By JARROD POTTER
Victorian Premier Cricket – Premier Round 16 (day 1)
A MAIDEN milestone gave Casey-South Melbourne (287) a boost against Frankston-Peninsula.
Drip-by-drip the Swans started to push ahead of the Heat as Josh Holden (41) and Dan Watson (61) stabilised the top of the order.
As the sun started to bake AH Butler Oval, Casey-South Melbourne started to wilt; falling to 4/84 before Watson and the stellar debut centurion Devin Pollock (104) were brought together.
Pollock – in his first season in the top grade after switching from thirds and fourths in recent years – made the most of his early opportunities at number six to pile on the century in a 105-run stand with Watson.
The Yarragon youngster smashed through the likes of Jake Wood (2/58) and Bushranger Jon Holland (1/52) to knock in his first score of substance in the highest grade. The duo pillaged the Heat to turn the tables as they both struck the bad ball into and over the boundary before Watson lost his pegs to Matthew Gapes (2/26), leaving the going up to Pollock.
With Shane Maggs (26), Pollock continued to punish the bad ball before he finally fell to Chris McCormick (2/38) after the resolute 160-ball century.
THE tough days in the field are not going away for Dandenong as Ringwood (5/341) piled on the pain at Shepley Oval.
With hot, windy conditions ideally favouring neither side, the Rams took the initiative first as captain Tom Stray (158 not out) smashed his best Premier Cricket tally.
The early strike from Justin Butterfield (1/67) was about the only joy the Panthers could muster as Stray cantered past the opposition’s attack.
Stray – in tandem with David King (44) – knocked in 79 for the second wicket before Dan Doran (1/64) – who enjoyed the gusty wind pushing across his off-spinners at the pavilion end – picked up his solitary wicket of the afternoon.
The pressure would only magnify from there for Dandenong as Stray and Ian Holland (90) put on the match-defining partnership – a Herculean 173-run stand to all but sink Dandenong’s resolve on the first day.
Young paceman Adam McMaster (2/51) snared career best figures as he kept the ball up to Stray and Holland throughout the afternoon and eventually forced the false shot from Holland 10 shy of his century.
Stray was unbeaten at stumps and will resume on Saturday.
