Tara Murray
A strong bowling performance set up an important win for Footscray against the Greenvale Kangaroos in Victorian Premier Cricket.
While sitting in the top eight, the Bulldogs know they have to keep winning to stay there.
On Saturday, they were impressive against the Kangaroos.
Bulldogs coach Allan Wise said it was a really important win at this point of the season. He said they knew they had to play well to take the win.
“It solidifies our spot in the top eight,” he said.
“In this competition, if you’re 10 to 15 per cent off, you will quickly lose momentum. Greenvale has shown improvement and we were mindful of them.
“Playing at home we were keen to play well and not let them get any momentum.”
The Kangaroos won the toss and elected to bat. They lost two wickets before the score had even reached 10 and with the exception of Jack Potticary, who made 51, struggled throughout.
The Kangaroos were bowled out for 97.
“All the sides that batted first across the league, in humid conditions, lost a lot of wickets in the first hour of play which was interesting,” Wise said.
“The conditions suited us and Tim Hughes and Jake Reed and bowled really well.”
Wise said Hughes, who had made his first XI debut this season, had come in and played the specific role given to him really well.
Max Birthisel ended up taking four wickets, while Reed finished with 1-10 off 10 overs.
Chasing such a low total, Wise said the bonus point was something they did think about. The Bulldogs got the runs in the 28th over, finishing 3-99 and secured the bonus point.
“We got off to a good start,” he said. “Which we were able to do and got the score to 20 quite quickly.
“The bonus point took care of itself.”
Travis Dean finished 45 not out.
The Bulldogs moved up to fifth with the win, with two rounds remaining.
Wise said they were pretty happy with where things were sitting at this point of the season.
“We have a strong batting line up, with a lot of maturity in the top six,” he said.
“Our bowling is a work in progress. Jake Reed has been sensational coming back from injury this season.
“We saw ourselves as a top eight team, and we have to improve to do that [and play finals]. We have a couple of tough games left, nothing is set.”
The Bulldogs face second side Carlton and Northcote in the run home.
In good news for the Bulldogs, all four of their teams could feature in finals. The second and fourth XIs both sit inside the top eight, while the third XI sits 10th, three points behind eighth.
The club’s under-17 Dowling Shield will play in that competition’s grand final on March 14 against Ringwood.
“We have a really strong Dowling Shield side,” he said. “We have managed to get some really good talent.
“They’re a great group with a number on our list already. There’s a few different ones who are coming on and will be on our list in the next 12 to 18 months.”
