After a couple of false starts, Plenty Valley finally took to the field in 2018 in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west competition.
With the heat and then rain ruining the previous two weekends of cricket, it was a different story on Saturday against Yarraville.
The second-placed Bats started slowly on a good pitch as the Eagles bowled well. The Bats were 5-96 at tea.
Bats skipper James Dickinson said it wasn’t an ideal start to their innings.
“It was good to be out on the ground after being washed out last week,” he said.
“We were in a bit of trouble and it was hard to score off their opening bowlers. Then Daniel Heatley and Sean Ayres came together.”
The partnership of Heatley and Ayres was a game changer with the two putting on 111 for the sixth wicket.
Once Ayres was out for 80, the Bats kept going and pushed the score to 8-296 from their overs. They put on 200 after tea.
Dickinson was full of praise for Heatley who was brilliant in his innings of 110.
“He’s a superstar,” Dickinson said.
The move of Ayres from opening the batting to number seven worked perfectly too. Dickinson said it would depend on the circumstances where the veteran would bat.
“We know he is dangerous down the order and it was an aggressive move,” he said.
“In the short form we know how dangerous he is at the top of the order, but in the longer format he is a weapon down the order.
“To have him come in at seven and Jack McLagan [who made 45] at eight is a luxury when the wickets have flattened and the bowlers have tired.”
Despite the big score, the Bats are not counting the win just yet.
Both captains admit it was a flat wicket and there were runs to be scored.
“It’s always good to post a total over 200. We’ve got the runs in the bank and they have to get them.”
Meanwhile, the Bats under-15 Craig shield team is through to this week’s finals.
The Bats finished second in the north group, with five wins and one loss.
Skipper Jai Lemire top-scored for the Bats in four of the six matches, while Julian Drohan top-scored in two matches, including scoring 109 not out in a stunning performance against St Bernards.
Kaiden Arthur was the best of the bowlers. The Bats play their quarter-final against Altona on Tuesday at Grant Reserve, Altona.
Tara Murray
