Seniors
A-reserve
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Benalla’s A-reserve side is off to the Wangaratta and District Cricket Association T20 grand final this Saturday, and the Bushrangers will be out for revenge.
In the final round of short format games at the weekend, the Bushrangers travelled to RC McNamara Reserve in Myrtleford to take on Ovens Valley United in a top of the table clash, with both sides putting their unbeaten T20 records on the line.
It was Benalla that came off second best, however, with the Bushrangers falling by 28 runs against a Tigers side that waits for them once more this weekend, with Benalla still managing to qualify for the final in second spot despite the late falter.
Thrown the ball after losing the toss, Benalla was into the wickets early, with Tom Osborne (3-35) striking twice in the third over, and again in the seventh, to have the hosts down 3-49 just over a third of the way through the innings.
Gurpreet Singh Mann (1-18) and Mark Osborne would help slow Ovens Valley’s hot scoring rate with back-to-back overs that produced wickets at the halfway point, with Osborne (3-11) continuing to find avenues to a dismissal, striking again in each of his next two overs as the home side slumped to 7-75 with only five overs remaining in the innings.
Benalla would only find one more wicket before the 20 overs was up, though, courtesy of Leigh Pollard (1-23) in the final over, as the Tigers managed to find lower order runs, adding 39 for the eighth wicket to post a total of 8-114.
In reply, the Bushrangers struggled to find any momentum with the willow, losing three of their top four within the first five overs, as the scoreboard read 3-11.
While a mini resurgence was mounted, adding 29 for the fourth wicket, consecutive dismissals with the first two balls of the 14th over, and another with the first of the following over, saw Benalla go from 3-40 to 6-44, as hopes of victory began to fade.
Mark Osborne (15) and Pollard (18) proved the two highest scorers batting at number eight and nine, respectively, although their efforts only delayed the inevitable, as the Bushrangers finished with a total of 9-86 from their 20 overs to record their first loss of the T20 campaign.
It sets up a rematch between the two sides, this time with the title on the line, this Saturday, after Benalla still managed to keep hold of second spot despite finishing level with three wins and a loss each, advancing due to superior run rate.
The Bushrangers will take on Ovens Valley United at Norm Minns Oval in Wangaratta at 4:30pm this Saturday.
B-grade
Benalla’s B-grade side has returned to action following the bye in round seven in emphatic fashion, cruising to a massive 74-run victory over Ovens Valley United at Benalla Showgrounds at the weekend.
Hunting win number three of the season, the Bushrangers were sent in to bat on Saturday after losing the toss, and found themselves in immediate danger, losing three quick wickets with only 11 runs on the board.
In fact, only one of Benalla’s top seven made it past five runs, however it was an invaluable contribution from opener Trevor Saker, who held steady at the top of the order to notch a brilliant 74 despite the carnage that was occurring around him.
Jordan Smith, batting at number eight, would join Saker as the only other Bushrangers batter to post a score in the double digits, but he too made his knock count, finishing unbeaten on 54 from only 36 deliveries, as Benalla posted a total of 9-167 from 36 overs, despite having only two players make it beyond five runs.
It was an all-round masterclass with the ball from Benalla as the Bushrangers had their turn in the field, with Angus Hayes doing all the early damage to nab 3-14 and have Ovens Valley down 4-22 after 10 overs.
Hayes would be the only multiple wicket taker but had good support from the rest of the attack, with six others taking a scalp each, with a run out accounting for the other wicket, as Benalla bowled the Tigers out for 93 to secure the big win.
The result has Benalla in seventh, level on points with Rutherglen United in third, although essentially two wins back after points for byes are factored in.
C-grade
Benalla’s C-grade side earned a crushing 75-run victory over Yarrawonga Mulwala at Arundel Street Oval on Saturday, ensuring they draw level with the Lakers in second spot on the ladder.
After opting to bat first after winning the toss, the win was set up off the back of an unbeaten 67 to opener Greg Hoysted, with Murray Parton finishing not out on 44 in another valuable knock, as the Bushrangers posted a score of 4-174 from 36 overs.
