Mixed bag for Bushrangers as WDCA season kicks off

Having been sent in to bat after losing the toss, Benalla openers Vishal Sharma and Craig Williams set about their work with a big total on their minds.

Sharma was the hot hand early, finding the rope on three occasions and clearing it once as he looked to put pressure on the Delatite bowling line-up early. However, he was soon undone, caught off the bowling of Mitchell Purcell for 21, leaving the Bushies one wicket down for 24 runs after just five overs.

The home side’s woes were compounded shortly after as new batsman Mitchell Cooney lasted four balls before he too found himself back in the sheds, adding one run to the team total, which read 2-25 as he departed.

Skipper Gary Priest joined Williams at the crease and they were steadfast, waiting patiently for the right ball to score from as they attempted to correct course.

They managed to add 29 runs together before Williams (19 off 47) was bowled by Nathan Goodes, with Priest (13 off 42) following soon after, as Benalla slumped to 4-59.

The pressure mounted and mistakes crept in, with Brendan Hernan contributing 16 runs from 32 deliveries before he was found to be short of his ground, while Nathan Delaney contributed 11 runs in his 21-ball stay at the crease before he was bowled.

With the Bushies in strife at 6-109, Bryce Cooney joined vice-captain Dylan Barner at the crease, with the pair looking to build a defendable total as the overs wound down.

It proved to be the most fruitful partnership of the innings for the Bushrangers, with Barber doing the bulk of the scoring, while Cooney (18no off 15) ticked the scoreboard over perfectly.

The duo added 38 runs before Barber holed out for a team-high 42 off 63 with just one over remaining, with the Bushrangers eventually finishing the innings with a total of 7-150 from 40 overs.

The game was well and truly up for grabs, although a strong bowling performance would be needed if the Bushrangers were to deny Delatite and claim victory.

Benalla unfortunately met the wrath of Delatite opener Mitchell Copey, who belted 89 off just 68 deliveries, including 17 boundaries, to pull the game out of the Bushrangers’ grasp.

While Tom Osborne eventually found the key wicket of the danger man, and Vishal Sharma removed number three Ben Martin (27 off 26), it was too little, too late, as the visitors stormed to a huge seven-wicket win.

The A-reserve Bushies will be back in action this weekend against Wangaratta Magpies at Benalla Gardens Oval.

Benalla 7-150 (D. Barber 42, V. Sharma 21, N. Goodes 2-12) lost to Delatite (M. Copey 89, B. Martin 27, V. Sharma 1-6, T. Osborne 1-8)

B and C-grades

Both the B and C-grade Benalla Bushrangers will get their respective campaigns under way this weekend, with the reigning premier B-grade side set to face Milawa on the road at Milawa Oval in what is now a stacked 13-team competition, while the C-grade Bushrangers will host Yarrawonga Mulwala at Arundel St Oval.

Juniors

Under-16s

Benalla’s under-16 side began its Eugene Kneebone Shield campaign on Saturday with a trip to RC McNamara Reserve in Beechworth to take on the Beechworth Wanderers, securing a 24-run win in a positive start to the season.

Being sent in to bat after losing the toss, skipper Riley McCarthy and Xavier De Fazio strode out to bat and made a positive start to the innings, adding 17 before De Fazio was removed for a patient six off 23 deliveries.

Vice-captain Angus Hayes was De Fazio’s replacement at the crease and took a similarly patient approach, waiting for the right ball to punish, which he did by adding two boundaries to the total before being sent packing for 12 off 22 deliveries.

McCarthy, meanwhile, was wasting no time, smacking six balls to the rope as he reached 33 off 36 to retire not out, while Angus Leavold added a run-a-ball 12 before he was bowled, leaving Benalla at 3-89.

Harrison Skelton followed the lead of his captain in belting six boundaries as he too retired not out, adding a brutal 30 off 20 balls, while Joshua Montgomery dealt exclusively in fours, contributing an unbeaten eight runs as the Bushies posted a total of 4-123 from their 20 overs.

