Bacchus Marsh was able to restrict Sunbury’s star batsmen but was made to pay by the side’s younger players in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s McIntyre Cup.
In a match important for the finals hopes of both sides, the competition went down to the wire.
Bacchus Marsh had set Sunbury 188 runs for a win after day one.
“We should have had well over 200. That would have helped us a lot,” Bacchus Marsh coach Paul Baker said.
“With their batting line-up we knew we had a fight on our hands.”
Sunbury reached its target with one wicket in hand.
“It was that close, but we were our own worst enemy,” Baker said.
“We made a few errors, dropped catches, missed a couple of runouts.
“They were eight wickets down with 30 to get and we thought we were a good chance then.
“They batted well and got to within one run when they lost the ninth wicket. We were right in the game until the final ball.”
Bacchus Marsh was able to restrict Sunbury’s gun batsmen, but the early efforts proved not to be enough. “We had our plans for the better batsmen and we executed them quite well,” Baker said. “Instead it was Sunbury’s youngsters who proved to be the difference.”
The loss keeps Bacchus Marsh in sixth spot, now 10 points behind fourth-placed Sunbury.
“I assume we are still a chance, mathematically, to make finals,” Baker said, “but we would have to rely on other results for that to happen.
“We still have to play Romsey, Sunbury United and Riddell. I want us to finish on a good note.”
GDCA B-grade
The fight for the finals positions is on, with six points separating five teams in second to sixth places.
Ruperstwood’s dominance over the competition continued on Saturday, as it accounted for East Sunbury and extended its lead on top of the ladder to 15 points.
The next five teams – Macedon, St Anthonys, East Sunbury, Diggers
Rest Bulla and Ashfield – are then separated by six points, equal to one first innings win.
Macedon was the big winner at the weekend, jumping to second on the ladder with a massive win over Bacchus Marsh.
Equal on points with Macedon is the out-of-form St Anthonys, which has lost both its games since resuming after Christmas.
This time it was Diggers Rest Bulla who inflicted the pain on St Anthonys.
Having set a total 213 on day one, Diggers Rest Bulla skittled the Saints for 124.
The win keeps Diggers Rest Bulla in the final mix and only percentage out of the top four.
