MOUNT Waverley has vowed to fight on and turn its season around following a second straight loss in the Victorian Sub District Cricket Association on Saturday.
Chasing Croydon's modest total of 148, Mt Waverley couldn't keep its wickets intact and lost by nine runs at Mt Waverley Reserve.
Mt Waverley captain Dhugal Bedingfield said his batsmen had failed to chase a very achievable total.
"We just didn't bat well enough - simple as that. We didn't put enough value on our wickets. We almost got there in the end but we shouldn't be leaving it to our tailenders to get the runs.
"The score of 148 was a very gettable total that we just didn't bat good enough to make."
After the Cockies fell to 6-64 in their innings, lower-order bats Riley Paterson (38 not out) and Michael Ashton (31) put on a 58-run partnership for the seventh wicket. The partnership proved decisive as it allowed the visitors to bat out their innings. Mt Waverley seamer Roy Paterson took 4-33 and Andrew Ternes took 2-6 from nine overs.
The home side struggled early, falling to 3-23 before Bedingfield (17) and Andrew Northridge (33) steadied the innings before the skipper was dismissed.
Northridge and David Hegarty (13) looked comfortable before Riley Paterson trapped Northridge leg before wicket. Then Hegarty was caught off off-spinner Steven Wright.
The partnership by Ternes (28) and No. 11 Milan Fernando almost ended early when a mix-up left Ternes stranded mid-pitch. But the throw to the bowler's end was poor and allowed him to make his ground.
With nine runs to get from nine balls, Ternes's lofted shot was caught off Adam Quirk to end the match.
"I just think the top three again got out cheaply," Bedingfield said.
"Credit to Croydon, who bowled well and put in some good deliveries. We really needed a partnership to steady our innings.
"I'm not sure what our biggest partnership for the day was but it wouldn't have been more than 30.
"One of the things we have been focusing on is getting partnerships of 35 runs or more, if we had got three of them today then we would have won."
Despite the two losses, Bedingfield said his side would bounce back. "The boys are pretty down and the mood in the rooms is pretty depressing. We've still got the belief we are a pretty good side; we still think we have got a better side than we had last year.
"There is a hell of a lot of upside to our group; we'll try not to get too down because there are some pretty handy cricketers in those change rooms."
■ New Oakleigh playing coach Brendan McGuinness continued his stellar start to the season with 54 as the Oaks defended their total of 6-165 against Coburg at Coburg City Oval on Saturday.
The Oaks bowled out the home side for 128 with Michael Splatt (4-9) and Ben Pinwill (3-32) leading the way.
The VSDCA Twenty20 competition begins this Tuesday night with Oakleigh visiting Endeavour Hills and Mt Waverley visiting Noble Park; both matches start at 5.15pm.