Hoppers Crossing has taken the upper hand against Yarraville but will by no means be sitting comfortably when play begins on the second day of a tense Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association clash at Hogans Road Reserve.
The Cats made almost every post a winner with the ball in the north-west 1st XI encounter, rolling Yarraville for just 158.
Only Eagles opening batsman David Morgan proved a thorn in the side of the Cats’ bowlers.
Morgan produced 90, while the rest of the Eagles batsmen combined for a paltry 63, with a further five extras thrown in.
Hoppers Crossing shared the workload with the ball, with four players taking multiple wickets. Brandon Diplock shone the brightest with 3-50, while there were two wickets apiece for player-coach Greg Kennedy, Brett Smith and Nkosana Mpofu.
The Cats limped to stumps on 3-20, still chasing a hefty 139 to win.
Werribee was in desperate need of a pick-me-up after starting the season with four straight losses. The tonic for the Tigers was a strong first day’s play against St Bernard’s Old Collegians at Chirnside Park. The Tigers produced an imposing 9-263 off 80 overs.
The top order set up the day with brilliant knocks from Shaun Dean (54no), Matt Dean (49), Marcus Worrall (37), skipper Tim O’Brien (35) and Ryan Alifraco (30).
In the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, Werribee Centrals have bolstered their chances of featuring in the finals with a 26-run first innings victory over St Andrews Footscray at Galvin Park. The Centurions only just missed out on an outright, finishing 7-125 in the second innings, just short of the 132 target.
In north-west B1, Point Cook comfortably accounted for Wyndhamvale by 56 runs on first innings at Saltwater Reserve.
After making 171, the Warriors bowled to perfection, skittling the Falcons for 115. Aaron Whear (4-18 off 17) and Vineet Yadav (3-47 off 24.1) strangled the life out of the Falcons.
In west A1, Seabrook cruised to a 96-run victory over Bellbridge, with Walgama Eranga pointing the way with 100. Set 114 to win, the Saints finished with 209 off 77 overs.
