There are many ways to skin a cat, as Wyndhamvale displayed on Saturday.
The wily Falcons used their mixed-bag bowling unit to maximum effect to have Sunshine United all out for 148 in Turf cricket’s west A1 top-of-the-table clash at Selwyn Park.
But the ladder-leading Falcons are far from home and hosed against the second-placed Tigers, despite their small target.
Day one was a grind in the heat for both sides – 75 overs for a scoring rate of a touch under two an over – and it will be no different when the Falcons resume the chase at 1-8 in bowler-friendly conditions on Saturday.
“The outfield was really long and I don’t expect it to be any shorter next week, so 150 is more like 200,” Falcons captain Andrew Ford told Star Weekly.
“We need only two an over, but we’ve got to be prepared to grind and keep the scoreboard ticking over.
“The thing will be for us to push the ball around a bit and make sure we’re in a good position at afternoon tea to win the game.”
Wyndhamvale showed on day one that it has one of the division’s most versatile bowling attacks, able to stifle the Tigers’ run production for most of the day.
Spinner Jonathan Ford finished the day with 6-62 off 18 overs, the English import forcing brother Andrew to keep throwing him the ball.
While his wickets were invaluable, Ford admitted his younger sibling rode his luck a bit.
“He got a few out with a few dodgy balls but sometimes it helps to be not so predictable,” Ford said.
“If you don’t necessarily know what’s coming out of the hand, neither do they.
“At times in the past his control has been better because he’s bowled a bit quicker and fired it in.
“But the batsmen know what’s coming, so they block him, milk him and put the inevitable bad ball away.
“Now you might get the bad ball, but you will get the ripper with it.”
Jonathan was expensive compared to the other bowlers, conceding 3.44 an over.
But the seam bowlers at the other end were as restrictive as a boa constrictor playing with its prey, so Jonathon’s runs concessions didn’t hurt the Falcons.
Lance Macdougall was also superb with the ball, mesmerising the Tigers batsmen with every trick in the book en route to 3-45 off 27 overs, including eight maidens.
“He’s got a lot of quality, a lot of variety,” Ford said.
“He can swing it, he can cut it, he can bowl little offies; he just rushes the batsman.”
The only blemish for the Falcons was Andrew Ford’s dismissal just before stumps.
In other matches, Hoppers Crossing will head into day two full of confidence after chalking up 9-271 against Airport West-St Christophers in the senior division.
In west A1, Werribee Centrals (0-16) will have to make every partnership count if they are to register a win against St Andrews Footscray (9-232dec).
