By Lance Jenkinson
Taylors Lakes managed to salvage some pride on the second day of its 100-run loss on first innings to Mount Waverley in the opening round of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association season.
The Lions were on the rough end of the batting conditions on day one, facing a fresh Mount Waverley bowling line-up on a lively pitch and were bowled out for 111 in 39 overs.
With some of the life coming out of the deck, Mount Waverley’s batsmen had little trouble surpassing the Taylors Lakes score and quickly built a big lead with 6-211 before the declaration.
The second innings was much better for Taylors Lakes, marching confidently to 2-118 off 31.1 before the closure.
Lions captain Jarrod Wakeling was pleased with the way his players fought out the game.
“The pitch that we rocked up to on Saturday was completely different to the first Saturday,” he said. “It was obviously a bit drier, flatter and a bit more ideal for batting conditions.
“We went out and batted the way that we know we can and got 120 without really trying.
“It was really good for them to get some runs and a bit of confidence and knowing they can trust their ability going into next week.”
Marrodon Bend led the way for Taylors Lakes with 52 not out.
Bend improved on his 16 in the first dig.
“Bendy hits a hard ball and he’s got a very good head on his shoulders,” Wakeling said.
“I anticipate he’ll make a number of runs this year.”
Marcus Just was the other Taylors Lakes batsman to gain some confidence with 37.
It was the way Bend and Just constructed their innings that impressed Wakeling.
“The boys certainly didn’t go out there with an aggressive mindset,” he said.
“They were very patient and when they did get the ball to hit, they made the most of it.”
Earlier in the day, Taylors Lakes’ bowlers fought back after a rough start.
At 2-160, Mount Waverley looked set for a massive score, but the Lions found some resistance with the ball through youngsters Aidan Brasher and Liam Wolf.
Brasher finished with 4-50 off 12 overs, while Wolf took 1-39 off 10. Wakeling chipped in with 1-53 off 11.4.
Brasher was the talk of the team in the dressing room after the match.
“He bowled six overs last week and beat the bat a lot, so he was unlucky not to have a couple of wickets,” Wakeling said. “This week he backed up what he did last week and got a bit of reward out of it.”
While Taylors Lakes came nowhere near the points, it has a bit of momentum on the back of a strong finish, which it can take into its round two battle with Balwyn at Lionheart Reserve.
Lance Jenkinson
