By CHRIS ANDERSON
A BRILLIANT day greeted cricketers around the Yarra Valley as two-day cricket began in a true battle of attrition between bat and ball.
The battle started in earnest at Mount Evelyn as the Rovers faced a dogged Warburton-Millgrove in a top four clash.
The Burras looked determined to occupy the crease all day and despite an early run out of Garrett Morris followed by the quick fall of captain Troy Murphy, the Burra settled in on the sandy and slow Mount Evelyn Reserve.
The reintroduction of Captain Kane Jones into the attack before tea saw immediate results, and enabled a bat before the end of the day, with the visitors teetering at 5/80 at the break.
Liam Barnard has been a mainstay at the top of the Burras batting order and he turned dogged warrior in the quest to lead his team to a sizeable total.
With a damaging cameo from Jason Coghlan (32), the Burras quickly turned the tables in the contest between bat and ball.
With Coghlan’s fall, things slowed for the visitors, but the Rovers were also struggling to make inroads.
When the whips got cracking, it was the Rovers who were left at the gates – not able to match the urgency of the batsmen.
A determined Barnard saw this innings out until the final over, carrying his bat for a fine 97, and seeing his team finish on a respectable 221.
The Rovers may well rue the extra runs they conceded in the run home, but will be pleased with their discipline with the ball and in the field for the majority of the day.
The chase will be a difficult but gettable, so it will come down to which team has the better discipline and drive to take this one out.
Hoddles Creek are always up for the battle with the bat, and after a meek effort against the Eagles last week, they looked to atone as they batted first at Coldstream.
As has been the trend over recent seasons, the Wombats gritted their teeth for the battle which lay ahead and batted cautiously throughout the day.
Experienced pair Warwick Weir (42) and Jeremy Derix (28) did their best to keep the scoreboard ticking over. However, as has been the case too often, no batsman went on to score significant runs to build a sizeable total around.
Eventually the weight of pressure got to the visitors as they were bowled out for 137.
In-form Crocs Jarrod Bayliss (5/40) and Ryan Vaux (4/38) ensured the Wombats would not escape the Crocs’ grasp.
Despite the wide expanses of the Coldstream oval and the tendency for it to be on the slow side, Wombats will struggle to defend this total unless their brash young quicks make early inroads into the Crocs batting line-up.
The match of the round was the game played at Queens Park between Healesville and Seville.
Healesville has made a bright start to the season sitting second in the ladder, while Seville is at the opposite end, still trying to kick-start the season to match that of their premiership play last year.
The Bloods batted first, and it was the experienced and in-form pairing of Johnny Heywood (40) and Geoff Stock (50) who made the formidable Blues’ attack look meek as they controlled the contest.
The thing with sport is you cannot keep champions down.
Once the Blues removed the openers, they turned the screws on the remainder of batting order.
The much-improved Matt Hadlum (4/34) ripped through the Bloods’ batting line-up with the support of experienced duo Ishara Amarasinghe (3/43) and Andy Kay (2/26), bowling the home side out well before the end of the day for 161.
The Blues had to navigate their way through a tricky period before stumps, and that they found it as they finished the day on 3/30. This leaves the contest well and truly in the balance.
Seville has a long batting line-up and will still be confident of getting the necessary runs. However if the Bloods can nip a few out early, then they may well be on their way to consolidating their position in the four.
In the final game of the round, Yarra Junction hosted Woori Yallock in a clash that is crucial for both sides as they battle to stay in touch with rest of the competition.
The visitors batted first and struggled to make a fist against an attack brimming with confidence after dismantling Hoddles Creek last week.
Daniel Mock (37) gave the Tigers a bright enough start, but he would be disappointed in getting out when he should be building a significant score in which the team could build a defendable total around.
With the only other contribution from Cal Ferguson (22), the Eagles pushed another team to the side dismissing the dismal Tigers for 102.
Quentin Hodgkinson continues his development with a fine 3/33, while Terry Ottrey (2/8) and Dan Lever (2/23) confirm their value to the Eagles attack.
The home team lost a late wicket to close at 1/18, but they would be confident of scoring enough runs to secure their second win on the trot and leave themselves within striking distance of the top four.
DJ Strachan Shield:
Woori Yallock 10/102 (Mock 37, Ferguson 22, Hodgkinson 3/33, Ottrey 2/8, Lever 2/23) v Yarra Junction 1/18.
Coldstream v Hoddles Creek 10/137 (Weir 42, Derix 28, Bayliss 5/40, Vaux 4/38).
Healesville 10/161 (Stock 50, Heywood 40, Hadlum 4/34, Amarasinge 3/43, Kay 2/26) v Seville 3/30 (Howard-Scales 1/15).
Warburton-Millgrove 10/221 (Barnard 97, Coghlan 32, Jones 3/30) v Mt Evelyn.
RA Finger Trophy:
Seville 155 (Johnson 31, Troyahn 25, Hamer 7/36) v Healesville 3/5 (Sandfort 2/2).
