Werribee Centrals have breathed new life into their Victorian Turf Cricket Association west A1 survival bid.
The cellar-dwelling Centurions took the upper hand on day one against local rivals Point Cook, putting a second win of the summer within reach.
Standing in front of a rare victory is 104 runs and an equally desperate opponent fighting to preserve its own spot in the division.
Should the Centurions complete the mission, the side would go into the penultimate round with a glimmer of hope of being able to extricate itself from the relegation zone.
“It’s a bottom-of-the-ladder clash so it’s the season on the line, basically,” Centurions wicketkeeper Chris Duffin told Star Weekly.
“If you can’t get up for that, I don’t know when you can.”
Set a tiny 145 for victory, the Centurions raced to 0-41 at stumps, with skipper Aaron Edrich (26 not out) and Kulantha Ramanayake (10 not out) putting their side in a strong position.
History suggests that no target is considered a safe bet when it comes to the Centurions, who have endured their share of batting failures this season.
But players should go into the second day full of confidence, after finishing Saturday with a flurry of runs, scoring at four-and-a-half an over to dent the home side’s enthusiasm.
“It was all about playing positive cricket and that’s what has been missing the last couple of games,” Duffin said of the opening partnership.
“We’ve relied on the bowlers so much this season, but our batsmen are working and working and I get the feeling it will pay off soon.”
The Centurions fielders were outstanding on a day when temperatures soared into the mid-30s.
The tone was again set by Edrich, who produced a phenomenal 14 overs, nine maidens, 1-9.
You almost run out of superlatives to describe Edrich, who busts a gut for his side every week to have 25 wickets at 11.6.
He rarely gets the run support from his batsmen, but he gets on with the job with a minimum of fuss.
With Edrich unavailable on the second day due to a wedding, this is a chance for the Centurions batsmen to repay his toil.
Edrich was far from a lone hand with the ball though. Seamer Thanancheyan Arunthavapalan always works hard into the wind, and finished with a pressure-building 1-7 off seven.
Spinner Luke Allister toiled away for 22 overs for his 3-63, including three top-five batsmen. Nathan Johnson (2-28) and Chris Hughes (1-26) snared valuable wickets.
Justin Tobias (32) and Tyson Pearce (26) were the leading Point Cook run-makers, but both threw away their wicket after being run out.
Duffin was pleased to see the Centurions finish off their work with the bat late in the day.
“It was a good day, a tough day in the heat, but a positive day for us.
“Our bowlers did exactly the job that we asked of them toiling away in the heat.
“I think it’s time for our batsmen to stand up.
“The last nine overs that we batted on the day was a real step forward in the right direction,” Duffin said.
