TOP side Mandurang has set Emu Creek a daunting run-chase in their round nine Emu Valley Cricket Association match.
The Rangas smashed 6-395 off their 75 overs on day one at Tannery Lane on Saturday.
The run-feast was highlighted by a century to captain Leigh Haw, who smashed 120 at No.4.
The 32-year-old has been in brilliant form since the season resumed, with his three knocks since the Christmas break yielding scores of 120, 69 and 72.
Haw was one of three Mandurang players to pass 50, with Cain Ladiges (88) and Geoff Thompson (78 n.o.) also getting among the runs.
Ladiges – whose 88 was his fourth score above 50 this season – put on 167 for the fourth wicket with Haw, taking the score from 3-85 to 252.
Opening bowler Justin Hancock (3-100) was the leading wicket-taker for Emu Creek.
● Spring Gully captain Shaun Makepeace’s solid form with the bat continued against West Bendigo.
The Crows made a challenging 284 at Spring Gully, with Makepeace top-scoring with 88 as he followed on from his 115 against Mandurang the previous week.
Makepeace leads the EVCA in runs with 511, with 346 of those scored in his past four innings.
Highlighting just how dominant Makepeace was, the second wicket fell with the score on 59, with the two batsmen out, Luke Bell and Jayden Mannix, having made just two runs between them.
Also having good days with the bat were Ricky Mannix (77), who now has 438 runs for the season, and veteran Des Gilmore (60).
Glen Wallis took 3-45 for the Redbacks, who at stumps were 1-15 off five overs in reply.
● After consecutive losses, United has set itself up for a tilt at outright points against Sedgwick at Catholic College.
Sedgwick was bundled out for just 68 off 40.3 overs, with the Rams losing their last six wickets for a meagre 11 runs.
Only Scott McKenzie (17), Andrew Sharpe (16) and Patrick Egan (13) made double figures for Sedgwick, which had six players score less than five.
The in-form Keiran Nihill (3-16) and Cameron Davie (3-15) took three wickets apiece for United.
At stumps the Tigers had raced to 2-151 off 29 overs.
Captain Alexander Collins (87) made his second-consecutive half-century, before he was trapped lbw by McKenzie (1-5) just before stumps.
Jayde Mullane was unbeaten on 43 after starting his innings with the score 1-4 following the dismissal of Forbes Klemm (0).
● Golden Gully’s Shaun O’Shea tore through Maiden Gully to claim a seven-wicket haul.
O’Shea picked up 7-56 off 20 overs in Maiden Gully’s total of 125.
It was O’Shea’s third haul of six or more wickets for the season, with all seven wickets being catches.
Andre Clayton (42) top-scored for Maiden Gully, which was bowled out in 40.4 overs.
However, Maiden Gully fought back with the ball and at stumps had Golden Gully 5-72.
Will Horan scored 45 of Golden Gully’s 72 runs before he was the fifth wicket to fall.
● There was no play in the Marong versus Axe Creek game at Malone Park.
The sprinklers being left on Friday night left the outfield soaked and unplayable. The sides will play a one-day match this Saturday.
Email a friend