A punishing 86 from opener Matthew Dean set Werribee on a path to victory over Mt Waverley when east-west sub district cricket resumed on Saturday.
With round two a similar scenario to the opening game, reduced to a one-day match due to rain, Werribee relished the chance to bat first at Mt Waverley Reserve, piling on 9-225 from 45 overs.
With Dean on song from the start, Mt Waverley struggled to control the run rate, despite dismissing Shaun Dean (5) and Tim O’Brien (7) cheaply.
It was the partnership of Dean and Chris Hennessy (42) that took the game away from the hosts, with the pair adding 96 together to take control of the contest, as home side bowlers struggled, sending down 17 wides.
Some late hitting from Michael Kelly (16) and Matthew Palmer (20 not out) pushed the score beyond 200 and gave the visitors a strong chance at victory.
In reply, Mt Waverley also lost an early wicket when Romain Grenville (6) fell cheaply, but consolidated through Ben Hocking (20) and Bradley Yates (54) to set up an intriguing chase.
Tight bowling through the middle overs, and three wickets to Palmer (3-32) saw Werribee start to wrestle back some control, but the thorn in their side was Michael Millier. Millier hit his way to 58 to keep the hosts in the game,
and the run rate continued to climb, but they eventually ran out of time, finishing at 8-205.
With just four no-balls and wides for the day, the control of Werribee bowlers proved the difference, and the points went back west.
The day did not go as well for Hoppers Crossing, after a second straight loss due to failure with the bat against Noble Park.
With a top score of just 17, it was a dark day with the willow for the Cats, who had elected to bat after winning the toss and then had to grind their way to 101 before being dismissed with five overs to spare.
While it was a small total to defend, the Cats gave themselves a great chance of reversing their fortunes when they knocked over the home side’s top three batsmen for ducks, containing the hosts to 4-15.
However the middle order responded for the home side, with a 23-ball 20 from Jake Richardson and a vital 41 from Paul Hill ultimately proving the difference on the day.
Hoppers Crossing skipper Greg Kennedy toiled hard with the new ball and grabbed 3-21.
Hendro Dias (3-13) also grabbed important wickets late, as Noble Park closed in on victory.
The hosts eventually got the win and finished on 7-102 with almost 15 overs to spare.
Ewen McRae
