YARRAVILLE is staring down a tough run chase of 275 for victory after losing control in the middle part of a Saturday scorcher against Elsternwick in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association at Elsternwick Park on Saturday.
On two occasions, the Eagles bowlers got on top, but the Wicks hit back both times to take a psychological edge at stumps on day one.
The Eagles made a great start, removing both openers cheaply, to have the hosts 2-12.
They let the Wicks off the leash with Anton Scholtz (61) and Rohan O’Neill (36) combining for an 83-run third wicket partnership. Again the Eagles hit back, taking 5-66 to have the Wicks in a spot of bother on 7-161.
But the Eagles could not find a cure for Wicks middle-order mainstay Harrison Nurse, who took command en route to 106. He found an ally in tail ender Callum O’Neill (43) and the pair took full toll of the Eagles’ bowlers, adding 108 in an eighth-wicket partnership.
It was tough going for the bowlers under the blazing sun as temperatures reached the mid-30s.
“We stood out there in the heat for about 76 overs,” Eagles player-coach Tim McRae told the Weekly.
“It was such a good batting wicket; there’s not much in it for the medium-pacers.”
McRae was the most successful of the Eagles bowlers, taking 6-45 off 17.5 overs with his leg spin. The heat meant plenty of overs from the spinner. “You just had to bowl really accurately and mix it up,” McRae said. “I tend to bowl a lot of wrong ‘uns, as well as leggies, and try to keep it as accurate as possible. They were coming out well.”While the run chase won’t be easy, conditions at the Glenhuntly Road venue are conducive to high scores. “It’s a really dry, fast ground, so if the wicket is the same next week, we’ll look forward to batting on it,” McRae said.
ALTONA will have to make 224 to claim victory on its visit to Ormond. Lee Elmore (3-21) and Owen Alsop (3-71) were the best of the A’s bowlers.
VSDCA
Firsts: Elsternwick 274 (HE Nurse 106 A Scholtz 61 C O’Neill 43no R O’Neill 36 T McRae 6-45 R Cox 2-47) v Yarraville; Ormond 223 (M Thomas 79 M Hansen 57 T Stait 26no L Elmore 3-21 O Alsop 3-71 AP Maynard 2-32) v Altona.
Seconds: Altona v Ormond 9-233 (M Williams 69 B Cameron 59 V Sundaramoorthi 47 BA Madigan 3-14 A Rafferty 2-23 C Bancroft 2-33); Yarraville 2-5 (JB Midwinter 2-1) v Elsternwick 206 (JD Dunnachie 106 TG Vale 32 J Booth 3-21 PW Cruden 3-26 C Maguire 2-42); Moorabbin v Williamstown 218 (C D’Altera 101 A Freeman 56).
Thirds: Williamstown 6-418 (N Rainone 155 S Davis 101 N Bugeja 44no M Knight 37no) v Ivanhoe; Balwyn 3-74 (AG Weeramantry 29 M Devlin 2-17) v Yarraville 204 (P Galea 83 M Woods 49 DP Boland 4-40 JE Lowrie 2-36 T Silvers 2-37); Plenty Valley 1-53 v Altona 127 (J Donazzon 25 D Mobilia 2-9 T Dupreez 2-17 B Roughsedge 2-20).
Fourths: Ivanhoe v Williamstown 7-357 (M Brown 141 M Lauder 46 T Ball 38 JK Mattsson 34 N Harkins 25); Yarraville 192 (C Jamieson 41 L Henderson 33 A Georgiou 31 E Freeman 30 P McCarthy 3-25 ML Letcher 3-63 G Clarke 2-44) v Balwyn; Altona 109 (F Ali 49 N Wallace 3-19 T Vandekolk 3-19 J Woodruff 2-21) and 3-28 (T Vandekolk 2-17) v Plenty Valley 3-111dec (M Raven 48 M Ablinger 2-44).
