Plenty Valley pulled further away at the top of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association North/South table with an outright win against Kingston Saints.
Resuming at 2-50 and chasing just 90 for victory, Plenty Valley lost only one more wicket, that of Dylan Forster, for 26. Lorenzo Ingram (20) and Daniel Heatley (13) guided them past the total, and skipper Michael Sheedy called them in, making his intentions known with an aggressive declaration at 3-92.
Kingston’s second innings was worse than its first, and Sheedy’s decision was vindicated after just 25 overs – Kingston was bowled out for 70. Ben Dennett (4-27), Sean Ayres (3-3) and Justin Jaensch (2-27) were outstanding.
Plenty Valley needed just 12 overs to secure the full 10 points, reaching 2-72 in quick time. Ayres was bowled out for 32, and Andrew Bennett caught for one. Forster (23) and Ingram (10) did the job with minimal fuss.
The Bats will take on Caulfield in a one-day game this Saturday, in what is shaping up to be a preview of the grand final.
Plenty Valley’s seconds also completed an outright victory, which included a hat-trick to Simon Bray.
The Bats posted 229 in the first innings, and then bowled the Saints out for 64 and 111. Bray took eight wickets for the day.