Eastern Cricket Association: Mont Albert defeats North Balwyn to win the Dunstan Shield

The party is raging at Mont Albert Reserve after Mont Albert captured the Dunstan Shield in fine style with a comfortable win over reigning champions North Balwyn

Mont Albert’s Andrew Padbury celebrates the wicket of Balwyn’s Elliott Forbes on Saturday. Picture: Hamish Blair

The party is raging at Mont Albert Reserve after Mont Albert captured the Dunstan Shield in fine style with a comfortable win over reigning champions North Balwyn over the weekend.

After an outstanding effort with the ball to limit the Bulls to just 164 on day one, Mont Albert wrapped up a premiership-winning run chase with seven wickets and nearly 20 overs to spare on Sunday.

Mont had its nose in front after the opening day at Mont Albert Reserve on Saturday when, after winning the toss, North Balwyn took to the crease first but was quickly set back on its heels with Douglas Bergamin (0), Elliott Forbes (0) and Richard Macafee (3) all back in the sheds and just 11 runs on the board.

From that position Mont Albert was well-placed to run through the Bulls and have one hand on the premiership.

But, after being dropped early, North Balwyn skipper and batting linchpin Nitesh Patel and last year’s grand final half-century maker Max Tomkinson righted the ship with a vital 80-run stand.

Tim Wright’s unbeaten 84 was a match-winner. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Patel’s patient 56 came off 183 balls with 5 fours while Tomkinson knuckled down for 118 balls for his 46, also with five boundaries.

When Ben Torney added 24 in 53 balls with 4 fours, the experienced North Balwyn middle order looked to have regained the momentum and, at 4-133, a platform had been established to have a crack at a meaty total

But the Mont Albert attack was not about to let a big opportunity slip from its grasp and snared the wickets of Torney, James Binney and Patel in the space of seven runs to again have the edge.

A quickfire 20 in 27 balls from Hugh Cohen helped up the ante and North Balwyn finished with a below par but defendable 164 in 77.2 overs.

Brett Watkins was the star with the ball snaring 6-52 in 27.2 overs with eight maidens in sapping heat while Chris Jackson chipped in with a handy haul of 2-16 to keep the pressure on the North Balwyn batting.

Mont Albert had to survive a tricky two-over stint prior to stumps and reached the close of play unscathed at 0-2, Ryan McClure (0 not out) and Tim Wright (2 not out).

On Sunday, Mont Albert lost McClure (7) early before Wright and skipper Jack Joslin put on 45 runs for the second wicket.

But the dismissal of Joslin and James Blair-Holt in quick succession set the chase back and the game was again an even money affair.

Wright however stamped his presence on the contest with an unbeaten 84 off 196 balls with 7 fours and, when he joined forces with Eddie Wilson (40 in 57 balls), the resulting 87-run partnership swept Mont Albert to victory with time to spare.

On a great weekend for the club, Mont Albert also won the premiership in B Turf (Armstrong Shield) and G Turf (Butler Shield).

Nitesh Patel kept North Balwyn in the game with a half-century on Day 1. Picture: Hamish Blair