Harper Sercombe
Werribee is in a strong position at the end of day one of its Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west clash with Ivanhoe.
The Tigers lost the toss and were sent in to bat at Chirnside Park on Saturday morning, although captain Tim O’Brien said he would have made the decision to bat anyway.
Yet, it was a tricky start for the Tigers dropping wickets consistently throughout the early overs, hitting 5-88 before tea.
The Tigers began to rebuild their innings after the break thanks to a mighty knock by Nathan Taylor who fell just short of a ton, making 86 from 118 balls. The
A 90-run partnership from Taylor and Jonathan Burton, who made 38 not-out, helped the Tigers reach a defendable total of 227 from 71.2 overs.
While O’Brien said he was happy with the total his side reached, they would have loved a few more runs on the board.
“From the position we were in when we were, 5-88, at that stage we definitely would have taken 227,” he said.
“But we were probably in a position later in the game when we were six for around 200 and we would have loved to have got a few more.
“But with 220 if we bowl well we should be able to defend that.
“If you bowl well it’s a tough wicket to score on so if we bowl well enough I think it’ll be a tough chase down, but if you don’t bowl well there are scoring opportunities.”
O’Brien said he was delighted with Taylor’s innings, who reached his third 50 for the season.
“He batted fantastic, he’s had a couple of quiet games but it was good for him to get himself in, because once he gets himself in he’s a very good player,” he said.
While the Tigers didn’t manage to get through their overs, a slow over rate from Ivanhoe meant there was not enough time left in the day for the Werribee bowlers to have their turn.
“To bowl three overs at them would have been good but we’ll come out firing early next week and hopefully get a couple of early ones,” O’Brien said.
A win on Saturday could be crucial for the Tigers, as they currently sit four points outside of the top six, just behind local rivals Hoppers Crossing.
“The ladder’s very close, we lost last week and were sitting in third and then dropped a game and went to seventh, so every win is super important,” O’Brien said.
“If we can win this game, with sides playing each other we will probably get back in the top six. With three games left after this one, every game is going to be important.”
In other results, Hoppers Crossing are 170 runs from victory against Preston.
Preston batted first and were dismissed for 212, in 56.5 overs, thanks to another extraordinary effort from Cats’ leg spinner Fawad Ahmed who took 7-83, reaching 39 wickets for the season.
The Cats will resume their innings on Saturday at 2-30, with captain-coach Simon Lambert and Brett Smith as the batsmen at the crease.
