Worcestershire all-rounder Tom Taylor came within two runs of a century on his first appearance of the winter for Altona North in a Victorian Turf Cricket Association first grade encounter with Oak Park St. Francis de Sales.
Taylor has flown out with his family to feature for Altona during the next two months and he made the ideal start.
He came in at number four and gradually accelerated to 98 off 149 balls with five fours and four sixes after Altona had chosen to bat on the opening day of the two-day fixture.
Taylor, who came to the wicket in the 24th over, had struck three maximums in seven balls immediately before his dismissal in the 74th.
Altona closed the day on 309-8 from 80 overs with the game due to be concluded next weekend.
New Worcestershire signing, spinner Fateh Singh, made a promising start to his winter spell with Canterbury CC although he was on the losing side in the Eastern Cricket Association Dunstan Shield meeting with Glen Iris.
Singh, who signed a three-year contract at Visit Worcestershire New Road during the autumn, picked up the wicket of Glen Iris opener, captain and top run-scorer Lashy Homes for 70 off 71 balls..
He was the fifth bowler used and finished with figures of 8-0-48-1 in a total of 198-9 from the allocated 40 overs.
Singh, who impressed for the Rapids in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, then opened the batting and showed some explosive form.
He raced to 35 off 17 deliveries with two sixes and five fours before he was run out with the total on 39-2 in the fifth over.
Singh finished as his side’s top-scorer but they were dismissed for 143 in 36.3 overs and went down by 55 runs.
Worcestershire keeper-batter, Gareth Roderick, had a rare failure this winter when skippering Green Point, being dismissed for a first ball duck batting three in the Western Province Premier Division clash with Rondebosch. His side went down by six wickets.
Ed Pollock had a weekend off from playing New South Wales Premier Cricket for St. George as a precaution after picking up a knock in training on Thursday.