Barwon Heads opener Max Melzer set his side up for a pre-Christmas win against arch rivals Ocean Grove with an unbeaten century on day one.
Melzer batted the entire day for 110 not out from 211 deliveries to help the Heads reach 5/228 at stumps at RT Fuller Oval, Barwon Heads.
The Seagulls got off to a terrific start with brothers Max and Harry Melzer playing well.
The pair put on 112 in quick time with Harry Melzer falling to spinner Alex Mann for 39.
The Heads were cruising until the introduction of spin from both ends.
Mann and Dylan Thorley then bowled unchanged for a combined 58 overs to limit the damage.
Melzer raced to a run a ball 50, but the two spinners put the brakes on.
After having gone close several times, it was Melzer’s first ton for the Seagulls. He has now made 351 runs for the season.
“It was a super innings,” Barwon Heads captain-coach Dan Donaldson said.
“He rode the ebbs and flows of a seesawing innings and showed a lot of composure and experience in class to bat the whole day. He’s had a couple of scores, he had one early this season and one last season in the semi-final, so to hit a ton is a wonderful achievement, great reward. He’s had such a good season and he’s really leading from the front.”
Jacko Mallett (26) and young gun Angus Ford (24) also contributed.
For Grove it was all about their spinners giving it a shot at victory next week.
Mann sent down 30 overs of leg-spin to take 3/65 while Thorley’s off-spinners netted him 1/74 from 28 overs.
“Fletcher Long captained very well,” Donaldson said.
“I was pretty confident he would change things up at some point, I’m sure that wasn’t part of his game plan, but he sort of adjusted and Mann in particular bowled really well, spun the ball well and with great control.”
Donaldson said 228 was a decent score given the ground was top-dressed during the week, slowing the outfield down.
“At the start of the day, I was thinking 200 would probably be a good score with a pretty slow outfield and we got off to a bit of a flyer and I was thinking it might be 250-plus,” he said.
“And then they wrangled it back and 228 I was happy with. It’s pretty easy in this league to have 10 overs to go and collapse and all of a sudden you lose wickets so we had a plan just to keep ticking it over. I don’t think we left runs out there. Mateo (Surace) and Max did a good job at the back turning it over and for any new batter, particularly against those blokes spinning it, to come in and clear the rope, it would have been pretty wishful thinking.”
CLAY Mulgrew’s golden summer continued with another century. The Armstrong Creek opener took his season’s run tally to an even 500 with 149 against Jan Juc. The Titans made 6/308 with Chris Marsiglio getting 50 while Jordy Graham toiled away to take 3/81 from 28 overs.
TYRON Norman made his second century of the season with a typically stylish 142 not out for Anglesea. The Seas were 3/12 early, but made 268 against Barrabool with Mick Thornton chipping in with 51. James Fisher (3/49 from 26 overs) and Archer Jaques (3/62 from 23) did their best for the Bulls.
DRYSDALE was all out for 179 against Queenscliff with Charlie Clode (46) top scoring. Queenscliff used just three bowlers for the entire afternoon. Frank Mileto (4/37 from 15 overs), Jordan Monahan (3/69 from 26) and Tony Hanafin (3/68 from 31) were given plenty of work.
