By Sean Talbot
The Upwey Ferntree Gully Tigers were definitely in Santa’s good books this year, as they wrapped up a win in front of a home crowd to secure a top eight spot and end the first half of the year with an early Christmas present. The 4-1 result ensures that the Tigers finish in the top eight of the Premier League Firsts ladder which ensures they will now have the ability to defend their back-to-back premierships from 2021/22 and 2022/23, a situation which looked bleak for the Tigers in round four as they sat close to the bottom of the ladder sporting a 1-3 record.
Playing in front of an energetic home crowd that had seen plenty of baseball on Saturday as the Tigers played six games at Kings Park, the hosts knew they needed to be at their absolute best if they were to walk out victorious against an Essendon side which sat second on the ladder and would’ve been more than happy to be the reason the Tigers playoffs hopes disappeared. Sending ace Jarrod Turner to the mound for his most important start for the year, the tall righty was at his absolute best, scattering six hits and a single walk to surrender a single run over the full nine innings, sending a message to the rest of the league that last years’ finals and League MVP is ready to lead the Tigers to another title.
Trading scoreless innings back and forth throughout the first 5 innings, Turner and Essendon starter Gareth Formisano were both sublime, working out of trouble and inducing a lot of soft contact whilst keeping their pitch counts low. Whereas Turner turned away the Bombers in order in the top of the sixth inning, Formisano was a lot less fortunate, as the Tigers offense exploded out of the gate as Andy Kane, Ryder Wilson and Pete Schroeders all singled to lead off the inning before run scoring groundballs from both Wade McConnon and Jordan Elliott got the Tigers on the board, adding a third on a wild pitch before Luke Amon was called on to stem the flow on baserunners, intentionally walking Josh Hendricks to set up the chance for an inning-ending double play. Despite his best attempts, Amon walked coach Donavon Hendricks to push the score to 4-0 before striking out Staci Rogers and Nick Rice to escape a potentially huge scoring inning, but not before the damage was done.
Returning to the mound for the seventh, Turner now had all the run support he would need on the day as he worked around a pair of base hits to again keep Essendon off the scoreboard. The hosts were unable to put more runs on the board in the seventh or eighth innings despite putting runners on, however their continued pressure was wearing on the visitors as they were showing frustration at the days results. Entering the ninth, Turner looked to be in position to shut the door on a complete game shutout, however a leadoff single, a stolen base and a wild pitch saw Essendon put a runner on third with two out who came around to score on a J Hendricks error. Undeterred, Turner promptly induced a ground ball from the next hitter, slamming the door shut and sealing the must-win game in jubilant scenes at Kings Park
To their credit, despite their sub-par record early in the season, the Tigers did not lose any game by more than three runs, and two by only a single run. A player-led meeting in November saw immediate results and the start of a five-game winning streak which saw them quickly rise up the ladder, with the only hiccup being the 7-6 loss against Williamstown last weekend. The Tigers now sport a 9-6 record and sit tied with Blackburn in sixth place, buoyed by the knowledge they have defeated all four teams who sit above them (Waverley, Essendon, Berwick and Sunshine), but with one eye firmly on the lower half of the ladder as they are chased by three teams who have beaten them this season (Blackburn, Sandringham and Williamstown, with Port Melbourne, Newport and Fitzroy all finishing in the bottom eight and unable to face the Tigers after the Christmas break due to a redraw).
Turner enters the break with a 7-3 record and a 1.32 ERA and in the middle of an incredible run of form, ably backed by the Upwey lineup which is starting to heat up, led by Jordan Elliott, Staci Rogers and Josh Hendricks, all of whom have been individually on a tear in the last month and firmly ready to lead the way once games resume in January.
In the curtain raiser, the curious case of the Saturdays continued for the 2nds as they were again unable to post a win in a game competed in a Saturday as they fell to Essendon 7-3. To say the Tigers prefer a Sunday game is an understatement, as they have a perfect 8-0 record on the Sabbath and are 0-3 on Saturdays, all of which have featured uncharacteristically sloppy defense and struggling pitching. The team looked ready to break the voodoo as they scored once in the 2nd and twice in the fourth innings while young lefty Daniel Smith held the potent Essendon lineup at bay, getting the start after an impressive outing in relief against Williamstown last weekend.
Smith was terrific in his work until the wheels quickly fell off in the top of the sixth innings as the tiring lefty walked the first two hitters he faced before Josh Yung was quickly summoned from the bullpen but being put to task by the visitors as they strung together three walks and two hits to blow the game wide open and finish the inning now firmly in command and with a 7-3 which Upwey were never able to claw back from. The loss sees the Tigers drop from second to fourth, a move which will be adjusted after the Premier League Firsts redraw is completed as first placed Geelong and third placed Moorabbin will be moved to another competition, moves which will most likely see Waverley jump from second to first and Upwey from fourth to second.
Despite the loss, the team will surely be encouraged by younger players Ethan Jenkins, Ash Geary-Smith and Daniel Smith who have all been given chances and have grabbed them with both hands, providing much needed depth to a lineup which has as many ageing veterans as it does young prospects.
Unfortunately unable to finish out the first half with a win, the thirds went down to a far-too strong Essendon team 7-1 that ultimately had no bearing on the ladder positions for either team, but certainly a game the Tigers would’ve preferred to be on the winning side of. Jumped early in the game and never able to pull themselves back into it, the Tigers were simply outplayed by the better team on the day but, similar to the 2nds, will be encouraged by the quality of play from their core mix of veterans and prospects alike as they compete under the tutelage of first year coach Tarquin Booth.
In a far more positive result, the fourths closed out the year remaining undefeated after taking the Bombers to the woodshed and belting them to the tune of a 10-0 result that is indicative of the strength of the team as they have steamrolled all who stood in their way, which includes the previously undefeated Bombers team who were on the receiving end of a result they have regularly handed out to other clubs whilst racking up the most runs for during the season to date. Under the guide of veteran Richard Ferguson and batboy/coach extraordinaire Tate Sadler, the team has gone from strength to strength as they’ve navigated their way through the league and will maintain top billing after the mid-year redraw. It remains to be seen what they will come up against in the new year, but they do so with plenty of depth and all the momentum possible as they look to remain undefeated.
The Regional Metro East fifths competed in a high scoring shootout with the visiting Blackburn Burners, mounting a comeback late in the game to score multiple times in the last inning to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat against a strong Blackburn outfit that looked to be in complete control of the game until the final innings. The result sees the Tigers improve to 6-4-1 and maintain fifth place on the ladder as they are well within striking distance of the ladder leaders and look to continue their recent hot streak once the season returns in 2024.
Playing in the lone Sunday game for the round for the Tigers, the Metro League South sixths were never in their game as they came up against a deep and experienced Springvale and were dealt a rough 31-2 loss in what could be one of the most heavily mismatched games in recent memory. To their credit, the Tigers never quit despite the ballooning scoreline, forcing runs across the plate to also avoid a shutout in some encouraging signs from the thrashing. Despite the result against a far stronger team, the Tigers still maintain a hold on fourth spot on the ladder behind Chelsea Blue, Bonbeach and the aforementioned Springvale, who will see the season as theirs to win as they maintain first place and sport a perfect 11-0 record.
