Wyndhamvale Cricket Club was a lonely place to be in March.
The Falcons were left shattered, and no doubt embarrassed, when they bowed out of the VTCA finals in straight sets, making 21 in first innings of a semi-final to eventual west B1 premier Sunshine Heights.
PICTURE GALLERY: Wyndhamvale v Sunshine Heights
Are the fortunes of both clubs starting to take a dramatic turns?
The Falcons started the new season in west A1 with a meritorious win over local rival Werribee Centrals, while the Heights had an upset loss to St Andrews Footscray.
The two sides are in the middle of a big encounter at Ainsworth Reserve, with the Falcons on top in their quest to exact revenge on the Heights.
The Falcons posted 7-208 to help bury the ghosts of the past.
Andrew Ford anchored the innings with a top score of 74. It was the kind of knock you want from your captain-coach against a bowling attack that has troubled his line-up in the recent past.
Falcons bowler Ryan Radford says Ford provides exactly what is needed from an opening batsman.
“He plays straight, he’s patient and sets up the platform for us.”
Ford has been elevated to the role of captain-coach this summer because of his obvious leadership qualities on and off the park.
“He’s the right age, early 30s, and he’s played cricket in a few different places around the world,” Radford said.
“He’s got the experience and the backing of all the players. He’s brought a fresh look to training and the way we play.”
With Ford leading the way, his top order of Stuart Crowe (31), Adam Moscatiello (35) and Jay Dolliver (20) went along for the ride.
There was a collapse in the middle of the order that brought back memories of March – five wickets lost for six runs – but wicketkeeper Joel Roze (23) and Steve Williams (six) held the innings together later on.
Radford is confident the Falcons bowlers can complete the mission and put last season’s semi -final loss behind them for good.
“It’s nice to have a couple of hundred runs on the board to play with.
“We’re confident we can defend that as a bowling group.”
Hoppers Crossing is 2-33 in reply to South Caulfield’s 195 in senior division.
Werribee Centrals are 4-58 in their pursuit of the Altona Roosters’ 132 in west A1, while Point Cook was set 281 for victory by Footscray United. In west B1, Seabrook lost a one-day game to Barkly Street Uniting by 17 runs.
In the Williamstown and District Cricket Association A turf, Bellbridge – led by Matthew Edsall’s 97 – fired with 302 against Williamstown Colts.
