Rupertswood got a much needed win in its quest to stay in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association’s McIntyre Cup.
One of four sides separated by less then seven points, every win along with every run and wicket is important in the run home.
Facing Lancefield, which is in the same predicament as Rupo in trying to survive in the top grade, it was always going to be a hard fought match.
The Tigers made 9-133 on day one on a pitch which was hard to score on.
Rupo ended up getting the runs seven wickets down and were eventually all out for 191.
Rupo coach Andrew Pizaro said it was much needed win for the side.
“Having beaten them earlier in the season, we were expected to win and they were without Luke Barker,” he said.
“Had we lost the game we deserved to be in the bottom bracket and deserved to be looking at relegation.
“It was a game where everyone contributed.”
Michael Treweek top scored with 51 to guide the side to victory, while Jordan Curran made 50 at the top of the order.
Pizaro said everyone knows what Treweek can do and his patience is one of his greatest assets, while he said he had told Curran to be patient early on, as there would be opportunities to attack the bowlers.
Pizaro said while those two hit the scoreboard, a lot of players were able to spend time at the crease and he was hoping the runs would soon flow.
“If we want to win another two or three games, we need a couple of others to stand up and score well with the bat.
“A few guys at the end of the innings made some runs, so hopefully that brings some confidence.
“We’ve been doing it with the ball, now we have to with the bat.”
The win moves Rupo from ninth up to seventh with four matches remaining.
Rupo will see a lot of Gisborne over the next two weekends. They face each other in the two-dayer over the next two Saturdays and also play each other in a one-dayer on Sunday.
Pizaro said they hoped to get a couple more wins to ensure they don’t get relegated.
“We’ve started to play some good cricket, barring the Riddell game when it rained all day.
“We’ve got Gisborne in a double header and it will be interesting,” he said.
“It’s up to us to fight it out and see where things go. Upsets can happen towards the end of the season.”
Rupo president Peter Kavanagh had previously said the preseason the aim was to match sure they stayed in the top division after getting a last minute reprieve from relegation.
He said this really helped the cause of the side.
“It takes the pressure off for sure,” he said.
“It’s a real bonus and a win we needed.
“If we can get one or two more wins and finish on a positive note would be good. We definitely don’t want it coming down to the final round.”
While Rupo’s top side it out of finals contention, their second and third sides are among the mix in their respective grades.
Kavanagh said they would have one eye on those sides and getting them ready for finals, which may give some other players a shot at playing in the McIntyre Cup.
In other McIntyre Cup results, Bacchus Marsh and Gisborne both narrowly missed out on claiming outright wins against Woodend and Diggers Rest Bulla respectively.
The Bulls, who had already claimed first innings points on day one, declared at 7-263 with a lead of 201. Woodend held on, finishing 9-116.
Gisborne was two wickets away from an outright win. With 9-331 on the board, the Dragons bowled the Burras out for 152. Sending them back in, the Burras finished 8-94 in their second innings.
A Jason McGann double century sealed Sunbury’s win against Sunbury United. Riddell defeated Romsey in the other game.
