BDCA AROUND THE GROUNDS: JANUARY 31

FOR the second game in a row Strathfieldsaye will need to rely on its bowling to get it out of trouble in its crucial Bendigo District Cricket Association clash with Golden Square.

Aiming to move a step closer to a rare finals appearance, the Jets struggled their way to 178 against Square at MyJet Oval on Saturday.

Golden Square - fighting to keep itself in the finals hunt - kept the pressure on the Jets all day with its typical disciplined bowling.

The Jets struggled to build partnerships until late in their innings when Nick Scullie and Jack Stubbs added 56 for the ninth wicket after the side had been 8-122.

Scullie spent some much-needed time at the crease in top scoring for the Jets with an unbeaten 53 - his first half-century for the season.

Stubbs made 24. He and Scullie were the only Strathfieldsaye players to make more than 20, with Saturday’s total of 178 coming after the Jets were bowled out for 158 the previous game in a tie with Huntly-North Epsom.

Square picked up the key wicket of Strathfieldsaye’s Ben Devanny for 16 when he was caught by wicket-keeper Jake Higgins off Grant Connelly (1-21).

Devanny is averaging 77.2 this season, but Square has dismissed him for scores of 16 and 1 in their two meetings.

Square’s first four wickets were all catches taken by Higgins, who ended the day with five.

Josh Blencowe was Square’s leading wicket-taker, finishing with 3-61 off 16.4 overs.

Among Blencowe’s scalps were his first wicket in the first XI, Jets opener Luke Jones (9).

Golden Square bowled 30 maidens in its 81.4 overs, with Connor Miller (2-13 off 9) and Liam Smith (1-22 off 18), in particular, both giving little away.

• With its position in the top four now hanging by a thread, Eaglehawk made its highest score of the season, compiling 236 after it was sent in by White Hills at Canterbury Park.

Anthony West’s solid form continued for the Hawks with a knock of 63 off 149 (nine fours) to top score.

West’s 63 was his third score above 50 in his past six innings.

West began his knock with the score on 1-4 following the early dismissal of opener Matt Fitt (3).

Cory Jacobs also ticked the runs over for Eaglehawk as he found form with the bat.

Coming in with the score at 4-106 and having made just 33 runs from his previous five innings, Jacobs scored a brisk 41 off 55 (five fours).

Veteran Andrew Smith (28 off 42), the returning Shaun Knott (19 off 18) and Brodie Hawke (14 off 31) all made valuable contributions in the bottom four to push the score to 236.

Captain Rhys Irwin (3-57) bagged three wickets for the Demons, as well as running out rival skipper Jason Abbott (28 off 95).

Linc Jacobs proved hard to get away, with his 18 overs costing just 24 runs, while he also dismissed West and Todd Brown (2), who were both caught by Jayden Sheean.

• Strathdale-Maristians made the highest score of day one of round 10 in amassing 9-245 against Huntly-North Epsom at Poyser Motors Oval.

The backbone of the innings was 89 from opener Andrew Hosking.

Hosking hit three fours and two sixes in his 180-ball stay at the crease, but was denied a maiden ton for his new club when he was caught by Harry Whittle off Dylan Gibson (1-36).

The hard-hitting Adrian Pappin also made a half-ton for the Suns after coming in with the score at 4-149 following Hosking’s dismissal.

Pappin - who has caused the Power plenty of headaches since he joined the Suns - cracked 50 off 42 (four fours, two sixes).

Pappin’s 50 was his third half-century in his past four innings.

The best partnership of the innings was the 86 Hosking and Nick Baker (34 off 97) put on for the fourth wicket.

The innings ended on a high for the Suns when Jack Neylon (13 n.o.) hit the final ball for six.

Mitchell Whittle was superb with the ball for the Power in taking 3-20 off 12 overs, while Quinton Bentley (3-74 off 23) also claimed three wickets.

Among the highlights for the Power was Harry Whittle’s direct hit run out of Cameron Taylor (1), but a lowlight was coach Adam Ward suffering a quad strain.

Ward, who took 0-24 off 14, will still represent the BDCA at Melbourne Country Week next week, but won’t bowl during the carnival.

• Bendigo United bounced back from a disappointing batting performance the previous week to score 9-225 against the in-form Bendigo at Harry Trott Oval.

The Redbacks lost both openers Mark Di Fede (7 off 19) and Ben Gunn (16 off 26) inside the first 45 minutes to be 2-31, with Alex Pearson taking both wickets.

The Redbacks were later 3-72 before the experienced duo of captain Leigh McDermott and Heath Behrens shared in a 51-run partnership for the fourth wicket - the best of the innings.

McDermott led the Redbacks with 72 off 143 (nine fours), while Behrens made 48 off 119 (five fours).

Apart from McDermott and Behrens, the only other player to score more than 20 for the Redbacks was Miggy Podosky (28 n.o. off 29).

Coming in at 7-192, Podosky scored 28 of the Redbacks’ last 33 runs.

Pearson’s fine all-round season for the Goers continued with his haul of 4-78 off 23 overs in which he rattled the stumps of Di Fede, Harry Donegan (10 off 38) and Chris Howagate (1-17) among his wickets.

Brett Andrews (3-52 off 25) took three wickets for the third game in a row, which included the dismissal of Behrens, who he bowled.

• Sandhurst bowled out Kangaroo Flat for 192 in their clash at N8Health Oval.

For the third game in a row Sandhurst won the toss and elected to bowl, with the Dragons gaining the upper hand early when they had Kangaroo Flat 3-36 and later 4-53 and 5-85.

Teenager Jake Klemm worked hard to rebuild the innings as he top-scored for the Roos with 60 batting at No.6.

Klemm’s 60 featured 10 boundaries and was his maiden first XI half-century.

Klemm and Chris Dixon (24, three fours, one six) added 63 for the sixth wicket in what was the only partnership of any substance for the Roos.

Opening bowler Eli Bowe was in fine form for the Dragons.

He took two of the first three wickets to fall on his way to figures of 3-46 off 18 overs.

Liam Bowe (2-39), skipper Craig Howard (2-38) and Alex Winfield (2-20) each took two wickets for the Dragons, who are aiming to break a seven-game losing streak.

Of the 10 Kangaroo Flat wickets that fell, nine were caught.

The Dragons had three overs to bat before stumps, but didn’t escape unscathed when Eli Bowe (0) was caught by keeper Josh Newlan off Brent Hamblin (1-1).

The Dragons will resume on Saturday at 1-2, with Trevor Pickthall (2 n.o.) and Lucas Hutchinson (0 n.o.) at the crease.