VTCA 2018-19: Will Sheridan stars in Yarraville Club’s win over Seddon

Yarraville Club’s season was on the line against rival Seddon on Saturday. And the powerhouse club delivered a stirring response, led by its bowlers.

Will Sheridan grabbed his second five-wicket haul of the season on Saturday. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Yarraville Club has enjoyed a golden decade in the VTCA.

The Clubbers have dominated opponents and stacked their trophy cabinet, claiming eight of the last 10 Senior Division premierships.

But the powerhouse found itself in the unenviable and unfamiliar position of sitting in last spot on the ladder entering Saturday’s crunch one-day fixture against rival Seddon.

The result? An emphatic five-wicket victory and firm reminder Yarraville Club is not done yet.

“After so many years of playing together and having success together, it was definitely a different scenario we had to deal with and it took us probably longer than we wanted to work out how to rectify what was going wrong,” skipper Andrew Cullen said.

“In previous years we’ve been able to flick a switch. This year we haven’t been able to do that — we’ve actually had to work really hard for it.

“Hopefully this sort of form can continue for the remaining (four) games we’ve got (in the regular season).”

Seddon won the toss and opted to bat at Hanmer Reserve and never got going against the relentless Clubbers, who had their season on the line.

Will Sheridan (5-23) collected his second five-wicket haul of the campaign, while Emmett Bronca (3-23) returned his best figures of 2018-19.

The Dockers were rolled for a paltry 66 in 25.3 overs, with only captain John Taylor (34 not out) offering resistance.

“The main thing is they got their areas right and didn’t worry if guys were attacking them,” Cullen said of his bowlers.

“You can see by the way we got our wickets, with lbws and bowled.

“Everything else was caught from point backwards. There was one catch at point and three or four in slips or by the wicketkeeper (Ben Tupper).”

While Yarraville Club lost five wickets in the run chase, the result was never in doubt as it knocked off the required runs in 17 overs.

The win lifted the Clubbers to seventh spot on the ladder with a 3-2-5 record, above only St Albans.

Doutta Stars, Strathmore, Sunshine United and Spotswood — Yarraville Club’s next opponent — make up the top four.

“I suppose every game after Christmas is like a mini-final for us,” Cullen said.

“After every round, the positions on the ladder change. It’s still open, but everything from now on is basically a season-defining game.

“The main focus is just looking at what’s in front of us and what we have next.”