The loss of a couple of late wickets left Woodend sitting on par with Riddell after day one of their two-day match in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup.
For most of the day Woodend was in control of the match against the unbeaten Bombers, but were left to rue the end.
The Bombers were bowled out for 167, a figure Woodend coach Michael Nalesnyik was happy with.
He wasn’t as happy after the side faced nine overs at the end of the day and lost two wickets to be 2-12 at stumps.
“To restrict them to a bit over 160 I would have taken at the end of the day,” he said.
“It hurt to lose a couple of wickets late, including the night watchman.
“The game’s probably on par. It’s one of the faster grounds and we need to put together a couple of partnerships to get over the line.”
Tom Robson and Peter Manser took four wickets each for Woodend, while Mick Allen led the way for the Bombers making 54.
After having an undermanned batting line-up the previous round against Bacchus Marsh, Nalesnyik said they were getting closer to full strength.
However, Nalesnyik won’t play again, as he needs surgery on an ACL injury.
The coach said it was slightly different watching from the sidelines.
“It takes a little bit to get used to,” he said.
“I’m looking at a few other parts of the game and looking where we can improve.”
After playing day one of a two-day match on Saturday, Woodend didn’t have long to recover with a one-day match on Sunday, also against the Bombers.
Woodend was bowled out for 155, before the Bombers made the runs with more than 10 overs remaining.
Nalesnyik said there was one difference in the game, Mick Allen.
Allen made 91 not out, including 12 fours and three sixes, to guide his side to the win.
“We were 30 to 40 runs short and were outclassed by Mick Allen,” he said.
“He’s really good to watch from the sidelines, but unfortunately if was against our side.”
The two matches against the Bombers caps off a difficult stretch for Woodend, which faced the other undefeated side Bacchus Marsh in the previous round.
Nalesnyik said he hoped to get the runs against the Bombers this weekend to get a much-needed win and cement their spot in the top four.
“We had a poor game last week and now we’re in with a red hot chance against one of the top sides,” he said.
“If we play well, we can be right up there.
“We might need one more win from the final two games to secure finals.
“We’ll see how we go and hopefully finish strongly.”
In the rest of the two-day matches, bowlers seemed to have the better of day one.
Romsey is 4-77 in reply to Lancefield’s 140, Rupertswood is 0-6 in reply to Gisborne’s 162, Bacchus Marsh is just eight runs from victory against Sunbury and Diggers Rest Bulla has already claimed first innings points against Sunbury United.
