Werribee Centrals is banking on slow and steady to win its race.
The Centurions are in a tantalising position, with a first win of the season in close reach in the VTCA north-west A1.
They only need another 66 runs, with eight wickets in hand and a massive 80 overs at their disposal against Pascoe Vale Hadfield at Galvin Park on Saturday … and they’ll be in no rush as they methodically pick off the visitors’ 117.
The Centurions gave a little insight to their thinking late on day one, when they made a snail’s-paced 2-52 off 42 overs.
With batting collapses the norm rather than the exception for the Centrals this season, they were keen to play risk-free shots and build a solid foundation for a successful run chase, even if it is a small total to chase down.
“The way that we’ve had those collapses, it was our goal to bat time,” Centurions’ captain Luke Allister said.
“To their credit, they bowled really well and didn’t give us too many loose balls, so you had to respect the bowling.
“If you bowl a team out in 38 overs, you have that luxury of being able to occupy the crease.
“Our batsmen just knuckled down and set us up on a good platform for next week.”
Joel Torr was outstanding in that regard for Werribee Centrals. Torr batted each of the 42 overs for an unbeaten 24, but got to have a look at six frustrated Pascoe Vale Hadfield bowlers while taking the shine off the ball.
“It was a really disciplined effort from him,” Allister said.
Agha Adeel was the Centurions other surviving batsman, at 14 not out.
Werribee Centrals would not be in a winning position without the impact of their top-shelf bowling attack.
On a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers, the Centurions did incredibly well to restrict Pascoe Vale Hadfield to just 117.
Blake Taylor (1-13) and Jayden Golowka (1-31) were up for the challenge from the outset, but the Centurions took the whip hand when change bowlers Adeel (4-39) and Rahmatullah Khwaja (4-30) were introduced into the attack, combining for the remaining eight wickets.
“There wasn’t that much in the track for the bowlers, so to bowl them out for 117, I was really happy with that,” Allister said.
“We just set tight fields and just sort of choked them.
“They bowled the right areas all day.”
