The Yarrawonga Mulwala Lakers A Reserve team played their first home game of the season against Rovers United Bruck at Mulwala in challenging conditions.
With rain earlier in the week and a damp pitch on Saturday morning, the Lakers won the toss and chose to bowl first.
The wicket proved to be a handful for the Rovers Bruck batsmen, and paceman Jyda House was on fire, taking an impressive 3-11 in his 8-over spell.
Tom Lovell, making his debut for the year bowled a mesmerizing leg spin spell, managing 6 maidens and conceding just 7 runs in his 8 overs.
At the drinks break, Rovers Bruck were struggling at 39 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Brendan Hill and Van Kreek took over the bowling duties and continued to apply pressure. Aneeque Azam, following his strong performance in the previous round, took 3 crucial wickets, including the prized scalp of Blake Nixon who had scored 58 runs.
The Lakers also shone in the field with important catches from TJ Docking, Brendan Hill, House and Xavier Mitchell, as well as an athletic run-out by Van Kreek.
After a strong performance with the ball and in the field, Rovers Bruck managed to score 105 runs in their 36 overs.
A special mention must go to the Wollington duo, Matt and his son Benji.
Benji, a young talent who was part of the under 12s premiership team last season, provided a burst of energy in the field, boosting the team’s morale.
In the chase, Brendan Hill and Fraser Smart opened the batting for the Lakers but faced difficulties due to the tricky pitch. Hill was dismissed for a duck on the very first ball of the innings, and Van Kreek followed suit, scoring just 2 runs.
Smart also fell quickly without adding to the score, and Xavier Mitchell was given out LBW in the 8th over. The Lakers were in a precarious position at 4/7.
TJ Docking then came to the crease and began to play some elegant drives through cover point before getting run out for 6.
The Lakers were struggling at just 5/17 after 14 overs.
Adam Dodd, the in-form batsman, and Ben McDonald took charge, with Dodd playing patiently and nudging the ball around.
The Lakers managed to scrape to 5/37 before the drinks break, still requiring 69 runs from the remaining 18 overs on the challenging wicket.
Veteran Brendan Hill motivated the team at drinks, and Dodd took the initiative. He played sensibly, finding the boundary when possible, while McDonald held the other end.
The runs began to flow for the Lakers, and Dodd continued to punish loose deliveries, taking the score to 96 before McDonald was caught at point for 21 with 18 balls left in the match.
A brief but impactful cameo by the big-hitting Matt Wollington brought the Lakers closer to an unlikely victory, but both he and Azam fell in their attempts to score valuable runs.
The match came down to the final over, with Jyda House and Dodd managing to score the winning runs with just three balls remaining.
The Lakers completed the match at 8-106, securing their first win of the season.
In a competitive and thrilling game of cricket on an overcast day, Adam Dodd once again led the way, finishing unbeaten on 64 not out and guiding his team to victory.
A special mention again goes to the Wollington duo, especially young Benji, whose electric fielding energized the team when it was most needed.
Join A Res next Saturday as they host Ovens Valley United at Vic Park – Stan Hargreaves Oval at 1:30PM.