THE real Footscray Edgewater stood up in Victorian Premier Cricket at the weekend.
The Bulldogs set the benchmark for the rest of the summer with commanding one-day wins over Frankston Peninsula and North Melbourne on consecutive days.
The Doggies rode on the back of their captain Dean Russ, who became only the second batsman in the club’s history to score back-to-back first XI centuries, the first being the great Ken Eastwood.
Russ was untouchable on the road trip to Frankston Peninsula on Saturday, amassing 109 not out in a nine-wicket thrashing.
The tireless left-hander did what most batsmen cannot do: back up hours later on Sunday to make 105 in a 177-run rout of North Melbourne at Merv Hughes Oval.
“It’s only ever happened once before in the history of the club,” Bulldogs president Geoff Collinson said.
“Ken Eastwood did it in the 1970s. He played for Australia, and a lot for Victoria.”
On Saturday, the Bulldogs shared the load with the ball, with five players taking wickets as Frankston Peninsula was restricted to 8-202 off 50 overs.
The Bulldogs had no trouble picking off the runs with Russ’s stunning display complemented by WA recruit Wes Robinson (54), who formed a 131-run partnership for the first wicket, and Ben Green (30 not out), who saw them past the target.
On Sunday, it was more of the same from the Bulldogs batsmen, setting North Melbourne a massive 2-266 off 50 overs.
Russ was again the backbone of the innings but was ably assisted by Robinson (53) in a 123-run opening stand and Green (68 not out) in a 111-run second wicket combination.
The Bulldogs had the visiting Roos on the hop at 5-36. There would be no recovery as they surrendered meekly for 89 in 26.5 overs.
Spinner Michael Kelly (4-30) and Robinson (2-7) did most of the damage, while spedester Brad Robinson claimed 2-21.
Talk at the kennel this week will undoubtedly surround the amazing feat of Russ.
The first-year skipper showed he’s the right man for the job by letting his bat do the talking.
“You couldn’t get a better display of leading from the front than two centuries on the trot,” Collinson said.
“It’s physically hard to do in one-day games and to do it two days in a row is incredible.”
The Bulldogs will square off with Carlton in the first two-dayer of the season at Princes Park starting on Saturday.