Yarra Glen 10/317 (Claire 83, Orren 81, Beath 40, Humphrey 3/64, Holden 2/74) v Warburton-Millgrove.
Coldstream 10/110 (Pegg 19, Jones 6/34) v Hoddles Creek 3/111 (Robertson 62, Jones 30).
Yarra Junction 7/319 (Fall 144, Mallick 48, Osborne 47, Sanders 2/50) v Woori Yallock.
C Grade:
Seville 174 (Kear 48, McInness 43, McGrath 4/16) v Healesville 0/38 (Waixell 28).
Launching Place 10/150 (Parker 79, Voight 19, Cummins 4/23, Fiske 2/14) v Marysville. Mt Evelyn 10/191 (Whiting 53, Williams 28, Waixel 4/26, Hodgetts 3/72) v Gruyere District.
D Grade:
Launching Place 6/119 (Grindley 55, Cummins 4/16) d Coldstream 10/116 (Cummins 35, Grindley 5/12).
Yarra Junction 4/202 (Nightingale 85, Boxell 33, Winter 20) v Warburton Millgrove 9/65 (Lubeck 2/19, Cook 2/14).
Wandin 5/247 (Oakley 65, Steele 58, Garside 2/50) d Hoddles Creek 8/51 (Cole-Sinclair 20, Duke 4/13).
Seville 5/94 (Johnson 35, Stevenson 18, Boyle 2/21, Anthony 2/21) d Healesville 7/93 (McGregor 22, Fitzpatrick 17, Proctor 2/15, Van Veek 2/17). Mount Evelyn 6/169 (Westaway 83no, Walsh 21, Dunne 2/9, Sanders 2/23) d Powelltown 10/159 (Sanders 35, White 34, Dunne 31, Ortu 4/41, Heaphy 2/10, Oultram 2/25).
One Day Grade:
Wandin 5/118 (Gosland 28, Corrin 19, Foden 17, Woods 2/15, Davies 1/8) d Yarra Glen (Gold) All Out 111 (Smith 29, Davey 16, Thorne 2/3, Laws 2/6, McKenzie 2/9).
Woori Yallock 9/162 (Collete 44, Sanders 43, D.Bakkam 2/16) d Seville 3/156 (Cauldwell 41, Pearse 40, Sanders 1/16).
Yarra Glen Maroon 7/170 (Hindhaugh 34, Moors 32, Beath 24, Kocher 2/14) d Yarra Junction 10/155 (Boxell 35, Jordan 32, Dowdell 25, Stanes 29).
Silvan v Healesville (no scores).
Under-16:
Seville Gold 1/119 (Byrne 33, Page 29, Caldwell 27) d Coldstream 8/46 (Sandfort 3/12).
Hoddles Creek/Yarra Junction 4/142 (Jenkinson 53, Jones 21, Irwin 21, Mon-Aphai 2/18) d Warburton-Millgrove/Launching Place 10/54 and 4/75 (Thorneycroft 34).
Healesville Red 7/170 (Senior 44, Daly 31, Roelofs 27, Binion 2/18, McGrath 2/31) d Healesville White 8/80 (Fry 48, McGrath 18, Senior 3/12, Roelofs 3/22). Under 14A
Healesville 7/111 (Fawdry 21, Chandler 20, Bissells 2/17) d Seville 109 (Garner 26, Eacott 4/1 including hat trick). Mt Evelyn 8/104 (Brisbane-Flynn 40, Heaphy 8, de Varga 2/10, Read 2/30) d Warburton Millgrove 9/56 (Walker 10, Saurine 10, de Varga 8, Walker 3/8, Coutts 2/13).
Healesville White d Marysville (forfeit).
Under-14B:
Wandin 10/65 (Alderman 11, Rodgers 2/6, Buller 2/9) d Woori Yallock/Launching Place 10/44 (Thomas 12, Sinnott 5/21, Bursezze 3/13).
Yarra Glen 7/154 d Yarra Junction 10/63 (Thompson 8, Whiteside 6, Adamson 3/7, Coulson 1/1).
Under 12:
Seville 8/171 (Proctor 26, Kay 19, Winter-Annette 2/12, Parker 2/24) d Launching Place 75 (Rogers 21, Leeds 2/9, Frankovic 2/1).
Yarra Junction 9/57 (Allisey 13, Clarke 9, Rowe 3/4, Weir 2/2, Collette 2/3) v Hoddles Creek 5/136 (Jones 24, Birnie 22, Rowe 20, Osborne 3/23). Warburton Millgrove 5/164 (Read 16, Nyko 15, Fry 1/10, Brendish 1/14) d Healesville Red 10/65 (Hildebrand 8, Boyle 4, Nyco 2/1, Thompson 2/4, Ceveri 2/2). Mt Evelyn 5/142 (Coutts 14, Murphy 11, Finch 7) d Yarra Glen Maroon 8/108 (Duff 7, Smith 4, Lee 2/6, Finch 1/5). Marysville v Healesville White.
