Andy Bichel (0/65 from ten) was treated with disdain, and fellow former Australian player MichaelKasprowicz (1/55 off nine) was another to be treated harshly.As if the openers’ efforts weren’t enough, Brad Hodge (50*) also produced a typically effective innings from the relativelyunfamiliar position of number three.Around two rain interruptions, the Victorians raced to a score of 4/271 – one made better by the fact that it had been produced fromjust forty-eight overs. Accordingly, Queensland’s target for victory was then revised to as many as 286 under Duckworth/Lewiscalculations, a task which became increasingly formidable as the afternoon unfolded.Jimmy Maher (64), Law (37) and Matthew Hayden (36) fought valiantly. But, once first gamer Jonathon Moss (5/47 off ten overs)sowed the seeds of a collapse with the wickets of Bichel (19) and Maher in the space of five deliveries, the contest was allbut over. With his tidy medium pace, ex-New South Welshman Moss proved the star of the afternoon session, even allowing thehome team to snatch a fifth point when it finished off the Queensland innings just three runs shy of bonus point safety. Ben Oliveralso played a starring role, albeit far more fleetingly, when he produced a remarkable backpedalling catch at long on to removeWade Seccombe (1) in the dying stages of the match.