GOL Gol captain-coach Adam Thomson had an inkling star batsman Wade Hancock was in for a big day, but even his expectations were exceeded.
Hancock scored a massive 154 not out, sharing in a 186-run stand with Shac Thomas (105) as the SCA leaders piled on 6/369 against Merbein.
Thomson said his No.3 looked in ominous form before his first ton for the season.
“When Wade scored 57 off 40 in the T20 game on the Thursday, I just had a feeling he was in for a big one,” he said.
“I think he went a bit bigger than we expected in making 154 but he was in awesome form.
“I’m ecstatic with how the boys batted. We were 1/3 early but once Shac and Wade got going, they barely gave them a chance. It makes a huge difference for us when you have two quality bats at the top of the order.”
Thomson said there were a number of intangibles that make the duo a strong batting partnership.
“The big thing is they are both so quick between the wickets so they get those extra runs and continue rotating the strike,” he said.
“They are both intelligent batters and just know how to build an innings.”
Their partnership also opened the door for a late innings cameo from Jeremy Barnes who made 62 off 61 balls.
“For ‘Barnsey’ to be able to come in at the end when the bowlers are a bit more tired to hit 62 at a run a ball is handy. I think 48 of his runs came from boundaries,” Thomson said.
“The outfield at Golly is really fast at the moment too. Our pump is actually underwater at the moment so we can’t pump any water onto the outfield which means it’s probably only going to get faster in the coming weeks. Golly is a pretty good place to bat and if you can get it into the gaps there are runs to be scored.
“Hopefully, Luke Hickey and Matt Cameron might get a few wickets early, and Nick Jensen being back in for his first game, hopefully we can give him the chance to bowl plenty of overs.”
Thomson said he was happy with his team’s position, being undefeated so far this campaign.
“We’re sitting in a good spot at the moment,” he said.
“We’ve had a few unavailablities across different matches, including this one where the Calarco boys are both out, so to play as well as we have with a bit of an unsettled side is positive.”
