Blog: From the Outer - with Luke WestWITH the pyjama cricket of the one-day and Twenty20 matches now over, the Bendigo Bank Bendigo District Cricket Association returns to the longer form of the game this weekend.
And with three rounds of two-day matches remaining in the home and away season, the BDCA couldn’t have asked for a more exciting looking ladder.
Nine of the 10 teams still harbour hopes of playing finals, with fourth spot, in particular, the main point of interest.
Top two teams Bendigo United and Strathdale-Maristians (both 48 points) are as good as locks to play finals – they are three games safely inside the top four.
And something would have to go horribly wrong for the third-placed Golden Square (42 points) to miss the finals from here.
Remember, Golden Square finished second-last on the ladder last year, only percentage from the wooden spoon.
With bottom side Bendigo’s finals chances now cooked, that leaves White Hills, Huntly-North Bendigo, Strathfieldsaye, Sandhurst, Eaglehawk and Kangaroo Flat fighting for fourth spot.
Between the fourth-placed White Hills and ninth-placed Kangaroo Flat, there is just one game the difference, showing that the fight for the finals is going to go right down to the wire.
Here’s a look at the run home for those six teams jostling for fourth.
4. White Hills (33 points, 0.82 per cent) – Strathfieldsaye (h), Bendigo (a), Kangaroo Flat (h).
5. Huntly-North Bendigo (30, 1.05) – Bendigo United (a), Sandhurst (h), Strathdale-Maristians (a).
6. Strathfieldsaye (30, 0.88) – White Hills (a), Eaglehawk (h), Bendigo (h).
7. Sandhurst (30, 0.85) – Kangaroo Flat (h), Huntly-North Bendigo (a), Golden Square (h).
8. Eaglehawk (27, 0.88) – Golden Square (h), Strathfieldsaye (a), Bendigo United (h).
9. Kangaroo Flat (27, 0.81) – Sandhurst (a), Strathdale-Maristians (h), White Hills (a).
With fourth spot on the line, who is going to put their hands up over the last three rounds and grab their chance, just like Bendigo United did two years ago?
Two years in the 2009-10 season ago the Redbacks were sitting fifth with two rounds remaining.
But a round 13 win over Huntly-North Bendigo, coupled with a round 14 draw with Eaglehawk saw the Redbacks finish fourth, beat top side Golden Square in the semi-final, and then defeat Strathdale-Maristians by one run in the grand final.
As the saying goes, anything can happen come finals time.
ASH Quinn obviously had no worries recovering from Murray Valley’s Bendigo Country Week celebrations.
On Friday, left-armer Quinn claimed man of the match honours in Murray Valley’s division one grand final win over Ferntree Gully when he picked up 7-43 off 16 overs, plus a catch and run-out.
The following day playing for his home side Nathalia, Quinn smashed an unbeaten 113 in his side’s massive 204-run win over Cobram-Yarroweah United.
Not a bad couple of days for the all-rounder.
BDCA flashback – January 26, 1980.
Sandhurst 6-261 v California Gully; Kangaroo Flat 144 v Eaglehawk 1-13; Bendigo 5-244 v White Hills; North Bendigo 6-230 v Bendigo United; Strathdale-Maristians 5-263 v Golden Square.
Leading batsmen: 123 D. Major (Bendigo); 93 S. Cowling (North Bendigo); 78 G. Crothers (North Bendigo); 67 G. O’Brien (Strathdale-Maristians); 58 D. O’Connor (Strathdale-Maristians); 47* T. Howard (Sandhurst); 45 M. Gibson (Strathdale-Maristians); 42 A. Thompson (Sandhurst); 41 R. McGauchie (Sandhurst); 40 G. Court (Sandhurst).
Leading bowlers: 4-44 P. Rogers (Eaglehawk); 3-79 G. Johns (Bendigo United); 2-36 B. Watts (California Gully); 2-43 M. Taylor (Eaglehawk); 2-55 R. Duckett (Golden Square); 2-78 S. Gilchrist (Golden Square); 2-79 G. Byrne (California Gully).
Australia Day 32 years ago in the BDCA was a day dominated with the bat, with four of the five batting sides posting at least 230 – very challenging totals to chase back in those days.
But Bendigo No.3 David Major (123) was the only player to score a century, making more than half the Goers’ total of 5-244 against White Hills.
North Bendigo’s Shane Cowling fell just short of a century when he was run out for 93 against Bendigo United.
Cowling and opener Graeme Crothers (78) shared in a 118-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
The only side to struggle with the bat was Kangaroo Flat, which was bowled out for 144 by Eaglehawk. The Roos had been 3-102, before losing 7-42.
Rather than the “nervous 90s”, it was a case of the “frightful 40s” for Sandhurst, which had four players get into the 40s against California Gully, but none post a half-century.
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