By Adrian Ceddia
WERRIBEE Centrals may have to wait until next year to celebrate a victory after being crushed on the first day by a red-hot Albion in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association’s North A1 Division.
Albion, striving to keep in touch with the top four, was a class above in both the bowling and batting aspects of the game, setting a huge total of 323 before skittling the Werribee Centrals top order in the final few overs.
The Centrals bowlers could do little to stem the flow of the runs, especially off the bat of Joe Andreula, who smashed 147 runs – his first triple figure score this season after three half-centuries.
But it was not only he who enjoyed the brilliant batting conditions, with team-mate Michael Brne also impressive with a blazing knock of 87 – also a season high.
The pair put on 90 for the third wicket to take the score to 129, with Andreula anchoring the rest of the innings on his way past 100.
Jamie Brook was the last man standing after a timely knock of 21, with Centrals finally taking the required 10 wickets in 68 overs.
To make matters worse, Albion dominated the final 12 overs of the day, snaring three wickets and leaving the opposition with the unlikely task of reeling in the remaining 298 runs needed for victory.
In other North A1 games, Keilor Park is facing an outright loss after being bowled out for just 52 runs and watching Parkville District reach 6/179 by the close of play. It could have been even worse for Keilor Park, with the first eight wickets falling for just 22 runs.
In Senior Division, Keilor is in trouble after a bad end to the first day’s day against South Caulfield.
After Steven Brne (3/49) and Josh Boyle (3/39) combined to dismiss the opposition for 227 in 69 overs, Keilor lost three of its top order in the final few overs to end the day at 3/45. In Senior A1, East Keilor will be defending 207 runs this week after a blazing 83 from skipper Warren Hackney put it in a strong position against Hampton.
