Brierly-Christ Church posts mammoth 397-run haul to firm premiership credentials

A stunning 140-run haul from skipper Matt Love set the tone but youngster Luke Wilson (80) and Lachie Rooke (84) raised eyebrows as the Bulls stunned Allansford on Saturday.

Love said Brierly-Christ Church's 397-run masterclass offered valuable batting time to his middle order.

"A lot of the guys in the middle to lower order have been starved of opportunity," he told The Standard.

"We've chased a lot and in a lot of the games we've gone past a score only a few wickets down.

"To have the opportunity to bat all day... I batted a lot with Luke Wilson when he came in at six and he just batted beautifully."

Love, a former Victorian Premier Cricket captain-coach at Greenvale-North Melbourne, expected both Wilson and Rooke to play a vital role in the Bulls' bid for a maiden two-day premiership.

"For a young kid coming up and trying to establish himself at first XI level, he just batted the house down. It was a pleasure to watch from the non-strikers end," he said.

"With Lukey getting 80 and Lachie to get 84, their confidence now even at training moving into finals is just going to be absolutely perfect for us."

Brierly-Christ Church will round out the season proper against Nestles.

Love said the Bulls' run-home - which has featured battles against flag hopeful West Warrnambool and Allansford - meant his side was finding its best cricket.

"That's three really good sides which is the perfect build-up coming into finals. You want to be coming up against quality opposition," he said.

"Looking at the draw, I thought it was ideal. We had a flat spot when we tied the game against Merrivale and that was a bit of a wake-up call to switch on.

"We're looking to be on the upwards side of things coming into finals so we're just looking forward to it now."

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