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VSDCA 2018-19: Irish pair inspire Preston to win over Noble Park

Preston had the luck of the Irish on its side as it clinched its first victory of the VSDCA campaign against Noble Park on Saturday.

Preston captain Eoghan Delany made an unbeaten 52 on Saturday. Picture: Valeriu Campan
Preston captain Eoghan Delany made an unbeaten 52 on Saturday. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Preston had the luck of the Irish on its side as it clinched its first victory of the VSDCA campaign against Noble Park on Saturday.

Irish pair Fionn Hand (58 not out) and Eoghan Delany (52 not out) were the matchwinners for the Bullants as they registered a seven-wicket win at Pat Wright Oval.

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Hand and Delany came together with Preston on the ropes after the loss of three early wickets in its reply to Noble Park’s 129.

Staring at a 0-4 start to 2018-19, the Bullants duo produced a patient stand, guiding their side to victory in 42.2 overs.

Delany’s half-century continued a superb opening to his second season at Preston, taking his tally to 261 runs at an average of 130.5.

“Personal form is all very nice but I would have traded a lot of those runs for just getting the first win on the board,” the Bullants skipper said.

“I thought we probably would have had it in Round 1 when we lost by a wicket, then the next two losses after that were pretty hard to take given where we’d been.

“It felt like we fell back an awful long way. So to get it against a team that’s top of the ladder was pretty nice.”

Preston’s bowlers produced an emphatic response to their hiding against Ivanhoe, taking 7-64 after the Parkers had been 3-65.

Daniel Daddona (3-21), Chaminda Vidanapathirana (2-22) and Jackson Smith (2-31) stood tall for the Bullants, keeping their target to less than three runs an over.

“I think if you look at any of our scorecards it’s the second half with the bat that has really let us down,” Delany said.

“Our bowling unit is very strong so when we can back them up with the bat, obviously we get points on the board.”

Preston rose to ninth on the North-East ladder after four rounds.

“Teams that come up against us I think are quite surprised at how strong our bowling unit is. We haven’t backed them up with the bat,” Delany said.

The Bullants host Croydon in Round 5, which starts on Saturday.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north/sport/vsdca-201819-irish-pair-inspire-preston-to-win-over-noble-park/news-story/ef6aac272ea3bf31d7f04b3932e085d6