In the closest grand final of all time, Bendigo United’s score of 9-211 at White Hills proved to be enough by the barest of margins, with the Suns answering yesterday with a gutsy 210.

Bendigo United looked on track to win comfortably when the Suns had slumped to 9-139 in the 73rd over.

But a remarkable last wicket stand between No.10 Ryan Haythorpe and No.11 Jacob DeAraugo took the Suns to the brink of what would have been a miracle win.

The last-wicket pair came together with 69 balls left in the match, and 73 runs needed to win - or 72 to tie - which would have been enough to secure the Suns the premiership courtesy of their higher ladder finish.

Haythorpe was the aggressor of the pair, while DeAraugo played a fine support role as the tail-enders gradually got the Suns closer to their victory target.

With five overs left the score was 9-170 and by the start of the last over it had lifted to 9-199, leaving the Suns 12 runs to tie off the final six balls, which were to be bowled by the Redbacks’ Miggy Podosky.

Off the first five balls of the last over the pair scored nine runs, which included a boundary straight down the ground by DeAraugo off the fourth ball.

With one ball left in the see-sawing match, the Suns needed three to tie, with DeAraugo on strike.

With nine fielders protecting the boundary, DeAraugo hit the final ball to deep mid-wicket, where it was fielded by 16-year-old Harry Donegan.

DeAraugo (21 n.o.) and Haythorpe ran two as Donegan calmly threw the ball back to the bowler’s end.

With the ball in the hands of Podosky, Haythorpe set off for an unlikely third run to tie and was run out for 54, leaving the Suns an agonising one-run short.