• Footscray, Yarraville, Braybrook Star

9th March 2010 11:05:38 AM

Cautions combination … The performances of Travis Dean and First XI debutant Dylan Kight have been highlights for Footscray-Edgewater in a disappointing Premier Cricket season. 42210

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IT WAS an anti-climactic end to the Premier Cricket season for Footscray-Edgewater on Saturday with heavy rain washing out its round 15 game against Geelong.

It may have been a blessing in disguise for the Bulldogs with the home side at Merv Hughes Oval in trouble at 7/127 chasing the Cats’ day one total of 221.

The final result left the Bulldogs sitting in 15th position with four wins and 10 losses for the season.

The statistics were disappointing to look at but as coach Michael O’Sullivan pointed out there were some positives to take out of the season after they fielded a side without 2009 big name departures including Matthew Love, Andrew McCammond and Stuart Brohaska.

“In a long time it will be seen as a positive because of all the young ones who came through,” he said. “We had a number of players learning how to play First XI which is brand new to them.

“Players like Robbo (Brad Robertson) who hadn’t played a game last year, now he is right up there in Premier Cricket as good as you can get.

“He could be one of the really, really outstanding Premier Cricket bowlers.”

O’Sullivan said other younger players to impress this season were Ben Green, Lucas Dredge, Dylan Kight and Travis Dean.

“Green really understands now how to bowl at this level, a 19-year-old, he really put pressure on good batters.

“Dredgey had some good experiences after being in the thirds all last year.

“Dylan Kight brand new and 18-year-old, Trav Dean still brand new 18-year-old. There is a lot to look forward to.”

The performances of Shaun Dean throughout the season were also a highlight. The Geelong recruit and older brother of Travis scored consistently before he was sidelined by injury.

“Shaun Dean was a great recruit,” O’Sullivan said.

“The last two or three games he broke an arm but we can only expect more from him. He gave us some great spine at the top of the order and I think he is in the best few opening bats in the competition and could only go further in years to come.”

On Sunday, young gun and 2009-10 revelation Kight was at the crease on 14 not out with Green yet to score at the other end when the heavens opened.

Earlier in the day opener Greg Sheehan built on his total of 18 but was trapped in front for 23.

Travis Dean batting at number four put on a team high 36 after sticking it out in the middle for over an hour. At the other end experienced campaigners Nathan Geisler (0) and Carl Sandri (4) fell with little fight.

Kight joined Dean at the crease and the two continued cautiously but when Dean was sent back to the pavilion after a tidy caught and bowled from Geelong’s Jeremy Hart things started to look grim for the Bulldogs 6/82.

Grant Lindsay put his hand up to steady the ship as he so often has in the past but a valiant 30 was not enough.

In the end the rain proved the Bulldogs saviour putting a damp end on a dreary season.

O’Sullivan admitted his side has some work to do but felt they were not that far off during the year.

“It’s a long way to go but in saying that only two games throughout the whole year that we weren’t up to scratch, all the rest we thought we were thereabouts or competitive.

“Probably three or four games we really thought we were the better side in the game.”

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