Date-stamped : 23 Mar94 - 14:24
AUS GRADE CRICKET : VCA Melbourne : Semi-final
Ringwood v Fitzroy-Doncaster, Doncaster, 19-20 Mar 94

====> Day 1, 19 Mar 94
Favourites Melbourne and Fitzroy-Doncaster emerged from  day  one
of the District cricket semi-finals well placed to advance to the
Final despite spirited performances from both  Dandenong-Waverley
and  Ringwood.  A brilliant century from Ringwood's Gerard Clarke
has put the pressure on Fitzroy-Doncaster to bat out today.
At Schramms Reserve, the game  is  more  finely  balanced   after
Fitzroy-Doncaster  skipper  John  Scholes  won  the toss and sent
Ringwood in, only to see it amass 7/309,  due  mainly  to  opener
Clarke  (162  not  out),  who  took full toll of a tiring attack,
enabling Ringwood to blast 172 runs from 35  overs  in the   last
session.   Ringwood, which finished third, must dismiss  Fitzroy-
Doncaster to advance to the final.   Scholes'  decision  appeared
the   right   one   early   when  Craig McKissack,  back  after a
long  lay-off  due  to  injury,  grabbed  the  wickets  of  Brett
Montgomery  (8) and skipper Brerrdan  Ricci (4), to have Ringwood
2/32 on an easy-paced wick- et.  But as the day wore   on,   with
strike   bowler  Steve  Cottrell proving  expensive  and  veteran
Alan Melbourne and  David  Hampton  not  troubling  the  batsmen,
Clarke  and  Michael  Foster  (48)  added 99  in better-than-even
time for the sixth wicket to take control of the game.
(Bernard Dunn from The Sunday Age)
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