The Campbelltown Camden Ghosts are still in with a chance to make this year’s finals after a very good performance against Blacktown Mounties on Saturday.
Playing the penultimate round of the premiership at Raby Sports Complex, Ghosts won the toss and elected to bat, amassing 285 off 95.2 overs.
Opener Aaron Yabsley (pictured) led the way with 84 runs in a marathon innings, that saw him face 184 balls in 228 minutes or three hours and 48 minutes.
A 45 run partnership with Phil Wells ended when the first drop batsman departed for 21, followed by Yabsley himself three runs later.
Yabsley hit five boundaries, while his opening partner Nathan Glynn (31) was the first Ghosts wicket to fall when the score was on 104.
The next biggest contribution with the bat came from Ghosts allrounder Ben Patterson.
Coming in after the loss of the fifth wicket, young Patterson smashed a quickfire 63 to help Ghosts to a respectable and indeed competitive total.
Patterson faced 67 deliveries for his 63 runs and hit five boundaries and two sixes.
It looks like this could be the breakout year for him, especially if he can convert his runs to wickets next Saturday, when the Ghosts will be keen to chase an outright victory and maximum premiership points against the Blacktown Mounties.
Bowler Sam Skelly, who chipped in with 34 runs batting at nine on Saturday, will be another key player for the Ghosts when they’re on the field next Saturday.
With just one more match after this one, the Ghosts know that they have to win both of their last matches to have any chance of breaking their premiership drought.
