Despite Ben Green’s best efforts, Footscray Edgewater was comprehensively beaten by Melbourne University last week. 71987 Picture: EMILY LANE
FOOTSCRAY Edgewater lost its first Twenty20 game of the season on Tuesday when it was soundly beaten by Melbourne University.
The loss ruled the Bulldogs out of the Twenty20 Premier Cup, which will be contested by Ringwood and Prahran (the only undefeated teams after four rounds) on 11 January.
Batting first, Melbourne University made 151 and took just 15.1 overs to dismiss Footscray Edgewater for 84.
Ben Green was the only Footscray Edgewater bowler to average less than a run a ball, producing figures of 1/13 from three overs.
The Bulldogs looked like making a contest of it with openers Dean Russ and Green getting the runs ticking over at about a run a ball.
The 34-run partnership was broken by Gregory Kennedy, before in-form batsmen Nic Oldridge was run out for a duck. Kennedy struck again with the wicket of Green and the Bulldogs went from 0/34 to 3/39, as is the nature of the shortest form of the game.
After Hamish Winter-Irving was also run out for a duck shortly after, Footscray Edgewater seemed to recover from the setback through Travis Dean and Tallan Wright.
But after putting together a 31-run partnership, Fawad Ahmed dismissed the two batsmen in the same over, both for 19 runs.
At 6/73, Footscray Edgewater needed to take risks and rely on luck. It wasn’t to be. Dylan Kight, Shane Jones, Michael Hills and Michael Kelly were picked off in quick succession, for a combined total of eight, to hand Melbourne University a comprehensive victory.
Footscray Edgewater finished ninth on the Twenty20 ladder, and will take on Hawthorn-Monash University in round 11 of the normal season on 7 January.
