Premier Cricket: Vish Bansal cracks sizzling century for Frankston

Twelve sixes were hit and three balls were lost as Heat opener Vish Bansal blazed a brilliant century in Premier Cricket.

Frankston Peninsula opener Vish Bansal. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Twelve sixes were hit.

Three balls were lost.

Frankston Peninsula opener Vish Bansal left a trail of destruction as he smashed 137 off 108 balls against Fitzroy Doncaster on Saturday.

Nearby houses at Schramms Reserve were in danger as the tall left-hander finally fulfilled his awesome promise.

He laced 10 to the boundary and nine over it in the innings of the season so far.

Frankston gun Brodie Symons was also in the mood for attack, cracking three sixes in a hand of 42.

Bansal and Symons put on 101 for the third wicket as Frankston stacked up 271 and then held the Lions to 9-244.

It was the Heat’s first win of the season.

Frankston Peninsula players celebrate a wicket. Picture: George Sal

But it was the Bansal blitz that had everyone talking.

Frankston Peninsula coach Paul Boraston said it was an eye-popping display of clean hitting.

“I haven’t see anything like that for a long time,” he said.

“He was smart. He got through the first few overs and had a look and then anything in his arc he just put away. He hit nine sixes.”

Bansal moved to Australia from India about three years ago and played with Taylors Lakes in the Subbies competition.

He joined Frankston Peninsula last season and impressed the Heat coaching staff with his stylish strokes and crisp timing, even though he never got going.

“Look, he’s been threatening (to score a big ton) for probably 12 months,” Boraston said.

“But on Saturday he managed to get through the first 10 overs and then picked his bowlers and his targets and he just set the game up for us.

Anurag Singh Dhaliwal bowls for Frankston Peninsula.

“Anything short of a length he was picking up and hitting square.

“He just planted his foot and slog swept their spinner.

“It was proper batting.”

Frankston Peninsula opener Ryan Hammel made 29 and shared an 87-run opening stand with Bansal.

With the ball, the Heat had options aplenty.

Skipper James Nanopoulos struck early and finished with 3-38 off 10 overs.

Spinner Bailen Clarke impressed, taking 2-48, and Symons, Tej Gandhi, Anurag Singh Dhaliwal and Jack Conroy claimed a wicket.

“We always felt like we were ahead of the game,’’ Boraston said.

Liam Banthorpe (70) and Ejaaz Alavi (50no) did best for Fitzroy Doncaster.

*The Heat nearly had a century-maker in the fourths, with opener Nick England making 97 not out against Fitzroy Doncaster at Coburn Oval on Sunday.

The right-hander, who hit eight boundaries and faced 148 balls, has been busy in the opening two weeks of the season — with the Fourths playing on Sundays, he has played in Baxter’s First XI in the MPCA on Saturdays, helping Baxter win its opening two games.