Zac Chaplin, left, and Luke Jackson piled on the runs for Pakenham B Grade hitting 213 for the fourth wicket. 76495 Picture: Jarrod Potter
By Jarrod Potter
LUKE Jackson and Zac Chaplin posted this season’s highest partnership in WGCA senior cricket striking a 213-run partnership for Pakenham B Grade against Kooweerup.
Jackson, 18, and Chaplin, 14, both from Pakenham, piled on the runs with Jackson making 112 not out and Chaplin 98 not out all at Toomuc Reserve.
The Pakenham duo live next door to each other and Jackson is Chaplin’s under-15s coach, but Saturday didn’t start out as a high-scoring day for Chaplin.
He made seven in the under 15s and didn’t expect to make a swag of runs that day.
“I just said to him he should do his best,” Jackson said.
“He’s pretty good… he’s always got time at the crease and doesn’t really struggle too much.
“It’s more him probably coaching me.”
They were brought together at 3/128 when Richard North was dismissed and the pair batted through the rest of the afternoon to take Pakenham to 3/341 after their allotted overs.
“I was already in when Tiggy (Richard) North went out,” Jackson said. “Zac came to the crease and we were 3/120 and we kept building it from there.
“We worked it around and kept building the total.”
Jackson made his hundred with a few overs to go and Chaplin got close to his first century, but fell short by two runs.
On the second last ball of the day, Jackson tried to get Chaplin on strike to go for his century, but his shot was hit too well and it raced to the boundary.
Missing out on 100 doesn’t faze Chaplin though as he’s thrilled to have been that close to the magic mark.
“Not really,” Chaplin said about finishing on 98 not out. “I’m just happy to make runs.”
Their partnership will go down as their favourite time at the crease, with both players surpassing their previous top scores – Jackson with 47 and Chaplin 44.
Around 100 people were at the oval to see the 200 partnership, with Pakenham’s junior presentation on that night.
Kooweerup stayed on the ground and clapped Jackson and Chaplin off the field in a display of great sportsmanship.
