Williamstown grabbed its first win of the Victorian Sub District Cricket Association East-West season on Saturday, proving far too strong for Bayswater at Williamstown Cricket Ground.
While Bayswater got first use of a flat pitch and a fast outfield, it struggled to make the most of it as Williamstown’s bowlers bowled a tight line to restrict the visitors scoring to 8-146.
Williamstown captain Brent McMinn said he always thought it would prove too few.
“I was looking at the pitch before the toss and I thought if we batted we would need at least 200,” McMinn said.
“It was very flat, no demons in the wicket, and the outfield was very quick so it sets the scene for a big score.
“It’s a credit to our bowlers who all bowled with discipline, especially Patrick O’Malley who’s spell probably won us the game, to be honest.”
O’Malley bowled a vital spell through the middle of the innings on his way to 2-9 off nine overs, while Bayswater batsman Angus Adamson (48 not out) was the only visiting player to make the most of their start.
In reply, Williamstown lost both openers for single figures but was soon out of trouble when McMinn and Craig Sheedy joined forces to continue the chase.
The pair put on 108 before McMinn was dismissed for a match-winning 64, leaving Sheedy (46 not out) and Mitchell Streiff (4 not out) to finish the job with nearly 13 overs to spare.
“We did it pretty easily in the end,” McMinn said.
“It was pretty simple really. Hit the bad ball and keep rotating the strike, you do that well and the runs tend to come.
“It’s good to have the firsts off for their first win, and four senior wins for the day is great for the club.
“Hopefully we can keep the momentum going this week against Box Hill and keep the good results flowing.”
In other games, Yarraville suffered a heartbreaking one-run loss to Balwyn to remain winless this season.
Balwyn batted first on its home deck and was dismissed for 158 with three overs left.
Akshat Buch was the pick of the bowlers with 4-26.
In reply, Yarraville slipped to 4-27 before rallying to 6-141 through skipper Nathan Allen (73) and Buch (30) to give itself a shot at victory.
However the last four batsmen managed just nine runs between them as the visitors were bowled out on the final ball of the day for 157, one run short of a tie.
Altona was far too strong for Croydon in their clash, with Altona’s 5-156 proving far too many for the home side who were dismissed for just 93.
