Williams’ well-compiled 84 helped his Tigers to a daunting 9-291, but he wasn’t alone in the run-scoring.
Dylan Cuttriss (75) and Blake Evans (35) complemented their skipper well through the Tigers’ batting order, but it was another aspect of their day that drew the tick of approval from Williams.
“Everyone contributed, and it was pleasing to bat the whole 80 overs,” he said.
“I can’t remember the last time our team’s batted the full 80.
“It was a really good effort by all the boys. I was happy with the way we went about it, no-one really threw away their wicket.”
Looking to rebound after last round’s defeat to Echuca, Rochester’s loss of Cory Jacobs early proved to be the only hiccup of the day, and the Tigers were ruthless across the board.
“Dylan Cuttriss batted extremely well,” Williams said.
“Blake Evans didn’t do too badly in the middle overs, scoring a quick-fire 30-odd, and blokes like Charlie Ryan and Brandon Byrne at the top of the order did their jobs.
“Everyone chipped in — now we’ve built a total that we can defend.”
L-G’s James Keath logged a gut-busting 29 overs for the day and was rewarded for his efforts with a five-wicket haul.
With nearly 300 runs on the board, however, Rochester has a significant buffer on the inexperienced league newcomers, who have had a lengthy hiatus from the two-day format.
Williams has tipped his young bowlers to shine with the red ball when they look to defend their score next Saturday and finish the year with a 3-1 record.
“Fraser Cleary’s going to play a massive role as our number one spinner — he’ll do the majority of the bowling,” he said.
“He’s taken a few wickets this year already. Angus Martin is an up-and-coming legend as well, so he’ll probably be another one to be in the best bowlers.”