A FLURRY of late wickets wasn’t enough to give Footscray Edgewater a much-needed victory over Ringwood in the Victorian Premier Cricket on Saturday.
On the back of blistering centuries from Dean Russ and Wes Robinson on day one, the Bulldogs set Ringwood 367 for victory as play resumed in perfect conditions.
Ringwood opening batsmen Nathan Walsh and David King made a brilliant start for the chasing side with the pair adding 223 for the first wicket.
Middle order batsman Ian Holland then strode to the crease and ensured there would be no respite for the Bulldogs, with the runs flowing easily.
With Ringwood cruising at 2/300, finally the Bulldogs were given some reward for their hard work, with Ben Green and Guy Walker combining for three crucial wickets in quick succession.
Opening bowler Lucas Dredge also joined the party, taking three wickets and Ringwood crumbled to lose 7/51.
With 16 runs required and one wicket in hand, final pairing Brendan Walsh and Michael Topp dug in at the crease to fight out the runs and secure the one wicket win.
The result sees Footscray remain in 13th place on the Premier Cricket ladder.
Meanwhile in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association, Williamstown CYMS will be feeling bullish about its chances of claiming victory over Keilor Park this weekend.
Keilor Park needs another 175 runs this Saturday with eight wickets still in hand after the CYs produced 186 in 65.4 overs having chosen to bat first on their home deck.
Williamstown CYMS opener Billy Millar made the most of the conditions early in the day with a solid 37 before he was dismissed to leave his side on 3/85.
From there Janaka Siriwardana took over with the bat and came up with 51 runs of his own in an innings that included six boundaries and a six.
A 35-run partnership between Brad Davies and John Gallivan proved handy but once Davies was bowled for 28 the tail was cleaned up for just six more runs.
Two late wickets for Daryl Clemson gave the CY’s early momentum in its defence, leaving Keilor Park stranded on 2/12 when it resumes its chase this weekend.
