By ADEM SARICAOGLU
STRIKE Melton paceman Shane Harwood will bat for the Lions this weekend despite suffering a suspected bicep injury against Yarraville in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association on Saturday.
Harwood was just three balls into his opening spell when the injury forced him out of the attack, but he remained on the field for the entire day.
Despite ensuring he can bat this weekend, Melton coach Duncan Harrison said it was not yet known how long Harwood would be out of action with the ball.
“I’m not sure how long he’ll be out for, but that certainly wasn’t ideal,” Harrison said.
“We’ll find out during the week, but obviously it restricted him from bowling on Saturday.”
After Yarraville won the toss and batted, star batsman Matthew Harrison knocked 124 for his second century of the summer and combined with opener Bradley Shaw for a 123-run partnership, giving the Eagles early momentum.
Shaw was eventually removed by Brad Jones for 50, but the wicket did little to halt Harrison, who watched two more partners fall before finally succumbing to Jeremy Liddy caught behind to leave Yarraville well-placed at 5/212.
From there, the Melton attack fought its way back and slowly regained momentum.
Liddy combined with Harrison for four wickets (seven in total) as the Yarraville lower order struggled to fully regain its earlier touch.
Captain Alex Hewet battled hard for his 27, but ultimately suffered the same fate of four of his team mates, caught behind by Melton keeper Michael Allen.
Daniel Torre provided a defiant final stand, scoring an unbeaten 26 to add some late runs to the total.
Stumps were called with the Eagles making 9/277 from their full 80 overs.
Liddy finished with an outstanding 4/49 off 16 overs while Harrison enjoyed tidy figures of 3/74 off 22.
Harrison praised the class of his namesake’s batting and said the Lions would need to bat well to match Yarraville’s good day in the middle.
“He batted really well, and I suppose after he was in, the key for us was probably restricting his influence and we probably tried to starve him of it a little bit,” Harrison said.
“But I’m not sure how successful that was because he batted really well.
“At one stage, I think they were about 1/130, so we were looking at chasing anything, but we stuck at it and fought pretty hard.
“We’ve got to bat well next week, for sure. It’s a good score and it will take some getting.”
A successful run chase this Saturday could see Melton claim top spot off Caulfield, and Harrison is confident his Lions can get the job done.
“I’ve got confidence in the boys, we’re a good batting unit, it’s a great challenge and hopefully one we’re up for, so we’ll see how we go,” Harrison said.
