Returning to play for the second of a two-day match, Benalla’s under-14’s claimed their first win of the season, beating Rutherglen by 55 runs.
After dismissing Rutherglen for 77, the Bushies returned to Benalla Gardens Oval to all but double Rutherglen’s score, finishing with 7/148.
Opening duo Max Cullen and Will Hyland started the Bushies’ innings on the right foot, retiring for 16 and 21 respectively, while George Lithgow (28 retired) and Max Woods (20 not out) also stared with the bat.
● Benalla’s under-12 team scored back-to-back victories to start their season in strong form, beating Ovens Valley United Black by 42 runs on Saturday.
Ovens Valley won the toss and elected to send Benalla in to bat, with the Bushrangers posting 2/89 from 20 overs.
Benalla captain Lucas Ham led from the front, top scoring for the Bushrangers with 19.
With a chase on their hands, Ovens Valley couldn’t match the Bushrangers strike rate, finishing the innings with 7/47.
In an even contribution with the ball, five Benalla players snared wickets, while Will Botten’s sharp reflexes saw him pick up two run outs.
● A century from Yarrawonga Mulwala’s Josh Lawrence (136) led his team to victory over Benalla’s A-reserve squad on Saturday.
Benalla’s Eric Nash (2-52) did his best to help quell the bloodshed, claiming the wickets of both opening batsmen, though Yarrawonga ultimately proved too hard to stop, posting an unattainable 3/252.
Heading to the crease, Benalla’s batting order barely made a dent in the chase, finishing the innings all out for 69.
Gurpreet Singh top scored for Benalla with 35.
● Greta hit their way to victory over the Bushrangers’ Under-16 brigade, chasing down a run count of 7/103 on day two of the round two contest.
Following on from the first day of play, which saw Benalla captain Jack Fullager (56) lead his team to 7/103, Greta found an edge with the bat.
Scoring 8/128, it was solid batting from Jett Roberts (30) and Fraser Landgren (28), which sealed the win.
Sam Heaney (2-10) and Matt Priest (2-20) led the Bushrangers attack, while Grayson Kirk orchestrated the run out of top order batsman Waitai Tua for a duck.
● Benalla’s B-grade match against Ovens Valley United was abandoned, the Over 60s forfeited their match to the Gippsland Goannas, while C-grade had the bye.
