ECA: East Doncaster secure Dunstan Shield finals position
East Doncaster captain Matt Vaiano has opened up on how his side was able to get its premiership defence back on track as they locked away another finals appearance.
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East Doncaster may have endured a slow start to the season but its red hot heading into this weekend’s finals series.
The reigning Dunstan Shield Eastern Cricket Association premier got the better of Glen Iris by six weeks to secure their place in the top four.
East will enter the semi-final against North Balwyn on the back of three straight wins.
It had been slow out of the blocks to start the new campaign with back-to-back losses.
Openers Peter Dickson (27 runs) and James Green (29 runs) were able to put the hosts in a strong position during their run chase after Glen Iris were bowled out for 126.
Kyle Hoath (3-29) and Scott Maizels (3-35) were most successful with the ball.
They shared a 40-run partnership which captain Matt Vaiano said “set the scene” for the rest of the game.
“We wanted to kill the game early,” he said.
“Pete and James got us off to the perfect start where we felt like we were well in control out in the middle.”
Despite having to play catch up after their early season form, Vaiano said he always felt confident his team could turn it around.
After all, East Doncaster has finished on top of the ladder in the past two seasons.
And they have not missed finals since the 2016-17 season when they finished fifth.
“Once we got stuck into our work everything started to come together,” Vaiano said.
“Everyone has stood up when they’ve needed to and it’s helped us to play our best cricket.”
Vaiano said his team would need to be at their best against North Balwyn if they are to earn a place in the grand final.
“We’ve had some fantastic clashes over the past few years and I don’t think this coming weekend will be any different,” he said.
East Doncaster finished as the highest scoring team during the home and away season.
Meanwhile, Dickson finished second on the competition run scoring charts with 439 runs.
He was only bettered by Glen Iris’ Nathan Boucher who led the way with 484.
DUNSTAN SHIELD SEMI-FINAL FIXTURES
Old Carey v Canterbury at Carey Sporting Complex
North Balwyn v East Doncaster at Macleay Park
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