THE intensity has risen as finals spots are on the line in the Gisborne District Cricket Association (GDCA) after the first day of play for round 12.
Kilmore will need their bowlers to build on an encouraging finish to day one to keep their Johnstone Shield Firsts’ finals hopes alive as they try to defend 152 runs against Eynesbury.
Winning the toss and batting first at the Kilmore Cricket Ground, Kilmore got off to a slow start by losing Leon Zelvys and Jacob Walton early in the day.
Steven Burns (28) and Ryan Knight (29) provided resistance throughout the early afternoon, but wickets were still falling at a steady clip.
Kilmore were in danger of going out for a small total when they sat at 7/99, but Marcus Davern, who top scored with 33, helped the tail to wag as they were bowled out for 152.
However, Kilmore were revitalised when it was their time to bowl, with Stuart Partridge and Elliot Frendo giving them the start they needed in the final eight overs of the day.
Partridge struck first by catching Steven Mills off his own bowling, before Frendo claimed the wickets of Jamie Bolger and Ryan Cran to leave Eynesbury wobbling at 3/14 at the end of the afternoon’s play.
Kilmore’s Seconds will require another 202 runs to catch Eynesbury at Eynesbury Recreation Reserve on day two next week, sitting on 0/18 in response to Eynesbury’s 9/219.
Kilmore’s Jensen Shield Thirds took on Sunbury at LB Davern Reserve, but were unable to score a victory, with their 6/125 chased down by Sunbury’s 7/131.
Wallan bore the brunt of Aintree’s most productive day of the season with the bat and will need to chase 263 runs next week at Greenhill Reserve.
Aintree were off to a good start, but a piece of brilliance from Spencer Whittingham, who charged in from extra cover to run out Vinay Kumar Sharma for 19 with a direct hit, boosted the Magpies’ confidence.
Aintree responded by building partnerships, headlined by Charandeep Kalsi’s 73, Kamal Parmar’s 53 and Abhishek Garhwal’s 46, to finish the day on 262.
Scott O’Donnell had a fantastic day for the Magpies, taking 6/77 to lead the way.
Wallan’s Seconds similarly struggled with Aintree’s batting at Woodlea Reserve, conceding 296 runs, while Wallan’s Jensen Shield team were all out for 65 as they lost by 10 wickets to Riddell at Riddells Creek Recreation Reserve.
In the McIntyre Cup, Broadford and Romsey face big run chases next week, with Romsey bearing the brunt of a Sunbury United team who scored 8/361, with Chris Marienfeld and Taylor Stevenson taking three wickets apiece, while Broadford will need to chase Rupertswood’s 257, despite Riley Nolan’s five-wicket haul.
However, it was a different story in the Seconds, with both Broadford and Romsey setting the pace, with Romsey scoring 278 and Broadford making 9/228.
Elsewhere, Lancefield’s Jensen Shield Firsts team took a dominant victory over Sunbury United, scoring 5/266 to 6/115, while their Seconds held on in chasing down Malmsbury’s target, eventually winning by three wickets, 7/141 to 8/139.
In the Seymour District Cricket Association (SDCA), Seymour took a thrilling eight-run victory over Alexandra.
Defending 124, Seymour were in trouble when James Meggitt’s 66 helped Alexandra to 3/82, but his dismissal at the hands of Simon Van Duinen triggered a collapse, with Alexandra losing seven wickets for just 34 runs.
Leigh Irving’s 94 helped Tallarook secure a dominant 115-run victory over Yea to maintain the top spot, scoring 6/194, before Samuel Manchester and Lachlan Watts took three wickets apiece to hold Yea to just 79 runs.
