Sunshine Heights will need to produce a strong effort with the bat if it’s to secure its first win of the Victorian Turf Cricket Association season.
Heights will be chasing Wyndhamvale’s 208 when play resumes in their round two West A1 clash on Saturday.
PICTURE GALLERY: Sunshine Heights v Wyndhamvale
Bowling first, Sunshine was well led by Will Dawson and Peter Hatzoglou, who took a wicket each and kept the run rate down.
Slowly but surely, though, the Wyndhamvale total crept up, eventually climbing above 200 late in the day.
Wyndhamvale captain Andrew Ford led the way for his side with 74 while first drop Adam Moscatiello made 35.
Elsewhere in VTCA, a strong performance with the ball has put St Albans in the box seat against Avondale Heights.
Heights’ decision to bat first looked unfortunate from the opening moments as Robert Nikolic ripped through the top order.
Nikolic finished with 4-27 as nine Avondale Heights batsmen failed to make double figures.
Only Hyder Khan and Reghbir Singh added some respectability to the scoreboard with their 35 and 30, respectively, lifting the total to 99.
In reply, St Albans is 3-64 after 29 overs, requiring another 36 runs to get their first win of the season.
Also in north division, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School smashed the Westmeadows bowlers to all parts of the field on day one of its clash on Saturday.
Mitchell Foley and Brett Hannah got PEGS off to the ideal start, making 55 for the first wicket. Although both openers were dismissed within 10 runs of each other, the back-to-back wickets did nothing to take the pressure off Westmeadows.
Fahid Rehman combined with Rasika Batepola to add 127, with Rehman posting a classy 97 and Batepola finishing on 48.
That stand provided the perfect launching pad for the PEGS lower order, which teed off in the later overs to lift the score to 9-317.
If PEGS is able to restrict Westmeadows, it will maintain its unbeaten start to the season.
Elsewhere in north division, Keilor Park is in the box seat against Spotswood after making 9-233 against a powerful bowling line-up on Saturday.
Spotswood’s Andrew Dickinson was again outstanding, giving up just 29 runs from his 17 overs and taking two wickets.
