A Blake Dean masterclass has sent a warning shot to Western District's Douglas Cup rivals, with the batsman-coach turning back the clock to notch a 180-haul.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dean and fellow Bathurst-native Nic Broes (68) combined for an impressive 251-run partnership at Jamison Oval on Saturday, helping set North Canberra-Gungahlin a first-innings target of 375.
It's believed to be one of Western District's highest first-wicket partnerships in club history.
The 33-year-old fell short of a double century when he was caught out by Harrison Jones, with Siddamarakkalage De Silva taking his first of seven wickets for the innings.
Mid-order batsman Matt Condon (9) had nothing but praise for his coach, who hit 28 boundaries (20 fours and eight sixes) along the way.
"It was pretty impressive to watch, he's like a fine red and gets better with age," Condon said.
"The more he goes on, the more experience he has. I think he's getting better and better.
"Nic played a crucial role in that partnership. It's a very tough role to play when someone is whacking it at the other end. I think he showed a lot of maturity."
They kept North Canberra-Gungahlin to 3-54 at stumps, with Josh Corbett claiming two wickets within the first four overs.
Western Districts will look to claim a 10-point victory next weekend, with bowler Scott Murn to boost their bid when he returns from representative duty.
"The overall goal is to try and get an outright win," batsman Callum Taylor said.
"There's a couple of other really strong teams in the competition with Weston Creek and Tuggeranong, among others. It's really important to get off to a good start in the two-day competition.
"We'll do all we can next week to chase an outright win and play aggressive cricket. We'll see how we go."
ANU, meanwhile, declared at 340, with Heet Amin (104) and Daniel Leerdam (141) notching centuries against Ginninderra.
Andrew Glover (125) hit 14 boundaries to see out Eastlake to 7-335 at stumps, while David Waters led the attack for Weston Creek-Molonglo with four wickets and three maidens.
Across the border, Queanbeyan went into bat and made 8-274 at stumps, with opener James Dimarhos leading the charge with 61-runs against Tuggeranong Valley. Amit Sharma took five wickets for the visitors at Freebody Oval, as well as two maidens.