A lack of bowling penetration saw Werribee Centrals fall to a disappointing loss to Altona Roosters on Saturday, with Centrals remaining winless in Victorian Turf Cricket Association north-west A1.
After posting 155 last week and having the Roosters 2-14 overnight, Centrals struggled to break through for all-important early wickets as the home side batted through most of the day before being dismissed late for 267.
The not out batsmen overnight did the bulk of the damage for Altona, with captain Leigh Lewis (69) and Aaron Grixti (46) getting the hosts to 112 before Lewis departed.
While they toiled hard to force a mid-order collapse, Centrals could not stop the Roosters claiming first-innings points when they passed the target three down and pushed on through the afternoon.
Altona keeper Tharanga Indika picked up the slack when his skipper was dismissed, going on to post 60. He received great support from Ashleigh Peters, whose 33 down the order helped the hosts to a big first-innings lead.
For Centrals, Blake Taylor was the star as he toiled into his 20th over to claim 5-66, while Rahmatullah Khwaja (2-38) and Jacob Russell (2-23) provided good support.
In north-west B1 action, Wyndhamvale fell to a bad loss at the hands of Sunshine Heights after failing to defend its meagre 121 from last week.
While three Sunshine batsmen had been dismissed cheaply when the chase began the previous weekend, Wyndham Vale had no such luck when Shane Ramsey (60) and Tim Mahoney (99) guided the visitors home with a minimum of fuss.
The visitors batted on before declaring at 6-224 to have another crack at the struggling Wyndham Vale batting order, and were well rewarded as the hosts made 7-118 before the close of play.
Luke Dennerley spent some valuable time in the middle for the home side for 43 runs.
Elsewhere, Point Cook experienced two starkly different batting efforts in its clash with St Andrews Pascoe Vale.
Chasing St Andrews Pascoe Vale’s 160 from day one, a single Point Cook batsman made it to double figures, with eight players scoring two runs or less as the side was dismissed for 51, handing the home side a big first-innings lead.
Batting again, Point Cook enjoyed a 107-run opening stand on the way to declaring at 3-185. Opener Daryl Groves batted beautifully for an unbeaten 111, with Scott Maloney hitting 33.
While the second innings helped Point Cook’s percentage, the poor first innings cost it first-innings points. It remains winless after three rounds.
