Seniors
A-reserve
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After an interrupted return to play in the Wangaratta and District Cricket Association following the Christmas break, Benalla’s A-reserve side took to the field on Saturday for only its second one-day clash since November, hosting Yarrawonga Mulwala at Benalla Gardens Oval on Saturday.
Taking on the top of the ladder Lakers, the Bushrangers were outclassed, going down by nine wickets at home against a strong visiting line-up.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Benalla openers Mitchell Cooney and Matthew Priest strode out to the middle to face the first ball, hoping to produce a string start to the innings, however, that plan was quickly derailed by a hostile Yarrawonga Mulwala bowling attack.
Cooney would be the first to depart, falling victim in the second over of the match with three runs to his name, while Priest followed suit five balls later for a duck, with Benalla slumping to 2-8 with less than three overs bowled.
Mark Osborne (14) looked to take the fight back to the Lakers, with his aggressive approach yielding three boundaries, though back-to-back fours were followed up with his scalp, leaving the Bushrangers in trouble at 3-21 with four overs completed.
It got worse for the Bushrangers, too, as Yarrawonga Mulwala completed the top four set the next over, with Nathan Delaney (4) holing out, leaving the home side at 4-23 only five overs into the contest and staring down the barrel of a paltry total.
Skipper Gary Priest joined Josh Heylbut at the crease, with the pair looking to catch their breath after what had been a frantic opening to the match.
Only 10 runs came from the next six overs, but more importantly no wickets fell, and it looked as though the Benalla duo were settling into what would hopefully become a fruitful partnership.
But the Lakers were unrelenting, and Heylbut (7) succumbed at the start of the 11th over, with the Bushrangers at 5-33, before Priest (11) fell less than two overs later as Benalla was reduced to 6-47, leaving the lower order to salvage any sort of total.
While Gurpreet Singh Mann (12) and Mitchell Wheelens (17 off 44) were valiant, the latter contributing to a 23-run partnership for the eighth wicket, it was Bryce Cooney and James Ladd that helped drag Benalla beyond 100, adding the two highest individual scores of the innings at number nine and 11, respectively.
Joining each other at the crease with the Bushrangers at 9-87, the pair staved off the inevitable for more than six overs, adding 34 runs together in the biggest partnership of the innings, before Ladd was trapped LBW for 20, with Cooney not out on 21 from 45 deliveries, as Benalla was bowled out for 121 from 35.2 overs.
With only 121 to defend Benalla’s bowlers would need quick wickets if they were to stand any chance of victory, however they hardly looked like claiming a scalp as the Lakers batsmen launched a vicious assault with the willow.
The visitors raced to 84 without loss in the 16th over before the Bushrangers finally found a breakthrough, with Singh Mann snaring the opposition skipper Hudson Gillies for 34, though that would be the only wicket of the innings, as Yarrawonga Mulwala cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket win, courtesy of an unbeaten 68 to Zach Moore.
Benalla remains on the bottom of the ladder following the loss, however, will face fourth-placed Ovens Valley United this weekend at Benalla Showgrounds in what shapes as a sold opportunity to drag themselves out of last spot.
B-grade
Benalla’s B grade side continues to stay in the finals hunt with three rounds remaining, following a 10-run victory over Delatite at Benalla Showgrounds on Saturday.
Heading into the clash amid a huge pack of teams still a realistic chance of making finals, a win over bottom-placed Delatite was crucial for the Bushrangers’ hopes of making it to the postseason.
Being sent in to bat after losing the toss, Benalla suffered an early setback after the loss of Trevor Saker (8), leaving the home side one down with 24 runs on the board, and while Thomas Snell had been batting nicely for his 27, he too fell early, as the Bushrangers slumped to 2-40.
Skipper Steven Pickering picked up the slack, though, combining with Noah Anderson (12) for a 56-run stand for the third wicket, guiding the Bushrangers to within touching distance of 100 before Anderson fell.
At 3-96 Jordan Smith strode to the middle, before striding back shortly after as Benalla fell to 4-98, leaving Matthew Hadj to join Pickering at the crease.
The duo combined for 20 as the home side began to find momentum again, and while Pickering looked solid, he was churning through partners at the other end, with Hadj (11) making way for Brendan Duncombe as the home side reached 5-118.
