Cricket legend in attendance as OMK captain scores ton

ANTICIPATION swirled around the Outtrim Recreation Reserve on Saturday, February 7 long before the opening ball was bowled, thanks to a special visit from Australian cricketing great Glenn McGrath on day one of the A Grade Division 1 clash between OMK and Leongatha Imperials.

McGrath was visiting Outtrim for the annual Pink Stumps Day charity event. He tossed the coin before the match, posed for photos and briefly spoke with the players as the Pink Stumps Day festivities were kicking off next door.

Cricket took a back seat to the spectacle for a moment, but players would soon snap back into focus after meeting one of their heroes, turning their attention to the task at hand. They still had a match to win.

OMK unsurprisingly wasted no time settling in, coming into the match as heavy favourites. They batted first on day one of the clash.

The Imps entered the match, still searching for their very first win of the season.

Meanwhile, OMK came in with a cosy 5-3 record, sitting comfortably inside the top four.

Things were looking up early for the Imperials when young bowler Isaac Bolge sent Jugraj Singh to the pavilion via lbw in just the fourth over. After that early hope, however, wickets became increasingly hard to come by.

OMK steadied through a very solid partnership between Ethan Lamers and Clayton Quaife, batting very intelligently to not allow another wicket until the 28th over, which saw Lamers caught out after making a valuable 30 runs.

OMK continued to grind away, as expected from the favourites, however, not many expected what came next. OMK skipper Koby Brann continuously punished the Imperial bowlers, finishing with a whopping 108 before finally being caught out.

He was smacking balls all around the ground, finishing with 18 boundaries. It was a century performance that perhaps drew inspiration from the cricketing legend he met earlier in the day.

Quaife also batted well on the day, narrowly missing a half-century contributing a handy 47.

OMK ended the day all out for 291 in the 71st over.

Despite now facing some scoreboard pressure, there were certainly some positives for the Leongatha bowlers. Aydan Williams stood out, finishing 5/69 from his 15 overs. Lucas Anderson also impressed with a very tidy 2/18. Bolge, Jake Cochrane and Jack Ginnane each chipped in with a wicket.

The Imperials will get their turn to bat on Saturday, February 14 when the match continues.