KANGAROO Flat has enhanced its Bendigo District Cricket Association premiership credentials after moving a game clear at the top of the ladder on Saturday.
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Taking on Bendigo United at Champions IGA Oval in a clash of 1 v 2, the Roos replaced the Redbacks in pole position after nine rounds with a three wicket win.
As he did a week earlier against Golden Square, Jake Klemm guided the Roos – striving to play finals for the first time since 2007-08 – over the line as they successfully chased down the Redbacks’ 7-139, winning with 15 balls to spare as they answered with 7-140.
Coming in with the score 1-22, Klemm finished 56 n.o. to back up his unbeaten 62 from the previous week, with his innings helping navigate the Roos home after they had been a potentially threatening 6-95.
Apart from Klemm’s 56, the only other players to reach double figures were Nathan Stubbings (17) and skipper Brent Hamblin (18), while Kangaroo Flat was aided by the Redbacks bowling 20 wides.
Nick Crawford (2-22) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Redbacks, who earlier got off to a horror start after they won the toss and batted when previous round century-maker Ben Gunn’s defensive shot spooned back to Hamblin, who caught and bowled him first ball of the game.
The Redbacks’ 1-0 later became 4-45 before a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket between Heath Behrens (58) and Jake Thrum (18).
Behrens hit two boundaries in his first 10 runs, before his next 48 were all scored through twos and singles.
Hamblin’s fine season continued with 3-26 – he also dismissed Mark Di Fede (11) in an almost identical caught and bowled to that of Gunn – while Adam Burns picked up 2-28, including the wicket of Behrens, who was caught by Jake Klemm.
As well as moving to the top of the ladder, the win was only the second time the Roos have beaten the Redbacks in their past 15 encounters.
• A Daniel Cruickshank century followed by a devastating performance with the ball led Huntly-North Epsom to a massive 203-run win over Golden Square at MyJet Oval.
With a score of 4-245 to defend after being sent in, the Power ripped through Golden Square for just 42.
The rout started from the opening over when Cameron Moore had stand-in Square captain Jake Higgins (0) caught by keeper Brodie McRae.
And from there it was a procession of wickets as the innings lasted just 127 balls, with the capitulation including Jason Johnson (3), Grant Connelly (10), Mat Christie (0), Jamie Bysouth (0) and Callum Tibbett (0) all falling with the score on 36 as Square lost 5-0.
Only Connelly and Scott Trollope (10) made double figures, while there were five ducks in what was an innings to forget for Square.
Peter Moore led the demolition for the Power with 4-15 off 6.1 overs, while Mitchell Whittle (3-9), Matt Rule (2-2) and Cameron Moore (1-12) also ensured no let-up on Square.
Earlier in the day, Cruickshank outscored Golden Square by 81 on his own as the hard-hitting opener blasted 123 off 124 balls before he was forced to retire hurt late in his innings with a hamstring injury.
Cruickshank crunched 15 boundaries and two sixes, taking the attack to Square from the outset, while Michael Hanson also provided plenty of entertainment with a 44-ball 67 that featured six fours and three sixes.
Trollope (2-32) took two of the four wickets for Square, which lost its second game in a row, while the Power’s thumping win was their third of the season.
• Another aggressive opening innings from Strathdale-Maristians’ all-rounder Sam Johnston led the Suns to an eight-wicket win over White Hills with just under 30 overs to spare.
After bowling the Demons out for 115 at All Seasons Oval, the Suns needed just 15.4 overs in their chase to answer with 2-116 and win their fifth game in a row.
Johnston in a career-best BDCA innings showed no mercy on the Demons with 89 n.o. off just 44 balls in which he ran only 11 of them after his whirlwind knock featured 36 runs in fours (nine) and 42 in sixes (seven).
A week earlier Johnston pummeled 73 off 44 against Bendigo, meaning his past two innings have yielded 162 runs off 88 balls with 14 fours and 12 sixes.
The only highlight for the Demons was a sharp catch by first-gamer Josh Julius at first slip off Jack Rodgers (2-36) to dismiss Jack Neylon (0).
After they were sent in, the Demons were always going to struggle after their two star batsmen Gavin Bowles (0) and Mitch Winter-Irving (4) were both dismissed cheaply. Bowles was bowled by Johnston (1-19) and Winter-Irving caught by Daniel Clohesy off Ryan Haythorpe (2-24).
The Suns’ best bowling figures were Dylan Bailie’s 4-20 off nine overs, while the Demons’ leading run-scorer was opener Ollie Geary (35).
• Sandhurst snapped its three-game losing streak, while inflicting Bendigo’s sixth defeat in a row with a two-wicket victory at Bendigo Door Centre Weeroona Oval.
The Goers compiled 169 batting first in an innings where wickets fell regularly, with only one partnership more than 30 – the 36 their two top scorers, Alex Pearson (45) and Mark Ryan (29), added for the fifth wicket.
The Bendigo innings featured a rare “obstructing the field” dismissal against Tom Hart (14).
After playing a ball back to Sandhurst bowler Taylor Beard (2-25), Beard threw the ball back down the pitch while Hart was out of his crease. Hart deflected the ball away with his foot and after umpires Chris Gill and Leo Holland conferred, he was given out.
Dragons’ youngster Will Keck continued his good form with the ball with 4-41 off seven overs.
Sandhurst almost stumbled late in its chase. Having one stage been cruising at 4-148, the Dragons lost 4-18 to slip to 8-166, but Alex Winfield (8 n.o.) and Rhys Smith (2 n.o.) navigated the home side to 8-172 as they won with 22 balls to spare.
Craig Howard (56) and Beard (42) – who was dropped on 0 – scored the bulk of the runs for the Dragons, while Pearson (4-40) was the best with the ball as well as bat for the Goers.
• Eaglehawk recorded a five-wicket win over Strathfieldsaye at Flight Centre Park.
Openers Greg Lyon (45) and Zoltan Smyth (47) got Strathfieldsaye’s innings away to a strong start with a 100-run stand that set up the Jets’ 5-177 batting first.
Richard Tibbett (2-28) and Cory Jacobs (2-37) took two wickets apiece for the Hawks, who took into the 43rd over to reply with 5-178.
Opener Andrew Smith (51) led the successful run-chase with a half-century, while Jets’ spinners Andrew Stove (2-39) and Beauden Rinaldi (2-40) shared two wickets each.
