BENDIGO has held on to fourth position to book its first finals berth in the Bendigo District Cricket Association since 2010-11.
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The Goers took only 100 balls on Saturday to lock the door to the top four by defeating Huntly-North Epsom by 59 runs at Atkins Street.
The Power resumed their innings at 3-33 in reply to the Goers’ 141 and added 49 more runs before they were bowled out.
The Power’s dismissal for 82 off 32.4 overs was the third innings in a row they had been bowled out for less than 100 after they had been knocked over for scores of 99 and 72 in their reverse outright loss to Sandhurst the previous round.
Bendigo all-rounder Kyle Humphrys capped a superb home and away season by capturing 4-30 off nine overs and will enter the finals as both the Goers’ leading run-scorer (634) and wicket-taker (28).
Captain Elliott Massina’s 19 was the top score for the Power, who had been 8-58 before the best partnership of the innings of 24 between Cory Tanner (18 n.o.) and Jarrod Harris (10).
• Sandhurst is also making a return to the finals for the first time since 2010-11 and will do so with the advantage of a home semi-final after finishing second.
The Dragons rounded out their home and away season with a 20-run win over Eaglehawk, which has become the first reigning premier since Strathfieldsaye in 2001-02 to miss the finals.
The Hawks – having started the day at 5-72 – lost 5-23 in 11.2 overs to be all out for 95 chasing the Dragons’ 115 at Canterbury Park.
The Hawks’ last four wickets tumbled for just five runs, with the day’s play finished after only 11 overs.
Jeremy Brown’s 27 last week was the only score above 20 for the Hawks, whose innings in total lasted a mere 28.2 overs.
Eight of Sandhurst’s wickets were captured by their spin brigade – Sam Sperling (4-12), captain Craig Howard (2-25) and young gun Todd Murphy (2-24).
As well as making the finals for the for the first time since 2010-11, it’s only the second time Sandhurst has finished in the top four since 1987.
The Dragons would have finished in top spot had they not been stripped of six points for a bowling infringement against Kangaroo Flat early in the season.
• It took until the final game of the home and away season to be completed between Kangaroo Flat and Strathdale-Maristians at Dower Park before top spot was decided.
The Roos’ finals hopes may have ended early in the day once Bendigo had defeated Huntly-North Epsom, but the game still had plenty riding on it for the Suns, who needed to win it to wrap up top position.
And the Suns did just that, successfully defending their 242 as they bowled the Roos out for 197.
It’s the fifth time in the past seven years the Suns have finished in pole position, with their semi-final opponent to be Bendigo – the team they defeated outright in round five following a sporting second innings declaration from the Goers.
Those extra four points from that outright victory have ultimately proved massively significant in the Suns earning a home final in a season where only four points separated first to third.
Suns’ leg-spinner Cameron Taylor wrapped up the competition’s bowling aggregate award for the second season in a row.
His haul of 5-54 off 28.1 overs gave the Victoria Country representative 33 wickets for the home and away season.
Taylor’s bag of wickets on Saturday was the 17th time in his career he has taken at least five scalps for the Suns.
Dylan Gibson ended a season in which he topped Kangaroo Flat’s runs with 470 with a knock of 52, while Chris Barber (26) and Dylan Klemm (25) added 40 for the eighth wicket after the Roos had been 7-152.
• Scott Trollope claimed a match-haul of 10 wickets in Golden Square’s victory over White Hills at Scott Street.
Square pushed for an outright win in its bid to earn a home semi-final, but was restricted to first innings points and a third-place finish, with its semi-final opponent to be Sandhurst.
Square began the day at 7-88 and with a lead of 24 after last week dismantling the Demons for 64.
Square added another 40 runs in eight overs before it was bowled out for 128, with veteran Scott Johnson finishing unbeaten on 42.
Demons captain Mitch Winter-Irving claimed one more wicket on Saturday to add to his five from last week to close with 6-38 off 15 overs.
As well as his six-for, Winter-Irving also ran out Jamie Bysouth (10).
With only pride to play for in their second innings, White Hills dug in to deny Square in its outright push, with the Demons reaching 4-83 off 56 overs when stumps were pulled.
Following a duck in the first innings, Winter-Irving scored an unbeaten 30 in the second dig, while Ben Daley was 17 n.o., with the pair coming together with the Demons having been 4-42.
Having taken 7-18 in the first innings, Trollope followed up with 3-28 in the second to end the match with combined figures of 10-46 off 32 overs, which included 12 maidens.
And with 0-6 off nine overs, Darren Clutton ended the match having conceded just 15 runs off 21 overs and also taking three first innings wickets.
• Strathfieldsaye’s score of 89 proved a winning total against Bendigo United.
The Redbacks began the day at 7-66, needing 24 runs for victory with three wickets in hand at Harry Trott Oval.
But Bendigo United could add only 18 more as the Jets bowled the Redbacks out for 84 to win by five runs.
It was a winning end to the first XI career of Jets’ stalwart Greg Lyon, who was also playing his 300th club game.
Lyon bows out of first XI cricket, which he first played in 1988-89, as Strathfieldsaye’s record-holder for games (255), runs (5752) and fielding dismissals (376).
Having already picked up three wickets last week, Jets’ captain Ben Devanny snared another two to finish with a haul of 5-21 off 22 overs, while Michael Curtis’ 1-14 ensured he ended the season as the Jets’ leading wicket-taker with 18.
Devanny took the match-winning wicket when he bowled Billy Quirk (1).
With its victory Strathfieldsaye jumped White Hills on the ladder to end the season seventh.
Jake Thrum top-scored with 19 for the Redbacks, who after 15-straight years in the finals, including playing in the grand final last year, claimed the wooden-spoon in a season where they won just one game, but blooded plenty of new faces.
SEMI-FINALS
Strathdale-Maristians v Bendigo
Sandhurst v Golden Square