SL1 Vs. Camberwell [Rd 1]

Waverley 3 def Camberwell 2.

After what was an extended preseason of specialised training the rejuvenated Panthers were rip roaring to hit SL1 with a clear message to the opposition. In what is our 50th year celebrations, Waverley played host to old rivals Camberwell for the Bert Batch Cup and to open the account for season 2009 on the newly laid turf down at Ashwood Reserve.

To further boost confidence the Panthers welcomed back captain Corey Joseph and keeper Tommy Scott from Vikings duty to add much valued experience and skill to the line up.

From the outset a well drilled Camberwell outfit applied significant stress on the defence early using the new ‘play on’ rule as well as several overheads to their advantage. However, stern structured defence and proper out letting saw Waverley on the counter through Simon Preston who was running hot down the right wing and causing havoc for Camberwell’s half.

Camberwell persisted and forced a penalty corner from which they opened their account after scoring from a breakdown where Tommy Scott made 2 superb saves only to be undone by the third shot. Waverley rallied to take control of the play and forced their will to score through Danny Brennan in field play to take the scores to 1-1 at the break.

The second half saw Waverley force their hand which generated more attack and opportunity. An unlikely breakdown in the middle saw the Panthers concede a goal against the flow of play which turned the tables to 2-1 and applied unnecessary anxiety on the team. Shortly after a yellow card was awarded and Waverley went down to 10 men, during this time Camberwell’s forceful and skillful play was met with Waverley’s hard nosed and aggressive defending which shut them out until order was restored.

At full strength the Panther’s applied some hard running through Preston and Dallimore which saw a PC being awarded and tipped in by young gun Luke Young to bring the scores level at 2-2. Dallimore tightened the noose around Camberwell’s neck which saw him create a defensive error followed by a late steal and a deceptive slip pass by Andy Shelton which resulted in the ball being slotted into the net by Luke Young with his second to bring the Blue boy’s home in a 3-2 thriller.

This courageous effort saw the Bert Batch Cup come back to Waverley soil after a 3 year drought. The whole club was in high spirits in what was a promising start to our 50th year. Over the coming weeks we will welcome back experienced players in Freeman, Glasscock and Moore to further boast the strong lineup.

Team: Scott, Mutimer, A. Shelton, Jarvis, Joseph, Thompson, Preston, T Wischusen, Swindells, Young, Dallimore, Brennan, Trevarthen.

Best: Preston, Young , Joseph & A. Shelton

Thanks to all those who came to support on the day and stayed around for the 50th year celebrations – it is set to be a big year for Waverley so support your team & club where you can. It was undoubtedly a factor in our win on Saturday.