FINALS may be off the agenda for Footscray Edgewater, but that didn’t stop the Bulldogs romping to a first-day win against Casey-South Melbourne in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition.
After winning the toss at Mervyn Hughes Oval, Footscray captain Dean Russ sent the visitors into bat, a decision that paid immediate dividends.
The Casey batting line up was constantly under pressure throughout its innings with a combination of good bowling and poor running between the wickets leading to a tough day at the office.
For the second week in a row, Bulldogs opening bowler Lucas Dredge was outstanding, taking three crucial wickets while Tallan Wright also tore through the top order.
Two late wickets to Wes Robinson were the final blow for Casey, which was bowled out for 76 in just 38 overs.
In reply, Footscray initially found itself on the back foot after the back-to-back wickets of Russ and Greg Sheehan.
However, as he has done all year, Robinson was a rock at the top of the order, blasting his way to a brilliant 100 off just 141 balls. His innings included eight boundaries.
Batting at number five, Travis Dean also added a well-made 50 to the total, as Footscray easily passed the target and set about amassing a huge lead.
The Bulldogs finished the day at 5/207 with Robinson 102 not out.
When play resumes on Saturday, he will be joined at the crease by young gun Guy Walker who is on 19.
For Casey, Nathan Freitag looked most likely to do the damage with the ball after taking three wickets on Saturday. He was well supported by Victorian spin bowler Clive Rose, who also chipped in to take two wickets.
An outright win could see the Bulldogs move to 12th position on the Premier Cricket ladder.
Currently Footscray is in 13th with seven wins, 10 losses and one draw for the season.
