Hosting second-placed Ovens Valley United at Benalla Gardens Oval on Saturday, the Bushrangers continued their sublime form to start 2026, chasing a score in excess of 200 for victory for the second consecutive week to remain undefeated in the month of February.
The win maintained pressure on those above, as the Bushrangers now sit just one game outside the top four.
Having successfully chased in each of their previous two matches, the Bushrangers weren’t keen to buck the trend on Saturday, winning the toss and electing to bowl first.
It was a move that paid immediate dividends, as Conor Brodie struck twice within three balls to have the visitors 2-14 after only three overs had been bowled.
However, the Tigers struck back with a mammoth 84-run partnership for the third wicket, Geeth Alwis and Noah White toying with the Benalla bowling line-up for 18 overs as they neared the 100-run mark, before Mitchell Wheelens (1-28) finally found the breakthrough in the 21st over, dismissing White (37) with the Tigers sitting at 3-98.
The game was well and truly on the visitors’ terms, though, as Ovens Valley continued to press the advantage, with Alwis and Joel Jordan combining for a 42-run stand to frustrate the Benalla bowlers further.
But young left-arm spinner Xavier De Fazio removed danger man Alwis (61), before doubling up with a second in as many overs, reducing the Tigers to 5-140 and bringing the home side back into the contest.
The final 11 overs were an arm wrestle, as Ovens Valley piled on 59 runs at just over 5.1 runs per over. However, Brodie claimed another two wickets to finish with figures of 4-53, and the Bushrangers found another wicket via a run out, curbing the Tigers’ momentum late to ensure they didn’t reach 200, although the final total of 8-199 ensured Benalla would have to if it were to win.
With another 200-plus total needed last week against Beechworth, half-centuries to skipper Brayden Stepien and fellow opener Jonty Priest had set the platform for victory; however, that wasn’t the case on Saturday, as both batters found themselves in the sheds within six overs, Priest for a duck and Stepien managing 19, as the Bushrangers slumped to 2-29.
Vishal Sharma soon followed suit, mustering three boundaries before he too was sent packing for 16, and Benalla was in strife at 3-37.
James Carboon and Vaughan Kirk found themselves in the middle together, and slowed things down after a chaotic start, chipping away at the total initially before ramping up the run rate.
The 15-over partnership yielded 71 runs at 4.7 per over, with the two batters carrying the Bushrangers beyond the 100-run threshold before Kirk was trapped LBW on 39, bringing an end to the superb stand that had put Benalla seemingly on the path to victory.
A little wobble saw the home side lose the fifth and sixth wicket for just one, falling from 4-120 to 6-121 as Dylan Barber and Lucas Ham departed; however, the key to victory for Benalla was Carboon, who remained set at the crease.
Combining with the new batter in Wheelens, Carboon raised the bat for a superb 50 before batting on, the pair adding 80 runs without being troubled by the Ovens Valley bowling lineup as they stormed to victory, successfully helping Benalla across the line for a brilliant four-wicket win with 2.5 overs to spare.
Carboon eventually finished on a game-high 85 not out from 104 deliveries, with the sensational knock anchoring yet another successful Benalla chase, while Wheelens finished unbeaten on 29 in a valuable lower-order cameo.
The win ensures the Bushrangers remain a chance of making a finals appearance, a feat that looked unlikely even two rounds ago.
With one win separating the Bushrangers in fifth with both Wangaratta and Yarrawonga-Mulwala in fourth and third, respectively, the Bushies are still in with a shot at playing on in the postseason with two rounds remaining, and with the Bushrangers having the bye this week before facing the Lakers in the final round, it could all come down to the last ball of the regular season.
