Port Fairy captain-coach Alastair Templeton had faith his tail could produce a rescue mission in the top-of-the-table Warrnambool and District cricket clash against Russells Creek on Saturday, such is the strength of his side's batting depth. Pirates number eight Murray Staude (36 not out off 31 balls) and number 10 Henry Bensch (22 off 15 balls) combined for a quick-fire 30-plus run partnership to chase down the Creekers' 185 with 19 balls to spare. Templeton admitted run-rate as much as wickets-in-hand was a worry for the side late, however "did have faith" because he was aware of his batters' capabilities. "With Henry we knew he could bat really well, he's probably just prioritised his bowling the last two or three years but he used to be a batter who bowled a little bit when he was 14," he told The Standard. "He's only 18 now and he's a bowler who can obviously bat. "And Murray, he's brilliant at finishing innings. Earlier in the year he got 90-odd, got us out of a similar position. "He sees the game really well, manipulates the field and gaps and he's also got that power side of the game where he can clear the rope. So he can change a game really quickly. It was obviously a brilliant partnership and great to watch." Templeton said his players' batting position didn't necessarily reflect their ability. "I've talked to the lads before about 'if you're batting at eight it doesn't mean we think you're a number eight'," he said. "We've got a lot of all-rounders in our side so we're going to have lads who have to bat lower than they usually would... "They can definitely do the job and we expect them to do the job and bat like they're batters, not bat like they're a number 10 because clearly if you're hitting sixes over cover (Bensch) you're not a number 10." The Pirates mentor was pleased with the thrilling win which saw left his side a win clear at the top of the ladder but conceded there were still aspects of its game the side needed to improve. He said the players wouldn't be getting ahead of themselves. "To win from that position is really important I think this time of year because it just gives you belief that you can win from any position," he said. "But we're also not ignorant to the fact that 90 per cent of the time you lose that game, so there were some areas today that we definitely want to work on particularly with our batting side of things which has been really good for a month..." Creeker Ryan Barnes was the top-scorer from both sides with 72 while teammate Blake Evans snared 5-23. Meanwhile, Dennington (fifth) defeated Wesley Yambuk Titans (12th) by eight wickets, West Warrnambool (third) registered a 95-run win against Northern Raiders (ninth) and reigning premier Nestles (eighth) prevailed by eight-wickets against North Warrnambool Eels (11th). Second-placed Allansford-Panmure came away 44-run victors against seventh-placed Brierly-Christ Church.
