Hill scores career best as Camberwell keep in touch with top eight.

The Camberwell Magpies have kept their Bartercard Victorian Premier League cricket season alive with a strong performance to defeat Melbourne University in round sixteen of the competition at University Main Oval. Batting first in scorching heat the 'Pies amassed 3-345 with number three Simon Hill brilliant, compiling a career-best un-beaten 169 including twenty boundaries and three sixes. Hill combined with Thomas Russ, 64, in a game defining partnership of 200 and with a late burst of 40 from Justin Lampard the 'Pies were well on their way to snuffing the home side out.

Student’s spinner Fawad Ahmed took all three Camberwell wickets to fall finishing with 3-120 off 32 overs. On day two the Student's run chase began cautiously with runs hard to come by thanks to some tight bowling by Pie's paceman Will Walker and Simon O'Brien.

The home side lost wickets regularly and when former Pie, Dan Hutton, was run out for 60, the Students were 5-111. Another former Pie, James Bett, 50, and Antony Keely, 54, fought hard to put on 89 before Camberwell skipper Brendan Drew, 2-44, and Jack McNamara, 3-53 tidied up the tail, the final four wickets falling for just nineteen runs to leave the Students 73 runs short on 272.

Camberwell now sit in tenth place on the ladder just three points adrift of Fitzroy Doncaster in eighth. Melbourne Uni is six points behind the 'Pies in eleventh. Camberwell now face a must-win game at home in round seventeen against second-placed Footscray Edgewater before travelling to Dandenong in the final round.

The Pies will be looking to take advantage of their final home game next round with Fitzroy Doncaster facing tough matches against Carlton and Melbourne in their final two games. The Students finish with an even tougher task facing top team St.Kilda followed by Geelong in the final round.