Crocs, Bloods in the lead

WITH persistent rain leading up to Round Four action in the Yarra Valley Cricket Association, many thought the charmed run with weather would finish.
However, the skies cleared to see the association navigate through the first four weeks of the season unaffected.
After the opening four one day games in DJ Strachan Shield, Coldstream and Healesville have emerged as the early front runners.
Warburton-Millgrove hosted Coldstream in a clash of the two undefeated teams in a crucial clash for the winners to cement an early position in the top four.
The Burras batted first, and despite a solid contribution from captain Troy Murphy (54), the home side struggled to post a respectable score.
The Crocs consistently took wickets across the innings on the back of a masterful performance by recruit Jarrod Bayliss.
Bayliss ripped through the Burras with fantastic figures of 6/26 on the way to dismissing the hosts for 118.
Stephen Phillips (34) and Danny Adams (30) are quickly establishing themselves as the inform opening pair of the competition as they ensured Warburton-Millgrove made no early inroads into the Crocs batting, and took any sting out of the attack to assist their team to the victory target.
Inform bowler Connor Loughnan (2/26) made sure it was not a complete wipe out, but the visitors cruised to the victory target with the loss of only four wickets.
Healesville posted their third victory on the trot with a commanding victory at Woori Yallock.
The home side batted first and their openers Daniel Mock (60) and Daniel Reid (54) quickly had the Tigers in the ascendancy with a well-compiled opening partnership with the side on target for a sizable total.
Despite inform Bloods bowlers Dylan Moore (4/36) and Brian Scanlon (4/36) reining things in after the fall of the openers, the Tigers still managed to put together 188, a tough score to chase.
Healesville’s strength has been its batting in the opening four weeks of the season, and they would have to be at their best to chase down the Tigers’ total.
New captain Geoff Stock has shown promising signs through his first couple of seasons at Queen’s Park without dominating the competition.
It seems the added responsibility of the captaincy is bringing the best out of him as his masterful 75, combined with a valuable 49 from Aaron Violi, saw the Bloods to victory with only four wickets lost.
The game between Yarra Junction and Hoddles Creek was over within a blink of an eye as the Eagles made short work of the dismal Wombats.
Hoddles Creek batted first and soon found themselves in trouble against the skilled bowling of Quentin Hodgkinson (2/4).
However it was the unheralded Terry Ottrey who dismantled the Wombats with a devastating 5/8, and with the spin of Daniel Lever netting 3/7, the visitors wilted to be all out for 31.
Yarra Junction nearly made a meal of the chase, losing four quick wickets, three to promising quick Nick Bark, but the Wombats total was never going to be defendable.
The big fizzer of the round was the grand final replay between Seville and Mount Evelyn, not due to the state of play, but the lack of it.
The rain during the week confounded the Seville ground, affectionately known as the ‘Potato Chip’, to a quagmire.
With only one win from their first three games, the reigning premiers will rue the missed opportunity to gain some ground on their competitors, while Mount Evelyn missed the opportunity to further establish their position in the top four.
DJ Strachan Shield
Coldstream 4/119 (Phillips 34, Adams 30, Loughnan 2/26) d Warburton-Millgrove 10/118 (Murphy 54, Bayliss 6/26).
Healesville 4/190 (Stock 75, Violi 49) d Woori Yallock 10/188 (Mock 60, Reid 54, Moore 4/36, Scanlon 4/36). Yarra Junction 4/33 (Bark 3/12) d Hoddles Creek 10/31 (Ottrey 5/8, Lever 3/7, Hodgkinson 2/4).
Seville v Mt Evelyn (match abandoned).
RA Finger Trophy
Seville 4/57 (Oates 31, Orren 2/20, Bourke 2/20) d Yarra Glen 10/54 (Sanford 3/15, Clarke 3/19).
Healesville 2/138 (Horner 64, Wallis 37, Diggins 2/13) d Woori Yallock 10/136 (Diggins 65, Selby 36, Daly 5/44, Pearce 4/34).
Hoddles Creek 9/133 (Bell 33, Rowe 29, Boxell 3/26, Chaproniere 3/30, Bickerton 2/5) d Yarra Junction 9/132 (Bickerton 48, Fall 36, Tipping 4/21, Jones 4/40).
Coldstream 6/142 (Brambilla 52, Batchelor 49, Irwin 2/18, Bailey 2/26) d Warburton-Millgrove 10/111 (Hardinge 45, Abblitt 15, Parkman 11, Batchelor 3/22, Kincaid 3/23, Hulm 3/24).
C Grade
Marysville 6/92 (Gleeson 24, Hilder 17, Fawdry 3/15) d Healesville 84 (Fawdry 21, Mackey 21, Kay 3/13, Fisher 3/24).
Mount Evelyn 7/172 (Giblin 56, Whiting 28, Doyle 23, Sondergeld, 1/5, Corbett 1/8) d Seville 130 (Hancock 3/21, Doyle 3/26, Meades 3/30, Sondergeld 36, Cooper 20).
Wandin 8/142 (Marshall 41, Hodgetts 3/16, Waixel 3/19) d Gruyere 75 (Baltrami 22, Oakley 6/48, Marshall 4/27).
Launching Place (bye).
D Grade
Mount Evelyn (Oultram 61, Westaway 31, Culwick 2/33) d Seville 4/149 (Stevenson 45, Spargo 39, Ortu 2/28).
Hoddles Creek 7/148 (Finch 54, Andrews 26) d Warburton Millgrove 8/132 (Nelson 43, McIntosh 43, Finch 2/13).
Yarra Junction 7/97 (Boxell 26, Hawkins 24, Black 3/19) d Launching Place 8/91 (Mon Alphi 23, Parker 17, Cook 3/10, Flutter 3/16, Lebrocq 2/19).
Coldstream 9/143 (Wheeler 33, Glassborow 20, Nicolandos 14) d Healesville 10/36 (Nolan 11, Fitzpatrick 8, Pegg 3/3, Mitchell 2/2, Cummins 2/12).
Wandin 7/101 (Champion 56, Cope 3/15) d Powelltown 93 (Sanders 25, Corrin 3/22, McKenzie 4/2). One Day Grade
Woori Yallock 4/85 (Sharman 43) d Yarra Junction 10/78 (Stained 23, Sanders 3/5). Yarra Glen Maroon 8/97 (Smith 33, Adamson 14, Boam 3/12) d Seville 92 (Kroeger 27, Minnit 3/10, Crawford 2/6, Whelan 2/17).
Silvan 9/203 (Reynolds 70, Dipietrantonio 70, Trembath 4/15, Alderman 3/23) d Wandin 129 (Murray 27, Stoll 19, Cannata 2/3, Lamonica 2/19).