Eagles set Buln 281 for victory
Ellinbank 9/280 v Buln Buln
An enormous late effort has seen Ellinbank take an almost unassailable position against cellar dwellers Buln Buln at home.
Winning the toss and batting, the Eagles finally enjoyed a settled opening pair, however, the early loss of Matt Farthing (4) put the home side on the back foot.
Troy Ferguson (37) picked up the pieces to brutally attack Buln’s openers, before the likes of Daniel Pandolfo (38) and Ben Spicer (31) grinded the Lyrebirds down as the fielders began to sweat.
Brad Monson and Ricky McKerrow toiled hard to continue to take wickets, however the entire middle-order, including the likes of Sean Masterson (22), Nick Fairbank (20) and Matt Barrand (19) made useful starts to stifle any momentum from the visitors setting up a barrage of runs against the old ball.
With Ellinbank 6-163, Curtis Howell strode to the crease looking dangerous. He and Tom Robertson (25) provided season-best knocks, utilising the platform that was set for them to increase the scoring rate dramatically. Howell (55*) batted for just 49 balls, lacing deliveries to all parts as Monson (3-100), Mckerrow (274) and Andrew Burdett (3-48) had no answers.
A score that looked to be peaking around 220 ended up skyrocketing, as the aggression continued to the final ball, Ellinbank finishing with an imposing total of 280 to set up six points next week.
Warragul 100 v Western Park 2/9
A fighting innings from Cam Ludowyke has seen Warragul give themselves a fighting chance against ladder-leaders Western Park.
Winning the toss and batting on an abrasive Eastern Park pitch, the Gulls felt the brunt of their cross-town rivals early as Sam Batson and Tyler McDonald continued their lethal ways with the new ball, removing the dangerous duo of Tyler Constantine (1) and Matt Wakefield (0) respectively.
Matt Bow (11) was the next to go, before Warragul’s middle order were strangled as Josh Wright (2) and Brayden Fowler (2) fell to leave Warragul in the doldrums at 5-33.
Needing a partnership dearly, Ludowyke and young gun Daniel Whitten looked to make their mark for the first time this season and each copped a barrage before taking the attack back at Western Park.
A crucial 57-run stand frustrated the visitors, as Whitten (30) provided perhaps his grittiest innings of his young career, before his eventual dismissal at the hands of Jason Croft (2-16) sparked a late collapse. Ludowyke (42) held up his end manfully for much of the day, but the tail collapsed quickly as McDonald (4-13) and Batson (3-21) put the squeeze on, as the Gulls lost 5-10 to be all out for 100. With nine overs to play, Western Park’s horror form against the new ball continued, as Leigh Diston and Jack Barnes both fell for ducks, leaving the Warriors 2-9 to set up a terrific second day next week.
Yarragon 208 v Hallora 0/43
A season-best batting performance from Yarragon has put their game with Hallora in a 50/50 position after day one. Winning the toss and batting, it appeared that the Panthers were in for a long day as Lauchlan Gregson (2-46) ran rampant early, helping to reduce the away side to 3-9 with the ball still fresh. This brought the ever-dangerous Gamini Kumara to the crease and with the help of Dinith Waduge, the pair took the attack to the home side’s potent attack.
Kumara (31) was dismissed as he was looking to accelerate, however it was Waduge’s day, as he made a crucial, boundary-laden 58.
Aidan Phillips (4-23) was the man to bring about the important breakthroughs for the home side, the left-armer decimating Yarragon’s middle-order as the game swung like a pendulum. From 6-122, Hallora looked to clean up the tail, but Ruwan Perera (53 off 41) decided to hit out to avoid what may have seemed like an inevitability, as Natsai M’Shangwe (3-70) felt the full brunt. Yarragon were eventually dismissed for 208, allowing for 15 overs at the Kangas. However, the batting feast continued, as Damon Healy (24*) and Fraser Duncan (15*) got the home side through unscathed to give them the momentum heading into next week.
Neerim District 140 v Drouin
The opening of Neerim’s new turf saw a late fightback from the Stags, after Drouin took the upper hand early in the day.
Batting first, the Stags’ top-order woes continued, as the top five was blown away by the likes of Brad Glover and Sam Van Der Zalm. Only Aaron Fawcett (10) was able to reach double figures from the quintet at the top, as the Stags slipped to 5-40, with thoughts of the last several games on their mind.
The resurgent Drouin, who recently lost their captain Cam McPhan, were ready for the kill, however, were met with stern resistance from some unlikely batsmen as Dave Ferguson (24) and Troy Clarke (12) provided crucial, long knocks to stymie the new ball barrage they copped.
The pair pushed the score to 75, as Brad Glover (4-38) sniffed a monster haul before a massive effort from the tail, in particular Dane Fawcett, pushed the game into doubt. Fawcett made a quickfire 44 not out to anchor against the old ball, as Neerim made an extremely competitive total of 140 on the new wicket before Van Der Zalm (3-52) finally ended Drouin’s effort in the heat, before they survived one over to set up a mouthwatering finish next week.