By Tara Murray
Darley was happy to come away with three points after an average performance against Wendouree in the Ballarat Cricket Association.
The Lions, who entered the match undefeated, were hoping to put it all together with the bat and ball.
Instead, a poor bowling performance put them behind the eight ball early in the day.
When rain set in during the Lions’ innings, it changed the equation for a win.
In the end, they had to settle for a draw.
Lions coach Brian Wheelahan said they would take the three points, considering the way they played.
“It was a pretty scratchy performance to be honest,” he said. “They are a class outfit and they batted really well.
“We had them at 2-160 and it wasn’t looking great and they were halfway to a decent total.
“We had a chat after the game and we weren’t happy with how we bowled.”
The Lions fought back late and restricted Wendouree to 4-195 off 47 overs.
Harry Killoran took three wickets to help reduce the flow, while Ryan Ali and Rahmatullah Khwaja bowled tightly.
The Lions had a delayed start to their innings because of rain. With the sides coming on and off the field a number of times, the umpires reduced the Lions innings to 33 overs.
They still needed 196 for victory, while Wendouree needed to bowl them out to claim the points.
The Lions finished 5-114.
Wheelahan said when the game was reduced, they decided to play out for the draw.
“We lost some wickets that if they were playing their natural game, we wouldn’t have lost them.
“We decided to play for the draw and we remain undefeated.
“If you had offered me that at the start of the season we would have been undefeated, I would have taken it.”
West Indian Danza Hyatt showed no signs of jet lag, scoring 73 not out in his first game of the season.
“He showed his class and dominance,” Wheelahan said.
The Lions remain on top of the ladder, percentage ahead of Wendouree.
Just one match got a result due to the weather.
Despite the positive start, Wheelahan said they had a lot of improvement to come.
“To get through unscathed is terrific, we have good depth and are in a good position with still a lot of errors to work on.
“We have not put out a consistent, polished performance with the bat and the ball.
“We will learn from that and next week we will regroup and get back to the 80 overs.”
The Lions will get Lachlan Herring back from suspension, while Anthony Taylor is also expected to return.
They are taking a cautious approach with Ben Longhurst as he recovers from a calf injury.
