Victoria’s wet weather meant very few cricket sides took to the pitch on Saturday, but somehow Bacchus Marsh got not one but three teams on the park in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association.
And they made the best of it, the Bulls winning two games while the third was drawn.
Bulls coach Steve Charles said the rain somehow managed to avoid the grounds where the Bulls were playing.
No other matches went ahead in the McIntyre Cup and B-grade competitions.
Charles said it was a team performance that ensured a first win for the season, against Rupertswood, in the top grade.
“We think we weren’t that far away in the first two games and there were lots of positives out of them,” he said.
“This week we played a more complete game, batting and bowling well. There’s a lot to like about the season so far even though we’ve been disappointed with results.”
On Saturday, the Bulls batted first. Partnerships at key times pushed their tally to 8-194, with Alex Porter top-scoring with 71.
“The opening partnership put on 50 and Alex, who’s only 18, made his first score over 50 in the firsts.
“We had a few cameos late in the innings to push the score up. We were happy with it and thought it would be a tough chase.”
Rupertswood started slowly, losing a wicket in the opening over, and struggled to gain momentum on the way to 150, with only skipper Mark Ryan showing much resistance.
“We bowled really tight for the first 15 overs and it put them behind the eight-ball,” Charles said.
Cameron McKinley was the best of the bowlers, taking four wickets.
The result moves the Bulls to six points, equal with Rupertswood.
Charles, in his first season as coach, said he was enjoying the role.
“It’s a fantastic club and everyone has bought into the way I go about things. The support has been really good; I couldn’t be happier.”
In B-grade, the Bulls’ match with Ashfield ended in controversy. The two teams left the field with Ashfield believing it had won the match.
It was later found the scorebooks didn’t match the scoreboard, with the books having different totals.
The captains agreed to call it a draw, but Ashfield has since asked the association to investigate.
In F-grade, the Bulls defeated Woodend, which was bowled out for 118. The Bulls replied with 3-154.
For more on the B-grade match, go to starweekly.com.au
