THE weekend was a challenging one for teams in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association (DVCA) with the weather dominating conditions.
However, the heat did not deter the opening batsmen, who returned some impressive scores on the first day of play.
It was clear from the start that Eltham was on a mission. The 117 run partnership between Ben Luker and Mathew Trounce put the home side in a formidable position.
Vice-captain Isuru Jayasekara, however, was very accurate in his bowling, taking five wickets in a solid bid to keep Eltham in check.
The Whittlesea First XI will face a 293 run chase in its match against Eltham when play resumes this weekend.
Down the road at the Mill Park Lakes Reserve, Laurimar won the toss and elected to bat, finishing the day 7/238.
Harley Bollard (72) and Luke Richardson (73) underpinned the Laurimar effort, putting their side in a comfortable position.
The Mernda First XI was on a roll in its match against Panton Hill, finishing on 10/343 at the end of the day’s play. Panton Hill will have a big tack on its hands when play resumes this Saturday.
Kilmore
In the Johnstone Shield First’s league, Kilmore scored a convincing win with 7/183 to Aintree’s 10/175 in the final session of their two-day game.
Ryan Knight and captain Jacob Walton held the fort for Kilmore with a combined 104.
Kilmore batters were able to withstand the onslaught of Aintree bowler Charandeep Kalsi, who took five wickets for a total of 44 runs in his 21 overs.
Another contributor was Ben Dawson who made 33 runs off 76 balls.
Meanwhile in the Johnstone Shield Seconds, Kilmore was not as lucky in its clash against Aintree, going down 181 to 186.
Darcy Nicholas was the pillar of the team with 80 runs, but a solid onslaught from the Aintree bowlers kept Kilmore’s hopes in check.
In the Jensen Shield Thirds, Kilmore took on Woodend in a tightly contested game.
Brent Proctor opened for Kilmore but managed only seven runs before being run out. Adam Ciacia and David McBean followed soon after in what was becoming an expensive opening term.
Glen Fairweather stabilised the innings, notching up 34 runs before being caught. The next three wickets fell cheaply before Leigh Barry took to the crease to contribute a tightly fought 30.
Woodend opened its innings chasing 126. Alistair Gray looked threatening before falling to a combined Peggie brothers’ effort, being caught at 67 by Timothy Peggie off a ball by Callum Peggie.
Kilmore put up a strong fight but fell short, losing by two runs with a final score of 9/126 to Woodend’s 5/128. The hot conditions definitely added an extra layer of challenge for both teams.
In the Kookaburra Women’s League, the Kilmore girls were not so fortunate against Macedon, going down 73 to 156 on a hot and windy Sunday.
The side could not withstand the onslaught of the Macedon bowlers, particularly Matilda Berns, who took four wickets while conceding just four runs.
Wallan
On Saturday, Wallan lit up the Greenhill Reserve against Gisborne in a challenging Jensen Firsts game.
Andrew Avola was putting on a solid show before he was run out on 33 runs. Jason Dodd, Darrien Blair, Dave Curran, and veteran Robbie Fowler also boosted the side’s score.
Fowler’s innings boosted his career run score to 5345.
Joe Barry kept the visitors in check with four wickets while conceding just 23 runs.
The final score saw Wallan finishing the day to win 143 runs to Gisborne’s 135.