Brenton Cook, Simon Lambert score tons as St Albans thrash Keilor

Brenton Cook and Simon Lambert notch centuries in a 200-run opening stand to lead reigning VTCA Senior Division premier St Albans to a big win.

Standby … this could be one for the record books.

St Albans openers Brenton Cook and Simon Lambert each scored centuries in a 222-run opening stand against Keilor on Saturday and the Saints have launched an investigation to see if it’s a club record.

The mammoth partnership ensured the reigning VTCA Senior Division premier secured a percentage-boosting win as it bowled the Blues out for 159 to seal a 115-run victory.

Captain-coach Cook smashed six fours and six sixes in his 103 while Lambert hit 13 boundaries and another over the rope in his 102.

“I had a bit of luck early but it’s always good to score a few runs and put on a good partnership with Simon,” Cook said.

Shanaka Silva in action for St Albans. Picture: Andy Brownbill

“That’s our first big one for the year and hopefully there’s a few more of those to come.

“Simon batted really well, that’s his second straight score over 50, which is really promising.”

Keilor opener Robert Clements responded with an impressive 72 off just 62 balls but, except for Dinuska Malan (44), received little support from this teammates.

Former skipper Rob Nikolic was the pick of the St Albans bowlers, finishing with 3-21 from his eight overs.

“Rob’s doing a job for us through the middle orders, obviously a smart cricketers, tying batsmen down and getting a few wickets,” Cook said.

“He’s pretty comfortable in that role and still provides a fair bit of support for myself, which is great.

“It wasn’t great conditions with the wind but we opened up with spin from one end and pace from the other, into the wind.

“I thought our quicks did a really good job bowling into the breeze because it wasn’t an easy task.”

After a tough Round 1 loss to premiership rivals Doutta Stars, St Albans has bounced back with consecutive wins.

The Saints sit fifth on the ladder with a clutch of five teams on 12 points after three rounds.

The finals race will be hard-fought and big wins could be worth their weight in gold come the end of the season.

“You don’t want to be chasing your tail towards the end of the year, trying to make up wins and hope results go your way,” Cook said.

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“The key thing for us is to continue to build momentum and put full games together.

“It’s going to be tight at the top, we’ve got a 14-game season and you don’t want to be scrapping away in those third or fourth spots that could come down to percentage.

“Any opportunity to put a lot of runs on the board and take a lot of wickets is going to be beneficial.”

St Albans faces a massive fortnight leading into the Christmas break, hosting Westmeadows and Yarraville Club at Kings Park.