Tatura put Haisman Shield upset on the cards

Coombs said after winning the toss and electing to bat Tatura batters found the wicket was a bit two-paced.

“We probably would have liked a few more,” Coombs said.

“Myself and Blake Armstrong were going well, scoring at four an over without much risk and then Blake got out just before the tea break. Then after that we struggled to really build any partnerships and we continuously lost wickets after that.

“The outfield was a bit slow and the pitch wasn’t a road; there was a little bit in it. It was a bit two-paced and it suited their spinner.

“Their spinner bowled really well, making it tight and difficult to score.

“We looked like we could have pushed on to a score above 200, but ended with 160, which is probably a below-par score.”

Despite two Tatura batters scoring well, the rest of the line-up was well restricted by Central Park’s bowlers, with only one other Tatura batter scoring double digits.

For the Tigers, Jarrod Wakeling was the pick of the bowlers as he finished the innings with 5-39 from 19.1 overs, while opening bowler Ramadan Yze performed well taking 2-38 from his 14 overs.

After the change of innings, Central Park had to survive 11 overs from Tatura’s opening bowlers before stumps.

The Tigers got off to a shaky start and finished the day’s play on 2-28, trailing Tatura by 134.

While Tatura finished the day off well, Coombs knows that the match is evenly poised heading into day two.

“The first hour will be crucial,” he said.

“I think it will be like yesterday; we’ll need to hit a good length, outside off. It’s pretty difficult to score on.

“Runs on the board is always an advantage pressure-wise. We just need one early and keep the pressure on from there.”