A terribly unbalanced run chase has seen Footscray Edgewater fall short by 26 runs to Ringwood in the Premier Cricket at Merv Hughes Oval on Saturday.
Too much of the Bulldogs work was left to too few as they were bowled out for 203 in 89.1 overs.
Captain Dean Russ (79 off 172) and wicketkeeper-batsman Dylan Kight (93 off 251) were outstanding, producing a 144-run fourth wicket partnership.
It was the stand that was supposed to break the spirit of Rams on the second day, but the Bulldogs’ inability to find other contributors cost them dearly.
Russ and Kight combined to provide 172 runs, while the other nine Dogs batsmen contributed just 31. Only one other batsman, Lucas Dredge (10) reached double figures, while Travis Dean, the talk of Victorian cricket after his record-breaking Sheffield Shield exploits in recent weeks, made a first-ball duck.
He was one of four Ian Holland victims, with the Rams’
Cricket Superstar reality television show winner finishing with match-winning figures of 4-35 off 21.1.
The Bulldogs, who dropped to seventh with a 4-3 record, will play two Twenty20 games this weekend. They travel to Geelong (14th) on Saturday and returning home to face sixth-placed Dandenong on Sunday.