Duncombe and Pickering would add 31 runs in partnership to see Benalla to 6-149, with Duncombe whacking 23 from 20 before his dismissal, as Pickering saw off the innings alongside a fill-in to help Benalla post 6-177, the captain contributing a team-high 62 not out in a fine knock.
With a competitive total on the board, Benalla would have felt confident of securing the win, however Delatite opener Adam Storer had other ideas, blasting the game wide open in the opening 10 overs with a ludicrous 66 from 36 deliveries.
While Duncombe (2-52) finally secured the prized wicket of Storer, the visitors had raced to 3-78 in only 10 overs, needing only 100 runs for victory with 26 overs still to come.
It was a cat and mouse battle the entire way from there, as the likes of Matthew Storer (29) and Keaton de Vent (17) kept Delatite in the contest, however a Steven Pickering double-wicket over finally put Benalla back in control.
With the visitors entering the 32nd over at 5-147, they needed 31 for the win from five overs, an equation that would have made the Bushrangers sweat.
However, Pickering (3-24) dealt Delatite a double blow, snaring two scalps in the over while giving up one run, leaving the visitor at 7-148 and still needing 30 from four overs to win, putting the Bushrangers in prime position to seal the win, which they did so comfortably.
The win ensures Benalla remains eighth, level with fifth-placed Rovers United Bruck on 48 points with three rounds remaining before finals, with Milawa awaiting this weekend at Milawa.
C-grade
Benalla has proved no match for top side Moyhu in its C grade encounter on Saturday, with the Bushrangers going down by seven wickets at Moyhu Recreation Reserve.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Bushrangers posted a total of 7-134 from 36 overs, built largely off the back of a brilliant unbeaten 75 from opener Greg Hoysted, belting nine boundaries while carrying his bat to anchor the Benalla innings.
Hoysted found support from Vishal Fernando, who showed great resolve in a patient 22 off 51, with the number five having found himself at the crease prematurely in the fourth over following a top order collapse, with the top four – excluding Hoysted – combining for only four runs.
Paul Ivery was the only other batter to make it to double digits for Benalla, the number nine ending the innings unbeaten on 10, as the home side proved mighty with ball in hand to restrict the Bushrangers to a run rate of less than four per over.
While the Bushrangers found wickets semi-regularly with ball in hand, dismissing each of the Moyhu top three for less than 20, an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 73 runs sealed their fate, as the top side continued its charge towards finals and condemning Benalla to a seven-wicket loss.
The Bushrangers, who sit fifth, will face fourth-placed Beechworth this weekend at Arundel Street Oval, as they look to return to the winner’s column with just three rounds remaining before finals.
Juniors
Under-16
Benalla’s under-16 side played out a thrilling tie with Yarrawonga Mulwala at the weekend, with the two sides unable to be split after 20 overs each in their Eugene Kneebone Shield clash.
Travelling to Victoria Park in Yarrawonga, the Bushrangers won the toss and elected to bowl, however, were immediately on the back foot as the home side’s top order batters came out swinging.
The Lakers belted 34 runs from the first three and a half overs before the Bushrangers found the opening breakthrough via Angus Hayes (1-21), while it would take nearly five more overs for the second scalp to fall, as Ryder Humphries had the remaining Yarrawonga Mulwala opener caught to leave the home side at 2-48.
From there, though, the wickets began to tumble freely, as Noah Cooney (1-6) joined the act the next over, while Showrik Das (2-7) claimed two wickets in two overs, with a run out in between, as the Bushrangers brought the home side crashing down at 6-67.
Some lower order runs saw the Lakers creep towards 100, however Benalla prevented them from getting there, ending the innings at 8-94 and needing a modes 95 runs for the win.
It was a confident start in the chase from Benalla, too, with Tom Osborne and Noah Cooney combining to take the Bushrangers past 20 without loss, and while Cooney (10) fell to leave Benalla at 1-22, Osborne batted on alongside Hugh Ross, the pair adding 21 in tandem for the second wicket at the Bushrangers made good ground.
But the wicket of Osborne, which left Benalla at 2-43, set off a middle order collapse as the Bushrangers lost 6-19, going from a commanding position at 1-43 to be in trouble at 7-62.