A Bushrangers blitz with the ball ensured the visitors never stood a chance of chasing down the 175 required for victory, with Noah Cooney and Greg Hoysted (2-8) each snaring two early wickets to have the Lakers down 4-7 with less than 10 overs bowled.
Cooney would snare another to finish with team-best figures of 3-8, while Dheeraj Reddy Nagidi also took multiple wickets with 2-16.
The win elevates the Bushies to third on the ladder, equal with Yarrawonga Mulwala in second, both on five wins, while Moyhu has crept two games clear in top spot.
Juniors
Under -6
Benalla has solidified its standing in third spot on the under-16 Wangaratta and District Cricket Association Eugene Kneebone Shield ladder after wrapping up the win over Rovers United Bruck on day two at North Wangaratta Recreation Reserve.
Resuming on day two having posted 8-174 with the bat on day one, Benalla did all that was required, restricting Rovers to 7-148 from 40 overs to wrap up the win.
Joshua Montgomery led the charge with the ball, snaring 2-17 as the only multiple wicket taker for the Bushrangers, while Tom Osborne (1-5) and Xavier De Fazio (1-9) impressed among the other wicket takers.
The under-16 side returns to action following the Christmas break on January 17 with a T20 contest, where the Bushrangers will host City Colts at Benalla Gardens Oval.
Under-14
Benalla U14 Red
Benalla’s under-14 Red side wrapped up a brilliant win in its two-day contest against Beechworth Wanderers, claiming victory on the final ball to improve to fourth spot on the ladder heading into the festive break.
With Beechworth having posted 9-185 last Friday on day one at Baarmutha Park, the Bushrangers returned knowing a special effort was needed, and it is exactly what they delivered.
In a back-and-forth contest, which saw skipper Noah Anderson notch a brilliant 73, as well as another unbeaten half-century to a fill-in, Benalla entered the final over needing eight runs for victory.
Anderson, who had led superbly to that point, failed to score off the first ball before being dismissed with the second, leaving eight runs still needed from only four deliveries.
Three runs off the next two balls left Hudson Pickering on strike to face his first ball of the contest, with two deliveries remaining and five runs needed for Benalla to win.
Needing bat on ball at the very least, Pickering swung away and whacked a boundary off his first delivery, tying the contest, before quick two on the final ball of the match saw Benalla clinch a miraculous two-wicket victory.
Benalla U14 Blue
Benalla’s under-14 Blue side made quick work of City Colts Blue on day two of their clash at Benalla Showgrounds, needing just 20 overs to wrap up victory with the ball on Saturday.
Having posted 10-123 on day one, the Bushrangers needed to be sharp with the ball to take the points on day two.
On song from the first ball, Benalla delivered a sublime performance, having the visitors down 3-6 within four overs, as Oliver Smith (2-7) and Lachlan Osborne (1-0) started like a house on fire.
Jack Davies (2-7) continued the damage in the lower order, as did Ryan Lindsay (1-1) and Cash Nolen (1-5), as the Bushrangers sent the Colts packing for 46, wrapping up the 77-run win in exactly 20 overs.
Under-12
It was an all-Benalla affair at Arundel Street on Friday evening, with Benalla Green taking on Benalla White, while Benalla Red faced off against Benalla Blue in a T20 bonanza.
In the Green vs White clash, Benalla White won the toss and elected to bat, with Oliver Ross top scoring with 15 as White posted a total of 6-58, while Tom Lambert and Archer Pickering each took 1-2 with the ball for Green.
With willow in hand, Pickering also led Green’s reply, finishing unbeaten on 31, with good support from Bill Bourke who retired not out on 28, as Green stormed to a four-wicket win.
Ross was the only multiple wicket-taker for White with the ball, snaring 2-7.
In the Red vs Blue contest, it was Benalla Red that won the toss and elected to bat, posting 4-84 off the back of 21 not out to Luke Conway, while Bodie Gall’s 1-5 was the pick of the Blue bowlers.
In Blue’s turn with the bat, Edward Clancy starred with an unbeaten 54 not out, powering his side to a four-wicket win, while Miller Fowles was valiant with the ball for Red, snaring 2-2.