Bundoora ran out of wickets to lose by 15 runs to Epping on the opening day of Diamond Valley Cricket Association’s Barclay Shield on Saturday.
Chasing Epping’s 8-152, Bundoora was all out for 137 in the 37th over.
Shupinder Taggar (33) and Jason Kaminski (30) were the only two Bundoora batsmen to pass 20.
At Whatmough Park, Old Paradians/St Francis rolled Riverside for 96 to successfully defend 6-174.
Rheece Lewis’s 82 not out held the Wolves’ innings together before Sunni Khan (4-23) and Zaen Taleb (3-13) did the damage with the ball.
Around the division, Lower Eltham beat Rosanna, Macleod beat Mernda, Research/Eltham Collegians beat Plenty, and reigning premier Diamond Creek beat North Eltham Wanderers.
In Money Shield, South Morang rallied with late wickets but could not deny Banyule a four-wicket win.
South Morang posted 6-162 off its 40 overs with Nathan Brown (55) top-scoring.
Banyule was 3-143 before Brown (2-17) and Trent Groom (2-30) inspired a mini-collapse of 3-16. But Banyule had enough wickets left to win with 4.4 overs to spare.
At Greensborough, the home team held on to win by 10 runs as Bundoora United ran out of overs. Chasing 164 for victory, Bundoora United made 7-154 off its 40 overs.
Nicholas Curtin made 56 at the top of the order but his wicket, the third to fall with the score on 110, came in a collapse of 5-40 that stunted United’s chase.
At Montmorency, Lalor Stars won with 4.5 overs to spare, making 4-166 in reply to the home team’s 6-161.
The Stars were 4-27 early in the chase but recovered to win thanks to unbeaten half centuries from Steven Kemp (53) and Walter Toppi (72).
Elsewhere, Heidelberg beat Camrea Taipans, North Eltham Wanderers beat Lower Plenty and Eltham beat Hurstbridge.
In B-grade, former Victorian cricketer Brendan Joseland started his summer with an unbeaten century as Mill Park beat Bundoora second XI.
Joseland’s 107 not out anchored Mill Park’s innings of 4-213.
Then Mark Howard’s bag of 5-12 ripped through the top order as Bundoora was 137 all out in reply.
At Walker Reserve, Whittlesea’s Mitch McAuley (57) and Nathan Gardiner (62) shared a 116-run stand for the second wicket in a 24-run win against Riverside second XI.
Whittlesea made 8-208 before Gardiner followed up his knock with 3-25 as Riverside was all out 184 in reply.
Around the division, Thomastown (3-79) accounted for Eltham (77), while Mernda beat Macleod, Rosanna beat Lower Eltham and Panton Hill beat Diamond Creek.
