Westmeadows has got off to the worst possible start in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association’s north division, with its batsmen failing to fire a shot on Saturday.
At its Willowbrook Reserve home, Westmeadows’ decision to send Laverton into bat looked to have been a good one after they bowled the visitors out for 87.
Then it all started to go wrong for Westmeadows, which succumbed to a meagre 46 in reply.
Vice-president Jeff Hubbard said there were no excuses for the batting collapse.
“The wicket was quite good … it was just poor shots and not enough application. I spoke to [captain-coach] Danny Law and he was really disappointed.”
Hubbard didn’t think the players had taken it easy because they were chasing a small target.
He said despite the first-up loss, things were looking positive for the club.
“It’s only round one. Our twos had a win and so did the fourths. We’ve had good numbers – 30 to 40 people at training every night, which is a good sign. We’re fielding five sides again this year, which is what we aimed for.’’
Westmeadows added plenty of experience to the squad in the off-season, and the club is also expecting a couple of youngsters to continue making inroads.
“Former Tullamarine coach Peter Labbad has come to the club and our former coach Michael Butera has returned as a player.
“Aaron Evans is 17 and he’s had a really good preseason. Another 17-year-old, Clayton Campbell, is looking good. Both those boys consolidated their spots in the first team last season; this year it’s about continuing that improvement.”
In senior division, Tullamarine’s David Zahorodni fell one run short of starting the season with a century in his side’s big win over Greenvale.
Zahorodni dominated the match, also taking 4-25 to help restrict the Kangaroos to 9-154 before top scoring in Tullamarine’s impressive 9-238 in reply.
In north A1, Craigieburn fell short of Glenroy’s total of 8-144. David Garvin was the best of the bowlers for Craigieburn with three wickets.
Craigieburn’s chase fell short after a promising smart. Opener Daniel English top- scored with 39, but the innings fell away as Craigieburn finished at 9-135 after 40 overs.
