It had the makings of a perfect day of sub-district cricket for Williamstown until those wretched last six overs of play on Saturday.
The Seagulls were on cloud nine after bowling local rivals Yarraville out for just 125 at the Williamstown Cricket Ground, but straight after the pomp and celebration of a job well done with the ball came a tricky 30 minutes to face with the bat.
The outcome of which put a slight dampener on proceedings as three wickets fell to leave the Seagulls in trouble on 3-5, with 121 to get and seven wickets in hand.
Yarraville’s mood went from despair to genuine hope of defending their total.
Seagulls captain Craig Sheedy acknowledged that it was not the ideal way to finish the day, but he’s adamant his side is favourites and should not only go on to win from this position but do it comfortably.
“We had a really good day and then the last six overs the luck didn’t go our way,” he told Star Weekly.
“We had two lbws and I played one on.
“It was a stinking hot day, we fielded and bowled really well and then had to go out there and bat for a few overs, and blokes weren’t moving their feet all that well.
“We’re chasing only 125 so I’m really confident we’ll get it done.”
Sheedy’s confidence comes from his side’s long batting line-up.
“We haven’t got any bunnies,” he said. “We bat right down to 11 and that’s a luxury a lot of clubs don’t have.”
The Seagulls are in a winning position due to the work of their new- ball operators.
Sheedy (4-30 off 20.4) and Daniel Popa (4-41 off 15) left nothing in the tank to bury the bulk of the Yarraville line-up.
Popa was praised by Sheedy for the work he does away from the pitch to get ready to hit the crease at speed in temperatures that soared into the mid-30s.
“He’s a young fella who’s been working in the gym and he’s got himself stronger and been running to get himself fitter so he can open the bowling,” Sheedy said.
“It was 36 degrees and he powered through the crease. He had them in all sorts and beat the bat often.”
The other two wickets were taken by slow-medium Nathan Bratby, who showed every trick in the book to finish with 2-29 off 15.
“He can vary his pace and bowl out of the back of his hand,” Sheedy said. “He mixes it up really well.”
The Seagulls need a victory to keep their slim finals hopes alive.
Meanwhile, Altona highlighted the woes of bottom-of-the-ladder Sunshine, bowling the strugglers out for just 38.
The A’s rustled up a quick 4-120 before declaring in search of the outright.
In its second dig, Sunshine is a more respectable 0-20 but has a long road ahead if it’s to avoid a maximum points loss.
The stars of the opening day for the A’s were Andrew McCammond, who took 5-16 off nine overs, and Tim Collins, who scored 65.
