By LIAM TWOMEY
FOOTSCRAY Edgewater will be on the hunt for quick wickets when play resumes in the club’s Premier Cricket clash with Fitzroy Doncaster this week.
The Bulldogs won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday and with star opener Wes Robinson unavailable because of Victorian Futures League commitments, it was Dean Russ and new partner Arun Harinath who were given the job of seeing off the new ball.
It may have been the first time the pair had opened together but that didn’t stop them from taking the early honours against a fired up Fitzroy bowling attack.
Everything looked to be going perfectly for Footscray which guided its way to 0/35, before back to back wickets of Harinath and first drop Greg Sheehan got the match back on an even keel.
Russ was joined at the crease by Australian representative John Hastings and the pair set about trying to put the Bulldogs back on top.
However, Fitzroy opening bowler Jonathon Fagg had other ideas, ripping through Footscray’s middle order.
Fagg dismissed Russ, Hastings and Travis Dean within 12 runs of each other to see the score crash to 5/74.
Young gun Dylan Kight fought hard in the middle to post a classy 41 but struggled to find enough partners to stick around with him.
Footscray was eventually bowled out in the 83rd over for 181.
Fagg was easily the pick of the bowlers and finished with the figures of 5/39 while Peter Dickinson took 2/23.
With just four overs remaining in the day’s play, Fitzroy was forced into the middle, intent on survival.
Hamish Winter-Irving provided a boost for the Bulldogs, taking the crucial wicket of Scott Huntly for just two.
The Lions finished the day at 1/8 and will need a further 174 when play resumes this weekend at Mervyn Hughes Oval.
Matthew Bremmer and Timothy Sheehan are the not out batsmen on six and zero respectively.
After 16 rounds, Footscray currently sit in 13th place on the Premier Cricket ladder with six wins for the season.
In second XI results, it was a great day for Footscray bowler Andrew McCammond who took 7/49 as Fitzroy was skittled for 173 on day one.
