DARLEY is within striking distance of bringing down Ballarat Cricket Association firsts reigning premier Brown Hill.
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The Lions need just 127 runs with nine wickets in hand for a major upset after the opening day of the season on Saturday.
Darley will never get a better chance to bring down Brown Hill, with the hard wicket at Progress Park traditionally a batsmen’s paradise.
Brown Hill battled its way to 153 – not too bad after being 3-6 and 7-88, but certainly overall disappointing.
New Darley captain Heath Pritchard was delighted with the Lions’ start to the new season.
Pritchard dismissed any suggestion that Darley, 1-27 in reply, had let Brown Hill off the hook after the devastating start, in which he claimed two wickets.
He said it was an outcome he would have happily accepted if offered at the start of play.
“The ball’s now in our court. If we can’t get 130-odd well...”
Pritchard said his players had done everything asked of them.
“We were going into the unknown. We didn’t know what to expect.”
He said at the end of the day everyone worked hard and played their role.
“We didn’t drop a chance. We made the most of our chances by taking some good catches.”
Pritchard paid credit to Brown Hill’s early fight back and then lower order resistance to halt collapses – acknowledging the hard-hitting of Shane Harwood.
Harwood led the Bulls out of their initial slump with a swashbuckling 57 runs off just 65 balls, with 10 fours. He combined with skipper Ryan Knowles, 15, to put on 58.
Harwood’s dismissal sparked another collapse of 3-2 before Paul White, 26, led a late revival.
“They batted well,” Pritchard said
Matt Cape finished with the best bowling figures of 3-28.5 off 8.5 overs.
Pritchard snared 3-30 off 15 overs in his BCA debut and Brian Wheelahan 2-23 off seven overs.
Prtichard said he was pleased with the way the whole bowling attack had spread the workload rather than leave it to the likes of Cape to carry the bulk of workload.
Darley finished on 1-27 after facing 18 overs – just failing to get to stumps unscathed.
Jason Knowles picked up the important wicket of Hayden Jamieson. Teenage English import Harry Killoran in unbeaten on 15.
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