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IT has taken more than a decade, but Huntly-North Epsom has finally broken its Bendigo District Cricket Association duck against Strathdale-Maristians.
Outside of the Twenty20 competition, before Saturday the Power had never beaten the Suns in the BDCA season-proper since the formation of the club in the 2001-02 season.
But the Power stunned the Suns in Saturday’s opening round, recording a 47-run victory in their one-day match at All Seasons Oval.
After winning the toss and batting, the Power compiled 7-189 off their 45 overs, with the backbone of the innings knocks from recruit Adam Ward, Dylan Gibson and youngster Harry Whittle.
Batting at No.3, Ward fell one short of a debut half-century for the Power in his innings of 49.
Ward provided plenty of entertainment, facing just 42 balls and blasting seven boundaries and one six.
Gibson made the most of being gifted a life after he was dropped on 0 by scoring 38 off 72 (four fours), while Whittle kept the runs ticking over later with an unbeaten 38 off 54 (three fours).
Whittle and Brett Elvey (17 n.o.) put on an unbroken 43 for the eighth wicket after the Power had been 7-146 in the 37th over.
Earlier, the Power had been under pressure at 3-50 in the 13th over following the dismissals of Liam Mottram (9 off 17), Michael Hanson (15 off 36) and Josh Collinson (0 off 15), who made only his second duck in his past 30 innings.
The spin twins of Cameron Taylor (3-35) and Nick Roebuck (2-34) combined for 5-69 off their 18 overs to be the Suns’ multiple wicket-takers.
Taylor’s figures would have been even tidier had his first and seventh overs not gone for a combined 21 runs.
In reply, the Power never allowed the Suns any momentum in their run-chase.
The only partnership of more than 40 was the 43 that Nick Baker (28 off 38, three fours, one six) and Jono Davidson (15 off 37) - in his first innings since the 2013 grand final after overcoming a knee injury - put on for the fourth wicket.
At one stage the Suns lost 4-17, crashing from 2-56 to 6-73 in the 25th over.
The end came for the Suns in the 42nd over when they were bundled out for 142 as for the first time since the 2003-04 season they were beaten in their opening game.
Baker and Ben DeAraugo (28 off 59) were the joint top-scorers for the Suns, with the only other player making more than 20 being Jack Neylon (21 off 34).
Six Suns’ players were dismissed for single figures, including both openers, Taylor (1) and Adrian Pappin (5), inside the first six overs.
Ward backed up his 49 with 3-36 off six overs with the ball, including the scalps of both Taylor and Pappin.
Thomas Wilson also bowled well, picking up 3-27, with his wickets all key scalps - Davidson, Suns’ captain Linton Jacobs (3) and recruit Andrew Hosking (4) - all during the match-defining period when the Suns lost 4-17.
• EAGLEHAWK is the first team to sit on top of the ladder after it crushed White Hills by nine wickets at Canterbury Park.
The Hawks had no problems chasing down the Demons’ 7-181, replying with 1-185 and winning with 52 balls to spare.
It was the experience of captain Jason Abbott and former skipper Matt Fitt who led the way with the bat for the Hawks, sharing in a 146-run partnership for the first wicket in their run-chase.
Abbott produced the highest first XI score of round one with his unbeaten 89.
Abbott faced 103 balls and hit eight fours and one six.
The Demons took their only wicket of the innings when Fitt was caught by Travis Colley off Mitchell Winter-Irving (1-35) in the 30th over.
Earlier, the Demons won the toss and batted, but their innings got off to a disastrous start.
Within the first two overs the Demons had lost recruit Ryan Grundy (1), dismissed by Richard Tibbett (1-27), and Brayden Stepien (0), who was run out by a direct hit from Aaron Monro, leaving White Hills 2-4.
Jayden Sheean (22) and Winter-Irving steadied the innings with a 71-run partnership for the third wicket.
They took the score to 75 in the 18th over, before the Hawks hit back again, removing Sheean, top-scorer Winter-Irving (46) and Sam Stagg (0) as White Hills lost 3-17 to fall to 5-92.
