FLANELLED FOOLS: 26 FEBRUARY 2017

Country’s selfless contribution to community welfare costs the side again

For the second time in this season’s Molong Oilsplus cricket competition, Country has been forced to forfeit a match mid-stream when many of their players were suddenly called away to attend a bushfire.

Last time it was in early January against Telegraph. Yesterday, it was against Magpies at the Molong Recreation Ground when many Country players were called to attend a fire that was threatening Andrew Heath’s property at Larras Lee.

The result meant that Magpies were gifted seven competition points and Country scored none for the round, rather than at least the three they would have earned for a conventional loss.

It does seem to be too hefty a penalty to pay for participating in a community service. Perhaps the association should amend its regulations to have this sort of situation considered in the same light as a washout, with five competition points allocated to each team.

Meanwhile, in a rain-affected match at Cudal, the local side scored a truly emphatic win. Molong Online doesn’t have scorebook details but gathers that Cudal scored nearly 400 from their 40 overs then dismissed Telegraph for less than 100.

With just one round remaining before the finals series kicks in, it seems most likely that Telegraph, which is four points behind third-placed Magpies and has the daunting task of facing up to Country, will miss out on a finals berth.

On their own admission, Magpies will find it difficult to match Cudal on the synthetic surface at Molong’s Hunter Caldwell Oval, but the three points from a loss should be enough to see them retain third place.

Unless … and it is a big unless … Telegraph beats Country, or Country is plagued by another bushfire-induced forfeit.

Even then, Magpies and Telegraph would probably finish equal and the former would go through to the finals by virtue of its better record in head-to-head clashes this season with Telegraph.

A Country forfeit and a Cudal win, would however chance the very top of the competition table, with Cudal snatching Minor Premiership by a point and sending Country into the Preliminary Final.

And that would hardly be fair at all … another reason to change the regulations regarding forfeits genuinely induced by circumstances such as bushfires.

Meanwhile, Molong Online went along to the Rec and took some photos before Country was forced to depart the scene and forfeit the match and points.