Harrison Skelton and Angus Leavold joined each other in the middle with four overs remaining and set about chasing the 33 required for the win, belting 10 and 11 off the 18th and 19th overs, respectively, to need just six from the final over for victory.
But some tight bowling from the Lakers saw Benalla muster only five, tying the game with a single off the final ball of the innings to cap a heart stopping contest in remarkable fashion.
The split points mean Benalla remains second on the ladder, nearly eight points behind ladder leaders City Colts, with two rounds remaining before finals.
The Bushrangers will play Beechworth-Ovens Valley United in a two-day contest in round eight starting this weekend, before a T20 in round nine against the Colts to cap off the regular season.
U14
Under-14 Red
Benalla’s under-14 Red side has suffered a blow in the penultimate round before finals, going down to Wangaratta Magpies by six runs at Norm Minns Oval in Wangaratta on Saturday.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl, Benalla looked to be on the back foot early as the home side got off to a hot start, as a 54-run partnership for the third wicket lifted the Magpies to 3-92 by the time it was broken.
But the Bushrangers fought back from there, snaring five wickets for a total of five runs to kill off Wangaratta’s momentum, and while the Magpies managed to pass the 100-run mark, they posted a manageable 7-106, leaving the Bushrangers 107 for victory.
Skipper Tyson Williams did the damage with the ball, snaring 3-10, while Finlay Parker (1-2) and Joshua Hooper (1-9) also claimed a wicket each.
In the chase, vice-captain Noah Anderson retired not out on 30 from 29 deliveries to give Benalla chance, while Bentley Parker’s 17 was invaluable too, however, the Bushrangers were unable to get across the line, posting 4-100 from 20 overs to fall six runs short of Wangaratta’s total.
The under-14 Red Bushrangers will take on Delatite in a two-day clash to round out the home and away season, starting this week, as they look to shore up a finals spot.
Under-14 Blue
Benalla’s under-14 Blue side faced the unbeaten Ovens Valley United at the weekend, however proved no match for the ladder leaders, going down by 99 runs at Benalla Showgrounds.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl, Benalla immediately came under fire from the Ovens Valley top three, two of which retired unbeaten after reaching 30, and the third smacking 29 before being dismissed by Lachlan Osborne, as the visitors put 97 runs on the board before Benalla found the breakthrough.
The Bushrangers managed to find five more wickets throughout the innings, three of which went the way of Caleb Thwaites (3-7) however the damage had been done, as the Tigers managed to post a mammoth 6-148 from 20 overs, setting Benalla a target of 149 for victory.
The Bushrangers were unable to ever really get going with bat in hand, though, as the Ovens Valley bowling attack tore through the top order, with no Benalla batter able to make it to double digits, as the innings came to an end in the 17th over with Benalla all out for 49 runs.
Benalla’s under-14 Blue side will play Yarrawonga Mulwala Bulls in the final round of the regular season, with a win vital if they are to hold onto their current position of sixth.
Under-12
Benalla’s under-12 Blue side faced Delatite on Friday night at Benalla Showgrounds, claiming a strong victory over the visitors.
Asked to bowl after losing the toss, Benalla kept Delatite to 4-75, with Edward Clancy’s 1-1 the best figures for the Bushrangers.
It would be Clancy again in the chase, belting a mammoth 67 not out from 36 balls to help Benalla secure a big win, surpassing Delatite’s total with four wickets in hand before going on to post 7-121.
On Saturday, under-12 White fell to City Colts Blue by seven wickets at Wangaratta High School, having been bowled out for 32 inside 11 overs after batting first, and while Josie De Fazio (1-1) and Isaac Frampton (1-4) both snared scalps, they were unable to stop the home side from securing a big win.
Under-12 Green had more success at Arundel Street Oval against Yarrawonga Mulwala Rams, with Mitchell Murray snaring 2-13 with the ball to help keep the Rams to 9-75, while Tom Lambert finished unbeaten on 23 in the chase as Benalla won by five wickets.
Under-12 Red also claimed victory over City Colts White at Arundel Street Oval, with Toby Smith (2-6) the chief destroyer for the Bushrangers with the ball, helping end the Colts’ innings with only 42 runs on the board, before Jack McKenzie blasted 28 off 15 to top score in the chase as Benalla replied with 2-117.