YARRAVILLE applied the blowtorch to Ormond to rule day one of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association clash at the Yarraville Oval on Saturday.
The Eagles produced a spectacular bowling display to have the visiting Monders out for 94 in what must have felt like 46.3 hellish overs.
“We didn’t do much different to what we’d been doing in all the other games,” player-coach Tim McRae told the Weekly after his side wrapped up the first innings points. “The boys bowled well, kept the pressure on the opposition and the wickets kept tumbling.”
The Eagles had 29 overs left in the day to seize the first innings points. They made it in the last over to finish overnight on 4-98.
Adam Yates (38) and Matthew Harrison (27) made the bulk of the runs.
Wicketkeeper Daniel Torre (15) and Michael O’Sullivan (seven) will be at the crease when play resumes on the second day.
McRae felt it was important to reap the first innings points on opening day.
“We wanted to be positive and try to win on day one,” he said. “You just never know; it might rain the following week.”
Undoubtedly, the Monders’ psyche was rattled from earlier in the day.
On a pitch that slightly aided the bowlers early on, they had no answer to the one-two combination of Eagles new ball operators Alex Hewet and Nick Parish.
Hewet was back to his miserly self, picking up 3-23 in 18 economical overs. Parish, the young quick, complemented his captain with 2-38 off 13.
“Every game they’ve bowled really well,” McRae said. “It was another good example of them helping each other out. They kept the pressure on for each other.”
The change bowlers got in on the act, too.
Spinners, leggie McRae (2-2) and offie Josh Raymer (0-10), kept the pressure on, while medium pacers Ryan Cox (1-6) and Josh Booth (1-7) achieved breakthroughs.
In the Eagles sight now is an outright result.
It is a last chance saloon in their quest to stay in the finals hunt. “If we got an outright, there would be a glimmer of hope for us,” McRae said. “We’ll certainly be doing everything we can to try and get 10 points.”
■ Williamstown appeared to have a stronghold on the contest at the Williamstown Cricket Ground when it rolled Elsternwick for 136 on the back of three wickets apiece to paceman Daniel Popa and all-rounder Craig Sheedy.
But the Seagulls limped to stumps on 4-46, Sheedy top-scoring with 32.
■ Altona, led by four wickets from Jake Roberts, is well poised to cause an upset against Melton at the Frank Kirk Oval. The A’s were 0-28 in reply to the Lions’ modest 214.
VSDCA SCOREBOARD
Firsts: Williamstown 4-46 (C Sheedy 32 AW McGorian 3-22) v Elsternwick 136 (R O’Neill 30 SP Roney 30 D Popa 3-16 C Sheedy 3-36 MW Inness 2-30); Yarraville 4-98 (AJ Yates 38 MM Harrison 27 MA Carroll 3-28) v Ormond 94 (A Hewet 3-23 T McRae 2-2 N Parish 2-38); Altona 0-28 v Melton 214 (MD Allen 99 S Harwood 29 J Roberts 4-63 L Elmore 2-37)
Seconds: Elsternwick 3-22 v Williamstown 174 (A Vincent 89no LS Baker 5-37 N Couzens 3-50); Ormond 112 (CM Jackson 37 P Prestidge 5-20 PW Cruden 2-28) v Yarraville 1-86 (D Saville 37); Melton 8-228 (C Hope 61 T Francis 58 NL Gale 43) v Altona
Thirds: Williamstown 9-252 (J Doyle 64 N Bugeja 56 J Rocco 32 M Knight 26) v Balwyn; Yarraville 82 (B Maher 29 D Mobilia 5-24 T Dupreez 2-14 J Kett 2-15) v Plenty Valley 5-70 (J Torr 2-13); Altona 9-241 (J Donazzon 79) v Melton
Fourths: Balwyn 98 (JJ Gleeson 44no J Kilpatrick 2-8 M Lauder 2-10 J Johnson 2-23 P Commisso 2-30) v Williamstown 2-69 (M Brown 32 JK Mattsson 26 ML Letcher 2-9); Plenty Valley 152 (O McGillion 35no, T Vandekolk 34 C Jamieson 5-21 A Georgiou 2-28) v Yarraville 0-9; Melton 213 (M Cullen 3-24) v Altona
