The West Saints mustered a modest 161 off 57 overs - thanks largely to the contributions of opener Wilson (61 off 100 balls) and No.3 Brown (47 off 72).

Zain Khan batted stubbornly at the top of the order en route to 19 off 77, but otherwise the cupboard of runs was empty.

With the West Saints in a precarious position, it would take a monumental bowling performance to lift their spirits before stumps - and that's what player-coach Asif Jan got from his players.

Wickets rattled as Altona North limped to stumps at 6-46. West Saints' new-ball operators Brown (3-19) and John Taylor (3-12) left the trail of destruction.

Old Essendon Grammarians also did a great job with the ball at the Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School Oval, restricting South Caulfield to 154 as four wickets fell to Paul Shipp and three to Matt Baker.

But some of the gloss was taken off the Bombers' efforts as they lost two late wickets to be 2-13 in the run chase.

St Bernard's Old Collegians holds the upper hand in its clash with McKinnon on the road at McKinnon Reserve.

The Snowdogs made 8-255 off 80 overs, the story of the day being the continuation of Chris Spinella's red-hot form with the bat.

However, Spinella will mark the innings down as a missed opportunity as he fell one run short of a maiden top-flight century.