Footscray United was staring down the barrel in its chase for Sunshine Heights’ 207 in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association west A1.
That is until one of the most remarkable rescue acts from lower order batsmen DC Silva and Robert Lasslett came to pass.
Silva came in at No.7 and dispatched the ball to all sections of Scovell Reserve to make a mind-blowing 166, powering the Bulldogs to a 131-run victory.
Lasslett, coming in a spot later, played an important support role, with 51 in the match-winning 130-run seventh wicket partnership.
It was the Bulldogs’ first win at home in two seasons, giving them a steady two wins from three starts after last summer’s frustrating winless campaign.
Top-order batsman Stuart Ainge told Star Weekly his side was primed to bounce back under new captain Shehan Fernando.
“We certainly want to finish top four in this division; it’s nowhere near as strong as the one above,” he said.
“We put ourselves on paper in the best four sides … so as long as we perform to our ability, we’d want to finish top four.”
Silva’s knock was celebrated by all Bulldogs on Saturday night. The club’s long-time import player has become one of the favourites after his five years with the side.
The club fought hard to secure a two-year visa for Silva and his wife. It wants to see him settle in Australia permanently, such is the high esteem in which he’s held at the kennel.
This is not the usual import-club relationship, where a player flies over for the summer, makes runs, takes wickets and returns home with a pay cheque.
Silva is part of the furniture and he showed his gratitude by inviting 10 club players to his wedding back home. All attended.
“He’s one of ours, he’s part of our club and we don’t think of him as an import any more,” Ainge said.
“Ten of us went over and attended his wedding and that made a big difference to him and the way he viewed the club, and obviously for us it was a great experience to visit Sri Lanka.
“His aim is to move to Australia one day and we’ll try and help him.”
Silva is better known for his big hitting, but this innings was mainly about smart cricket shots. He raised the bat for his 100 after barely offering the Heights fielders a chance. Then he started hitting out.
“The most impressive thing about today was his shot selection, picking the right ball and being responsible early,” Ainge said.
“His first 100 was chanceless. We’ve got a shortish straight boundary and he cleared that a couple of times. Particularly after he passed the 100, he hit a few big sixes down the ground.”
But there’s no selling short Lasslett’s role in the Bulldogs’ victory, and he may become a fixture after this break-out game with the bat.
“He’s been at the club since under-12s and struggled to convert obvious talent into being a firsts player,” Ainge said.
“He’s got a bit more confidence this year to play his shots because he’s always been a defensive player, and to see him be a bit more assertive was good.”
