BENDIGO United has held top spot on the Bendigo District Cricket Association ladder, despite losing to Strathdale-Maristians in their one-day match at Bell Oval on Saturday.In a clash of first versus second, the Suns won by four wickets to end the Redbacks’ five-game winning streak.After winning the toss and batting, the Redbacks were bowled out with three balls left in their innings for 172.The Suns assumed control of the contest when they had the Redbacks 4-58 in the 18th over, with Wayne Fidler (6), Mark Di Fede (13), Nick Crawford (7) and last-round century-maker Heath Behrens (19) all dismissed.However, skipper Leigh McDermott and Harry Donegan got the innings back on track with an 80-run partnership.Donegan (38 off 49, four boundaries, two sixes) top-scored for the Redbacks, while McDermott made 34 off 38, hitting six boundaries and one six.Those two were the only players to make more than 20 for the Redbacks, who lost 6-34 following McDermott’s dismissal by Cameron Taylor (1-34).Spinner Dom Taylor bowled superbly for the Suns to take 3-18 off nine overs.The Suns’ run-chase got off to a poor start when the BDCA’s leading run-scorer Cameron Taylor was bowled for a duck by Miggy Podosky (3-45) off the first legal ball of the innings.But knocks from top-order players in captain Linton Jacobs (22), Andrew Chalkley (38), Dom Taylor (45 n.o.) and Jonathan Davidson (33) gave the Suns the platform to successfully chase their target as they finished at 6-174.Chalkley’s 34-ball innings was particularly entertaining as he scored 30 of his 38 runs in boundaries – six fours and one six.Crawford fought back well with the ball for the Redbacks.After Chalkley hit him for 14 runs off his first three balls, Crawford conceded only 10 off his last 51 to finish with 1-24 off nine overs.● Golden Square moved another step closer to securing a finals berth with a 43-run win over White Hills at Integrating Technology Oval.The game was highlighted by a hat-trick to Square’s Luke Baird.Baird (3-34) dismissed Darren Gregory (lbw, 15) off the first ball of his second over, and then with the first two balls of his third over removed Michael Hanson (caught Scott Johnson, 8) and Aaron Monro (caught Alex Code, 0).Chasing Golden Square’s 4-195, Baird’s hat-trick left White Hills 3-23 in the sixth over.From that precarious position, Kyle Patten (41 off 73, five fours) and Oliver Geary batted the Demons back into the game with an aggressive partnership that took the score to 92 in the 16th over.But when Geary (48 off 31, five boundaries, two sixes) was bowled by Aaron Sims (3-14), it was all downhill from there for White Hills as they lost 7-60 to be bowled out for 152 in the 36th over.Earlier, Scott Johnson and Alex Code were the mainstays of the Golden Square inningsJohnson’s fine season with the bat continued as he made 74 off 129 balls (seven boundaries, one six) to take his tally of runs to 408.The big positive out of the game for Golden Square was the return to form of youngster Code, who had made just 27 runs in five first XI innings before Saturday.Code compiled 49 off 79 (five boundaries) and shared in a 91-run partnership for the second wicket with Johnson.● Sandhurst is back in finals contention after a 56-run win over Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park.The Dragons successfully defended their 8-195 thanks to brilliant spells from openers Tyson Holt and Elias Bowe, who both had the ball seaming around.After just 13 overs Holt and Bowe had the Hawks reeling at 6-37.The Hawks’ chase got off to a disastrous start when Andrew Smith spooned a simple catch to Ben Leed at point off Holt off the first ball of the innings.And it didn’t get much better as Matt White (9), Sam Walker (0), captain Matt Fitt (0), Shane Herdman (1) and Jason Abbott (13) followed soon after.Walker’s innings came to an end in the fifth over when he was sensationally caught one-handed by a diving Matthew Pask at gully.Between the Hawks’ top-six batsmen, they faced just 73 balls and combined for 23 runs.Only Cory Jacobs (46 off 51, five fours and one six) and Jonathan Andrea (34 off 54, five fours) offered any genuine resistance to the Dragons’ attack with a 72-run partnership for the seventh wicket.Eaglehawk was bowled out for 139 in the 36th over as Holt finished with 4-21 off eight overs and Bowe 2-18 off six.Earlier, Nick Scullie (51 off 87, eight fours) and captain Anthony West (39 off 52) were the best of the Dragons’ batsmen.The Dragons were cruising at 2-119 in the 31st over, but in the space of five overs lost 4-23 to fall to 6-142.But handy innings from Pask (14) and Leed (25) helped push the score up towards 200.Sam Fitt was the leading wicket-taker for the Hawks with 3-40.Eaglehawk’s Victoria Country paceman Richard Tibbett (0-36) was the fifth bowler used and didn’t come into the attack until the 19th over.● Kangaroo Flat won its third game of the season with a six-wicket victory over Bendigo at the QEO.The resurgent Roos took just 37 overs to chase down Bendigo’s 9-213 as they answered with 4-215.Roos’ veteran Brad Orton lived up to his reputation as one of the BDCA’s biggest hitters with a whirlwind innings that started in the third over with the score 1-3.Orton faced just 42 balls in smashing 84. Such was the ease at which he scored, Orton took only 23 balls to reach his 50.His innings included 56 runs in boundaries – eight fours and four sixes – before he was clean bowled by 14-year-old Nathan Fitzpatrick (1-16) in the 20th over.Orton put on 95 for the third wicket with Tim Robertson, who finished unbeaten on 77 off 108 balls (nine fours, one six).Earlier, Bendigo recovered from 3-31 in the 10th over to post 213.Showing just how fickle cricket can be, last week Hayden Polglase and Michael Hill combined for 199 runs against Eaglehawk.But on Saturday Hill made just four and Polglase was dismissed by Robertson first ball.Glenn Franzi (50 off 46, three fours) and Marcus McKern (49 off 54, six fours) were the top-scorers for the Goers, who now look headed for the wooden-spoon.Paceman Brent Hamblin’s good form with the ball for Kangaroo Flat continued as he picked up 4-39 off nine overs.● Huntly-North Bendigo ended its five-game winless streak with a 12-run triumph over Strathfieldsaye at Tannery Lane to move into fifth position.Batting first, the Power amassed 9-177, largely thanks to the effort of captain Linc McRae.Moving back up the order to open, McRae made 72 – his fifth score above 50 for the season – before he was the fifth batsman dismissed with the score on 149. The only other player to make more than 20 for the Power was No.6 Brannon Stanford (21).Spinner Andrew Stove (4-25) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Jets, who were bowled out for 165 in reply to lose by 12 runs – their third-straight game decided by 12 or less runs.Like last week against Kangaroo Flat, the Jets’ top-order struggled as they crashed to 7-55.Among the early wickets to fall was captain Ben Gunn for his second duck in a row.However, Stove (42) and first-gamer Lachlan Ross (37) offered some fight in the lower-order, but their efforts weren’t enough.The consistent Sam Johnston was the best of the Power bowlers with 3-35 off nine overs.