DARLEY has landed another big fish in a sensational start to the Ballarat Cricket Association firsts campaign.
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The Lions beat reigning premiers Brown Hill in round one and followed it up by toppling Wendouree on Saturday afternoon.
But it was perhaps the intervention of nature that helped the home side sneak over the line.
Red Caps bowler Eamon Johnson was unavailable for the second day of play after his wife Carlee gave birth to the pair's second child late on Friday night.
This ruled Johnson out of the Wendouree run chase, which ended with the visitors nine wickets down and just eight runs short of the Darley total.
A good effort from the Wendouree top order saw Craig Jenkins make 61, Gavin Webb 39, stand-in captain Liam Brady 27 and Matt Smith 65 before the lower order fell away as Darley got on top with the new ball.
The Red Caps were looking good at 6-229 before Smith fell, quickly followed by Dylan Price and Austen Prendergast as the Lions landed the victory.
Darley's seasoned campaigners in captain-coach Heath Pritchard and dual EJ Cleary Medal winner Matt Cape were the main men behind Darley's triumph.
Pritchard snared 4-43 from 23.1 overs, while Cape returned figures of 3-32 from 20 overs.
Cape will surely take home the three votes at this season’s vote count after he made a century on day one as Darley finished its innings at 7-241 on the hard wicket at the Darley Civic Hub.
Pritchard said it was a great start to the season by his boys, who really dug deep to claim the points on Saturday afternoon.
“We just hung in and found a way to get a wicket and it was a really pleasing result at the end of the day,” he said.
“Good sides – and we are playing good sides – find ways to win."
Pritchard said this season’s aim had always been to become competitive after a poor 2014-15 campaign.
“From being competitive, who knows what can happen, I suppose?," he said.