Half-centuries on day one last weekend to Dean Fulco and both Ben and Ollie Bryant saw the Eagles in a dominant position at stumps, posting a total of 7-312 from 80 overs to set East Sunbury a target of 313 for the first innings points as play resumed on Saturday at Kings Park.
From the opening over the result looked inevitable, and it would be Benjamin Bryant again that spearheaded the Eagles’ charge with the ball, snaring his first in the fourth over to have East Sunbury down 1-10.
He would claim the second scalp, too, this time in the 12th over as the visitors had attempted to weather the storm, reducing East Sunbury to 2-37, then followed it up in his next over to nab a third, as the visitors tumbled to 3-42.
A pattern began to emerge, as just when East Sunbury looked to have survived a rough patch, this time going another eight overs unscathed, it was Bryant there to upend them, snaring his fourth wicket in the 22nd over to have the scoreboard read 4-56, and taking his personal figures to 4-28.
With Bryant doing the early damage, it was somewhat of a procession from there, as East Sunbury would lose its final six wickets for 60 runs — and the last five for 18 — as the Eagles struck consistently.
Tim Rudd-Schmidt (1-15) snared the big scalp of the opposing skipper, leaving the visitors at 5-73, and when Oscar Newell (1-21) claimed his first to make it 6-98, the floodgates opened.
Matthew Collard (2-8) and Daniel O’Sullivan (1-12) struck in consecutive overs as East Sunbury slumped to 8-105, before a Nathan Fowler run-out and a second wicket to Collard wrapped the innings up with the visitors all out for 116, 196 runs in arrears.
The Eagles sent East Sunbury in to bat again in search of an outright victory, and while they made good progress to have the visitor 5-75, time was against them as they ran out of overs.
Eastern Hill now moves to an 11-0 record at the top of the ladder, the gap widening to a whopping 35 points back to second after Diggers Rest Bulla Village lost at the weekend, with the Kings Park inhabitants on the cusp of an unbeaten season.
The final round of the home-and-away season this Saturday will see the Eagles host seventh-placed Eynesbury in a one-day affair at home, with a win ensuring they enter finals with an unblemished record.
