Balwyn’s tail-end resilience proved little more than a delay for Plenty Valley on Saturday as a 28-run win kept it second on the VSDCA north-south first XI ladder.
Plenty Valley successfully defended 207 made the previous weekend by bowling Balwyn out for 171.
Balwyn was in a hole at 6-96 and then 9-145 only for Mitchell Carey (46) and Nik Talevski (6 not out) to share a 26-run last-wicket stand.
But the partnership could not pull off a miracle, with Justin Jaensch (3-40) capturing Carey to seal victory.
Plenty Valley’s 36 points leaves it second on percentage behind Caulfield, with third-placed Malvern well back on 24.
In east-west first XI, Roxburgh Park-Broadmeadows was at little risk of outright defeat as Croydon completed a first-innings victory.
After RPB was out for 105 the previous weekend, Patrick Matautaava took 6-58 to restrict Croydon to 8-189 declared in reply.
RPB lost three top-order wickets in quick succession but lasted 36 overs until stumps was called with 4-62.
The defeat leaves RPB ninth on the table with 12 points, still only one win behind sixth-placed Box Hill (18)
