No trouble for Demons over Bombers: Round 2 Victorian Premier League Cricket.

Melbourne have made light work of their win over Essendon in round two of the Victorian Premier League cricket season at Windy Hill. After bowling out the Bombers for 168, the Demons took just 39.2 overs to reach the total; Matthew Brown unbeaten on 66 and Alex Keath (above), 67, the major contributors for the Demons.

On a perfect spring day in Essendon the home side won the toss and elected to bat. On a slow wicket the Bombers found it tough to get any momentum in their innings with wickets falling on a regular basis. Bomber's all-rounder Solomon Mire was a crucial first scalp for the Demons caught off Nicholas Quinn for three. When Melbourne skipper Andrew Kent ran out his Essendon counterpart Ben MacRea (21) the score was three for 67. Former ACT player and keeper Aaron Ayre in his first season with the Bombers played a lone hand scoring a well made 55 before being bowled by Quinn.

Patrick Smith picked up two late wickets to finish with three for thirty from 9.4 overs whilst Quinn 2-41 off eight and Keath 2-19 also from eight shard the spoils for the Demon bowlers. Melbourne's run chase began with a couple of jitters when former North Melbourne paceman, Matthew Doric, picked up Kent and Matthew Begbie, both caught behind, to have the Demons at two for twenty-six. Keath was then joined by Brown and the pair combined for a partnership of one-hundred to put the match beyond doubt. Both scored at will hitting two sixes each. Keath was finally dismissed bowled around his legs by spinner James Seymour but the damage had been done. Brown remained unbeaten on 67 from 85 deliveries and was glad to get the points batting second. "It crumbled up later on in our innings and then just went a little underground", Brown said. "It was a front foot wicket and that's what Keathy and I tried to do. We sort of got the signal from the change rooms to take the power play and to try and get them in forty overs".

Doric was the pick of the Bomber's bowlers with 2-27 off his ten overs. The Demons face Prahan next week in a replay of last year's one-day final in what Brown labels as a 'bit of a grudge match". On the Sunday they they will be well fancied away to Frankston while Essendon meet the two Uni's with Hawthorn Monash away on Saturday and Melbourne at home on Sunday.