It was bordering on a cringeworthy day for Werribee against rivals Melton in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association at MacPherson Park on Saturday.
The Tigers were in desperate trouble until the tail wagged with Michael Kelly and Matthew Palmer combining to produce the rescue act.
Had it not been for their partnership, Kelly got the scoreboard ticking with 47 and Palmer played the anchor role with seven, the Tigers would have got nowhere near 113 off 54.3 overs.
While the total is not a daunting one for Melton to chase down, it at least provides slight hope for the Tigers bowlers entering day two.
Melton is already 2-22 with key batsmen Ben MacRae and Anthony Gale back in the dressing room, so the chase is not going to be easy for the hosts.
“We’re still in the game,” Werribee skipper Tim O’Brien said.
“We’ve got the runs on the board and they’ve got to get them, so if we can bowl well and get a couple of early wickets, it will put them under pressure.
“We’ve just got to make it as hard as possible for them to get every run.”
O’Brien was disappointed in Werribee’s inability to bat out the full day.
The pitch was lively early and the long grass in the outfield made for little value for shots, but those could not be used as excuses for the side to be all out in a touch over 54 overs.
Of the top order, it was Matt Dean who could hold his head high.
Dean carved out a hard-fought 40, showing his teammates how it can be done.
“He’s just a really good player,” O’Brien said.
“It wasn’t only him being able to occupy the crease from the top order, it was him being able to score.”
O’Brien’s biggest praise though was reserved for Kelly and Palmer.
“Mick was doing all the scoring, but he needed someone at the other end to stay with him,” O’Brien said.
“He batted brilliantly for his 47 coming in at eight, he’s actually given us something to bowl to, but Matthew Palmer did a really good job of having a partnership with Mick Kelly.”
Melton requires 92 more runs for victory with eight wickets in hand.
Meanwhile, Hoppers Crossing has a mountain of work in front of them on day two against St Bernard’s Old Collegians at Murphy Oval.
The Cats have been set a mammoth 319 for victory.
