WITH first-innings points secured on the opening day of Round 4 of Barber Shield cricket, Mil Lel looked to carry its momentum into day two.
But at 7/99 overnight, the chance of an outright victory was slim.
That was how it would pan out, as East Gambier bowled Mil Lel out for 126, then went on to bat out 66 overs before stumps.
East mopped up the Mil Lel tail early, with Emerson Marks claiming two of those wickets.
The Bulldogs’ second-innings total of 180 came on the back of a solid settling knock of 53 from Marks, with Nathan Gore also contributing well down the order for 49.
But it was a less-than-ideal start for East with the bat, as captain Dion Stratford fell for one run with the total at just five.
Alex Hentschke joined Darren Whitehorn in the centre and the pair could only find another 12 runs, before Hentschke was on his way back to the sidelines, clean bowled by Ben Thiel for six.
Marks then went to work with the bat, creating a solid foundation for his half-century.
However, with the team total at just 34, Whitehorn departed, lbw to Thiel.
When Connor was judged lbw off Jack Miller for seven runs, East sat at 4/43 and needed a settling stand.
That came when Peter Kerr joined Marks in the centre.
While he only offered seven to the total, the partnership flourished for 30 handy runs.
Kyal Chapman then joined Marks and another handy partnership resulted.
The pair took the score to 106 before Chapman fell to Miller for 19.
Gore then took his chances and also began to find runs.
By that stage an outright victory to Mil Lel was out of the question, with East simply batting for pride.
While Gore fell agonisingly short of his half-century, his input down the order was certainly valuable.
In the end East finished the day at 9/180 after 66 overs.
While it was a first-innings victory for Mil Lel, there was little in the contest and East would be buoyed by its second innings with the bat.
For Mil Lel, Thiel and Justin Lamont claimed three wickets each on day two, while Miller managed two.
