Gisborne knows the first two partnerships on day three of the four‐day Gisborne and District Cricket Association grand final could decide whether they or Diggers Rest Bulla claim the McIntyre Cup.
The Dragons finished the second day on Sunday at 5‐129, still 87 runs short of a first‐innings lead.
Dragons playing coach Simon Harman said he was confident his batsmen could get the job done as there was plenty of time to bat.
Harman will resume on 20 not out, with all‐rounder Tahir Afridi on 22.
The next man in will be Clinton Young, who has had an up‐and‐down season with the bat.
“The first two partnerships are crucial to get a huge chunk of the runs and hopefully not lose too many wickets along the way,” Harman said.
“I have faith in all our batsmen to do the job. It’s a score I think we can chase down.”
It was a rollercoaster opening weekend for the Dragons, who fought back with both the bat and ball.
“They started really positively and [Kevin] Barker made a decent 100,” Harman said.
“We thought he would be positive but not to that extent, he lived by the sword.”
The wicket of Barker for 118 halted the Burras’ momentum and the Dragons tightened the screws.
“It was about bowling maidens and not letting them get runs; they were still putting high price on their wickets,” Harman said.
Still needing three wickets when day two began, the Dragons wrapped up the tail to bowl out Diggers Rest Bulla for 215.
“We started well and took the new ball and we couldn’t have asked for any better start to the second day,” Harman said.
Jay King was the pick of the bowlers taking 4‐53 off 25 overs.
The Dragons started their innings well and were 0‐33, before losing 4‐26 to slump to 4‐59.
Harman and captain Jarryd Vernon (25) then put their heads down and got the Dragons’ innings back on track with a partnership of 44.
“They were bowling well and we had to find a way through it,” Harman said.
“We put a huge price on our wickets and dug in, while taking a huge chunk out of the total needed.”
The grand final resumes from 1pm at Gardiner Reserve on Saturday.
