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SANDHURST turned a first innings loss into a “reverse outright” win over Huntly-North Epsom in the BDCA on Saturday.
A week earlier the Dragons (92) had trailed the Power (99) by seven runs after the first innings.
But by match-end the Dragons had earned six points and the Power four with the reverse outright result on another day where the pitch made conditions difficult for batting from the outset when the second ball of the day bowled by Sandhurst’s Taylor Beard popped off a length and ballooned over the head of batsman Anthony Tanner (4).
The Power resumed their second innings at 2-20.
However, they could muster just 52 more in 27.1 overs as Beard led the Power’s demise for 72 with a six-wicket haul.
Beard began the day already with 2-9 off six overs and added another 4-15 off 14 to finish with 6-24 off 20 overs – his best figures since joining the Dragons last season.
Beard’s 20 overs included 10 maidens, with his second innings haul following his 2-30 off 17 in the first.
He now has 27 wickets for the season – one behind the competition’s leading wicket-taker, Strathdale’s Cameron Taylor (28).
The only player for the Power to score in double figures was Josh Collinson (22).
Having also made 20 last week, Collinson was the only Power player to reach double figures in both innings.
Huntly’s dismissal for 72 left the Dragons – who will play finals for just the second time since 1987 – needing 80 for the reverse outright victory.
Despite a five-wicket haul from the Power’s Peter Moore, the Dragons chased their target six-down as they took 20.1 overs to reach 6-84.
As well as his superb bowling figures, Beard (12 n.o.) also hit the match-winning runs when he flicked Moore off his pads for six.
Earlier, opener Nayana Palamandadige made the game’s highest score of 45 and has now passed the 700-run mark with his tally of 741 for the season.
Moore’s figures of 5-23 off 10.1 overs included the dismissal of Palamandadidge and Craig Howard (0) in consecutive deliveries, but his hat-trick ball to Shane Robinson (0 n.o.) grubbed along the ground outside off stump.
After 22 wickets fell for 211 runs last week, on Saturday a further 14 wickets tumbled for 136 runs.
Overall on a pitch that is scheduled to host the under-18 grand final next month, the game featured 36 wickets crashing for 347 runs.
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• Bendigo produced a dismal batting display against Golden Square at Wade Street.
Coming off an outright loss to Sandhurst the previous round when they were knocked over for scores of 121 and 155, the Goers, a top-four team, were bowled out for the BDCA’s lowest score of the season – a paltry 58 in reply to Square’s 175.
Half of the Goers’ tally of 58 came from a 29-run partnership for the last wicket between Matt Gray (22) and Jotham Higgs (6 n.o.).
The Goers had been 9-29 when No.11 Higgs joined Gray at the crease.
Earlier, the Goers had been 1-14 in the 18th over before losing their way.
The 18th over of the innings bowled by Liam Smith featured the dismissal of Bendigo captain Shane Koop (4), who was run out by Josh Baird, plus the wickets of Mitchell Bench (0) and Alex Pearson (0).
More wickets fell in the 20th, 24th, 27th, 29th and 31st overs as Square further tightened the screws.
Apart from Gray’s 22, the only other score in double figures for the Goers was Kyle Humphrys’ 11.
Seven players were dismissed for four or less.
Smith (3-16 off eight) and Saheed Akolade (3-17 off 10) took three wickets each for Square.
Smith at one stage had 3-1 off five overs, before his figures took a hit when Kayle Thompson (8) launched him for a six.
With a deficit of 117, the Goers failed to avoid the follow-on and were sent back in, showing far more resistance as they grinded their way to 1-67 off 47 overs.
Koop (28 off 149) and Humphrys (29 off 122) faced 271 balls between them to stifle Square’s outright bid.
• Bendigo’s poor showing against Golden Square was further compounded by Kangaroo Flat’s thrilling win at the QEO as the Roos chased down White Hills’ 8-289 with one wicket in hand.
A game after he was the last wicket to fall in a tie against Golden Square, Roos’ captain Brent Hamblin hit the winning runs for Kangaroo Flat.
A target of 12 needed off the final over to win had been whittled down to two off the last delivery when Hamblin took strike to his Demons’ counterpart, Mitch Winter-Irving.
Winter-Irving bowled a full-toss that Hamblin hit to the cover boundary as the Roos finished at 9-292.
The dramatic last over included a run-out of Liam Jones (7), as well as the Roos capitalising on an extra delivery after Winter-Irving bowled a no-ball that had an extra two runs scored off it.
Kangaroo Flat’s victory moved the Roos within three points of the fourth-placed Bendigo.
Hamblin – who has the competition’s best batting average of 73.5 – finished 61 no. off 82.
Opening batsman Daniel Barber (75) made a timely return to form with his highest score of the season, with he and Nathan Stubbings (39) putting on 77 for the first wicket.
Winter-Irving’s 4-63 off 21 overs were the best figures for the Demons.
• “Spin to win” summed up Strathdale-Maristians’ victory over Bendigo United.
Suns’ spinners Jack Neylon (6-76 off 20) and James Vlaeminck (4-56 off 24) made the most of the absence of Cameron Taylor as they combined to take all 10 wickets at Bell Oval.
The Redbacks – who after 15-straight years in the finals will claim the wooden-spoon – were all out for 233 in reply to the Suns’ 332.
Both Neylon and Vlaemnick’s bowling figures were career bests as they spun the Suns to victory.
The Redbacks were all out in the 81st over, having earlier not lost their first wicket until the 36th over following a productive start by Mark Di Fede (75) and Nick Williamson (34), who shared in a 92-run opening stand.
• Reigning premier Eaglehawk had to settle for a first innings win against Strathfieldsaye.
The Hawks immediately declared at 7-150 in reply to the Jets’ 115 at Tannery Lane.
However, Jets’ skipper Ben Devanny put the brakes on the Hawks’ outright pursuit, facing 215 balls for 44 n.o. as his side finished at 7-127 having been under pressure early at 3-27.
Cam McGlashan (3-26 off 14) and Nick Farley (3-14 off 11) took three wickets each for the Hawks, who, while a long-shot, are still a mathematical finals chance going into the last round.