Melbourne’s weather proved to be a saviour for Melton in Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association north-west competition.
The Lions were in all sorts of trouble against St Bernards before the rain hit, ending the game and St Bernards’ hopes of an upset win.
Lions playing coach Nathan Geisler said they know they were lucky to come away with three points from the game which ended in a draw.
The Lions were 7-59 when rain halted play. Their top order failed with the bat, with Geisler top-scoring with 20 not out.
Number nine Brad Jones was the only other batsman to reach double figures, finishing 10 not out.
“We dodged a bullet,” Geisler said.
“We were 7-50, which wasn’t ideal. We won the toss and elected to bat so we thought the conditions were good.
“They bowled really well and we didn’t apply ourselves the way we wanted to.”
Geisler said it was disappointing to put out a performance like that after having spoken about starting the new year playing well.
Twelve months ago, the Lions wasted a good start to the season, with a form slump after Christmas and ultimately missed out on finals.
Geisler said the weekend’s performance was a reality check for the side that sits on top of the ladder.
“We finished the year on a high beating Williamstown and Plenty Valley,” he said.
“It [the weekend’s game] was a bit of a reality check and a bit of a wake up call. We’re lucky in the end that we didn’t lose six points.”
Geisler said the focus for the rest of the season would be trying to secure a home final.
He said despite sitting on top of the ladder, they don’t see themselves as favourites for the premiership.
As the ladder stands, the Lions play just one team which is currently in the top six in the run home.
“If we win three of the four games, we should secure that home final,” Geisler said. “We want to play at home as we play well in our conditions. Internally, we know where we stand. They [Plenty Valley and Williamstown] are the measuring sticks of the competition.
“We knocked them off, but what does that mean? Plenty Valley weren’t at their best and against Williamstown it was a close game which could have gone either way.
“On our day we’ve shown we can match it with the top sides.”
Meanwhile, it was a similar case for Melton’s second XI side, who also played St Bernards.
The Lions were in trouble at 6-88 when the rain hit. Play was eventually called off, with the teams sharing the points.
The Lions sit bottom without a win after nine rounds.
