Travelling to RC McNamara Reserve in Myrtleford, the task looked gargantuan for the Bushrangers, who were searching for their first win against the previously unbeaten Tigers.
But the visitors had the first win of the day at the coin toss and elected to bat, with skipper Brayden Stepien and James Carboon striding out to the middle to face the first ball.
It proved a brilliant choice, with the pair quickly finding their rhythm before settling in for a huge opening stand.
For 15 overs, the duo belted the ball to all parts of the ground, frustrating an Ovens Valley bowling attack that had not allowed an opening partnership of more than 32 runs in any of the team’s three wins to start the season.
Punishing the bad balls and rotating the strike with singles, the pair raced along at a rate of 5.5 runs per over, putting 83 runs on the board before Carboon became the first wicket to fall, trapped LBW for 34 from 48 deliveries.
Vaughan Kirk joined Stepien at the crease; however, the pair were unable to form a partnership as fruitful as the opening stand, as Stepien soon perished just shy of his half-century, falling for 47 off 63 balls, which included six boundaries, as the Bushrangers were reduced to 2/94.
Benalla would score in fits and starts from there, with Dylan Barber the next best behind the opening pair with 18 at number four, while Conor Brodie finished unbeaten on 12 not out, as the Bushrangers clawed their way to a competitive 7/156 from 45 overs.
But with a formidable batting line-up that had posted a total of 286 only two weeks ago, Ovens Valley was a big threat with the willow, and the Bushrangers would need a hot start with the ball if they were to claim the win.
That is exactly what they got, too, with Brodie needing just three balls to find the first dismissal, sending opener Daniel Saville packing for a duck and leaving the home side at 1/1 early.
With the Bushrangers up and about after finding a wicket in the first over, it was delirium when young gun Xavier De Fazio brought about another with the first ball of the second over, reducing the Tigers to 2/2 as Benalla began to take control.
Skipper Seamus Phillips was the next Ovens Valley wicket to fall as Brodie snared a second, leaving the home side in dire trouble at 3/19.
But the dangerous Geeth Alwis, who cracked an unbeaten 155 off 127 against City Colts in round three to power Ovens Valley to the highest total of the season so far, remained at the crease, and looked in fine touch.
The Tigers settled, and Alwis, along with Noah White, dragged the home side to 60, until Stepien found a decisive breakthrough, dismissing Alwis for 48 to bring Ovens Valley to 4/60, removing the danger man and stalling the Tigers’ momentum.
It would be Stepien again to claim the fifth scalp, finding a way through the defence of White to send his stumps flying, as the home side slumped further to 5-71.
By the time Fletcher Paul snared his first scalp of the afternoon, removing number seven Michael Elliott to leave Ovens Valley in all sorts at 6/90, the game was still in the balance, but Benalla swiftly removed any doubt about the result.
With the final five wickets coming for just 37 runs, the Bushrangers stormed to a brilliant 29-run victory, bowling Ovens Valley out for 127 in the 44th over to put the first points on the board for the 2025-26 season, handing the Tigers their first loss of the campaign in the process.
It comes at a good time for Benalla too, with the Bushrangers having the bye next round, before all attention turns to the short format, with four rounds of T20s and a T20 grand final to be played between November 22 and Christmas.