With ball in hand, Skelton made an immediate breakthrough for the Bushrangers as they attempted to protect their total, removing a Beechworth opener for one to have the home side at 1-1, while Tom Osborne removed the other to leave Beechworth teetering at 2-8.

However, Beechworth managed to rally and added a further 51 runs before Benalla found a wicket, but when it did, it found multiple.

Noah Cooney, Hugh Ross and Hayes all struck in quick succession to reduce Beechworth from 2-59 to 5-71, seriously halting the momentum and giving the visitors the upper hand, which they used to restrict Beechworth to 5-99 from 20 overs to take the win.

It was an even performance with the ball, although Ross (1-4) and Hayes (1-5) just pipped the other three wicket-takers for best figures.

The under-16 side will play its first home game of the season this week, hosting Greta in the first week of a two-day match at Benalla Gardens Oval on Saturday.

Benalla 4-123 (R. McCarthy 33no, H. Skelton 30no, L. Colvin 1-5) d Beechworth 5-99 (L. Colvin 28no, H. Ross 1-4, A. Hayes 1-5).

Under-14 Red

Benalla’s under-14 Red side completed a brilliant first-up victory over Rovers United Bruck in round one of the Len Hill Shield at the weekend, completing a commanding seven-wicket win at North Wangaratta Recreation Reserve.

After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Bushrangers made the dream start to the innings, with Tyson Williams striking with the third ball of the second over to remove the Rovers opener for a duck, before following it up to dismiss his replacement three balls later, leaving the home side down 2-4 after two overs.

Rovers tried to settle, adding 15 runs to the scoreboard, however Louis Horne soon struck, claiming wickets in successive overs to have the home side floundering at 4-32.

Hudson Pickering compounded the issue with another wicket three balls later, while Noah Anderson got in on the act to claim his first of the contest and further reduce Rovers to 6-42.

When Williams snared his third scalp, it looked like the Rovers’ innings would meet a premature end, sitting precariously at 7-46, and while the Bushies found two more wickets, the home side bravely batted out the 20 overs to post a total of 9-78.

It was a shaky start to Benalla’s chase as both Oliver Parker and Williams were dismissed for ducks, leaving the visitors two wickets down for just eight runs, however the Bushies were nearly flawless from there.

Bentley Parker retired not out on 31, Pickering finished unbeaten on 24 and Anderson added 21, with Horne finishing not out on 11, as the Bushies stormed to a huge total of 3-134 to claim the points.

Benalla 3-134 (B. Parker 31no, H. Pickering 24no, H. Scully 1-11) d Rovers United Bruck 9-78 (R. Allan 13, T. Williams 3-8, L. Horne 2-8)

Under-14 Blue

Benalla’s under-14 Blue side was unable to capture victory in the opening round of the Len Hill Shield at the weekend, going down by four wickets to Wangaratta Magpies at Benalla Gardens Oval.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Thomas Snell got the Bushies off to a flyer, adding 24 off 20 deliveries before he was dismissed, with Benalla on track for a big total at 1-42.

However, Snell was the only contributor of note as the Magpies bowlers began to fire up, with Oliver Smith (8) and Alex Lambert (6, retired not out) the next highest scorers, as the Bushies managed a total of 6-73 from the 20 overs.

Tom Lambert was valiant with the ball for the Bushies, snaring two scalps as the only multiple wicket-taker to finish with figures of 2-3, while Edward Clancy (1-1), Smith (1-6) and Maxwell Hadj (1-16) all claimed one wicket each. However, it wasn’t enough to deny Wangaratta, who posted 6-91 from its 20 overs to claim the victory.

Benalla 6-73 (T. Snell 24, L. Jones 3-0) lost to Wangaratta 6-91 (L. Jones 25no, T. Lambert 2-3)