Travelling to HP Barr Reserve in Wangaratta on Saturday to take on the Magpies, Benalla won the toss and elected to bat, getting off to a hot start but ultimately being unable to finish the job, as the Magpies stormed to a six-wicket win.
Having asked Wangaratta to bowl, Stepien was looking to make the home side pay from the outset, seeing off the first two overs before crunching consecutive boundaries to start the third, before again whacking three more boundaries in the fourth over as he raced to 25 from just 16 deliveries.
A more subdued fifth over saw the Bushrangers score just four runs; however, the boundaries flowed again in the sixth, with Carboon getting in on the act and notching his first four of the innings, while Stepien added another, and it looked as though the visitors were going to post a mammoth total.
Bludgeoning the ball to great effect, Stepien stood up and pummelled his seventh and eighth boundaries of the innings from the first two balls of the seventh over, as Benalla moved to 0-49 at a rate of more than seven runs an over.
The rapid scoring came to just as fast an end, however, as on the very next ball Stepien was trapped in front and given out LBW, dismissed for an entertaining 39 from 24 deliveries and reducing the Bushies to 1-49.
Vaughan Kirk came to the crease alongside Carboon, and while Carboon was ticking the scoreboard over slowly but surely, Kirk absorbed pressure until it became too much, and he was dismissed for three off the bowling of Tyler Nanson.
As it happened, the next two men in, Jonty Priest and Lucas Ham, were both also dismissed for three off the bowling of Nanson, as the Bushrangers slipped to 4-78 after what was such a promising start.
It began a steady stream of wickets for the Bushies, too, with no batter outside the opening pair managing to hit double figures as the Magpies strengthened their grip on the contest, squeezing Benalla at every opportunity.
Carboon was valiant, proving steadfast to score a game-high 63 runs from 134 deliveries, present for almost every ball and helping the Bushrangers salvage a total of 10-146 until he too was dismissed, on the last ball of the innings.
With just 147 runs to defend, the Bushrangers needed early wickets when it was their turn with the ball, and Dale Stratton delivered.
In just the second over, Stratton snared the wicket of Nanson after the umpire agreed with the appeal for LBW, leaving the Magpies at 1-8 and providing some hope for Benalla.
Wangaratta began to pile on the runs; however, when Conor Brodie struck to remove opposing skipper Cooper Matheson (30), the scoreboard read 2-46, leaving the home side needing 101 runs with eight wickets in hand, and Benalla in with a small shot.
An 80-run partnership between Wangaratta’s number three, Jack Davies (53no) and number four, David Killen (30), put paid to any chance the Bushies still had, though, as when Stratton finally found a breakthrough and removed Killen after 20 frustrating overs without a wicket, the Magpies needed just 21 runs for victory.
Brodie would find another scalp shortly after, removing James Thewlis (15) to leave the home side at 4-144; however, the Magpies would comfortably reach the 147 runs required, ending the contest with a boundary to post a total of 4-149 and claim a six-wicket win.
Brodie finished with figures of 2-29 as Benalla’s best with the ball, closely followed by Stratton, who snared 2-57, while both Kirk (0-10) and Lee Brennan (0-19, one maiden) were economical without picking up a wicket.
The Bushrangers will head to Baarmutha Park in Beechworth for a third straight away contest to start the season this week, taking on the Wanderers with both clubs still in search of a win this season.
