Bellbridge needs just seven wickets to knock off the Victorian Turf Cricket Association division 4 ladder leaders and take a massive step towards making finals.
After being sent in to bat against Moonee Valley, the Bears got off to a shaky, losing opener Steve Kelaart in his first delivery.
The Bears quickly found themselves at 5-37, before Daniel Spencer and Bailey Moffatt began to steady the ship. Spencer top scored with 39.
After they both fell, the Bears were at 9-98, with a 44 run 10th wicket partnership saving the innings, helping them reach 148 before they were bowled out.
With still plenty of overs left in the day, Moonee Valley went out to bat. The Bears were able to claim three wickets late in the day, leaving Moonee Valley to continue at 3-45 this week.
“It’s pretty evenly poised at the halfway mark which is pretty good,” Bears skipper Dillon Hinge said.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal leaving so many overs out there with the bat, going into finals you want to bat for as long as possible.
“Credit to our bowlers they are getting the job done week in week out, I guess it’s just time for the batsmen to stand up and do theirs.”
Hinge said he was pleased with the late wickets against the division’s best side.
“Definitely happy with the three, we created a few more chances so we were probably unlucky to get a fourth but that’s the way cricket goes,” he said.
“Moonee Valley are one of the sides to beat this year and they have been for the last two or three now. So we pencil-marked this as a game that we want to be well in every year, they bowl to their plans, they field to their plans and they back their bowlers.
“To come away with a few wickets gave us a bit of momentum heading into day two.”
Finals are definitely on the cards for the Bears with the side sitting in fifth on equal points as the Point Cook Centrals in fourth, which they are set to play off against in the final round.
“It is looking OK, we’re playing it week by week,” Hinge said.
“Obviously, we’ve just got to win the next two games to secure the finals spot which I said at the start of the season was our goal. So if we can continue on our form, hopefully we can push into finals.
“We’ve got enormous respect for Point Cook Centrals, we’ve played them twice this year and it’s one, one, so it should be a good game.”
