Wicket time: Mulgrave's Jarrod Crowden and Andrew Campbell celebrate a wicket on Saturday. Picture: Lucy Di Paolo
MULGRAVE captain Dean Day wasn't sure his young side was ready to play its Eastern Cricket Association Dunstan Shield match against Boronia on Saturday.
The team was the youngest the club had fielded in almost 20 years and Day wondered if a postponement, due to rain, might serve the club better, as the game would be replayed later in the season.
But as the cricket gods seem to do, the weather allowed for play to get under way at Mulgrave Reserve and the young Mulgrave side kept Boronia to just 126, then went on to record a five-wicket win.
Day made 58 at the top of the order while Hans Nathanielsz made 21 runs late in the innings to see the side home.
Earlier in the day bowlers Brad Flintoff (o-16), Paul Young (2-12) and Day (3-15) all put in tight performances to restrict the Hawks.
Day praised his young side for standing up and recording a very handy early season win. "Any game you get in at this time of year is a bonus," Day said.
"I was kind of hoping we wouldn't play and would get to make the game up in January but we have scored a very good win and next match we could get back four senior players."
Day said the Mulgrave Reserve curator had done an "pretty good job" to get the wicket ready for play.