Druids have stolen a march on Keilor after the first half of a gripping four-day VTCA north- west division grand final at Crofts Reserve.
Druids went into the game as underdogs and lived up to the moniker at stumps on day one.
But the game took a dramatic shift on Sunday after a stellar Druids bowling stint saw it secure an unlikely first innings lead.
Posting just 159, Druids bowled Keilor out for 157 going into day three.
“We can control the game now,” Druids skipper Shane Windridge told Star Weekly.
“They’ve got to bowl us out now and get the score.”
The four-day format of the VTCA grand final is foreign to both teams, which are used to playing matches over two days or less.
Batsmen have twice as much time to bat as normal, but it’s a leeway rarely used effectively, hence the low first innings scores.
“Both teams fell into a trap of trying to bat time,” Windridge said.
“The scoreboard wasn’t getting ticked over, so both teams lost wickets without pushing the run rate. You’ve got to keep the scoreboard ticking over.”
Druids needed its middle order to come to the rescue, and Windridge provided a priceless 49, while Leigh Wilson added 27.
Indi Gallage’s 16 from the tail may not have seemed significant at the time, but it was crucial, giving Druids the advantage at stumps on day two.
Keilor got plenty of starts, but no one could produce a big score.
Druids’ seamer Thineth Arachchige left a trail of destruction with 4-31 off 16.5 overs, along with South African import Mick Hay, who snared 3-34 off 15 with his off-spin.
Druids are 1-16, an overall lead of 18, and have the chance to bat Keilor out of the game on day three.
“If we can get off to a good start next week and get through to tea … that will give us an opportunity to score runs,” Windridge said. “Then we can put pressure on them.”