The Demons were later 7-136 in the 35th over, before new captain Rhys Irwin (20 n.o.) and coach Gavin Bowles (44 n.o., two fours, one six) finished the innings with an unbroken stand of 45.
A highlight for the Hawks was young bowler Sam Thompson (2-27) taking his first wickets in the first XI after he dismissed Sheean and Stagg, who was one of three Demons to make a duck.
McGlashan (2-32) also picked up two wickets for the Hawks, who conceded 25 wides among their 29 extras.
• REIGNING premier Bendigo United made a winning start to its flag defence, crushing Bendigo by 121 runs at Provincial Home Loans Oval (Atkins Street).
The Redbacks made the most of their invitation to bat first, scoring 5-223.
Ben Gunn and Heath Behrens batted the Redbacks into control of the game with a 131-run partnership for the third wicket.
The Redbacks had been 2-52 in the 18th over, with openers Wayne Fidler (19 off 66) and Curtis Tuohey (17 off 37) both out.
Gunn and Behrens both scored half-centuries in their partnership that took the score from 52 to 183 in the 40th over.
Gunn scored at better than a run-a-ball in his 73 off 69 that featured four boundaries and three sixes before he was bowled by Ryan Trickey.
Behrens opened his 21st BDCA first XI season with a knock of 62 off 79 balls (five fours).
Trickey (2-56) was the only multiple wicket-taker for the Goers, while spinner Tom Kirk (1-60) had a hand in three dismissals.
Kirk took the catches to dismiss Fidler and Tuohey, while also bowling Nick Crawford (0) for a golden duck.
In reply, Bendigo never posed a threat to the Redbacks and was bundled out in the 33rd over for just 102.
Alex Culvenor bowled superbly for the Redbacks, claiming 3-18 off nine overs, with all his wickets top-three batsmen.
Culvenor dismissed Alex Pearson (7), Glenn Franzi (5) and Mitch Blackman (4) on the way to his best figures in the first XI for the Redbacks.
Crawford bounced back from his golden duck to have an impact with the ball in taking 3-22 off seven overs of off-spin.
In what was a disappointing batting card for the Goers, only Nathan Fitzpatrick (22) made more than 20.
The Goers were on the ropes from the outset in their run-chase when they slumped to 4-34, and later lost 4-22.
Brett Andrews (19) and Kyle Chant (11) ticked the score over 100 with a 23-run partnership after the Goers had been 8-79.
• Sandhurst’s season is off to a winning start following a 25-run victory over Kangaroo Flat at Bendigo Door Centre Oval (Weeroona Oval).
The Dragons successfully defended their score of 192 after they won the toss and batted first.
There were plenty of starts in the Dragons’ top-order, but no-one cashed in.
Recruit Chris Smith (37), captain Craig Howard (30), Joel Schneider (26), Shane Robinson (23) and Ned Slater (22) all made starts in the top-five for the Dragons.
Robinson and Schneider got the Dragons off to a solid start with a 53-run partnership for the first wicket that lasted into the 13th over.
But after being well placed for a score of at least 220 when they were 4-154 in the 32nd over, the Dragons lost their last six wickets for just 38 runs.
None of the bottom six batsmen scored in double figures for the Dragons, who were bowled out with four balls still left in their innings.
Roos captain Adam Burns started the season in fine style, claiming the BDCA’s best opening day figures in the first XI of 4-21 off nine overs.
Brent Hamblin also toiled hard with the ball for the Roos, picking up an economical 2-18 off nine overs.
Kangaroo Flat could muster just 167 in reply and was bowled out in the final over.
The Roos had just two partnerships of more than 30.
Openers Josh Newlan (28, three fours) and Tyler Hinds (9) put on 33 for the first wicket, while Daniel Barber (40, five fours) and Jake Klemm (8) added 31 for the fifth wicket.
Barber’s knock of 40 batting at No.4 was the game’s highest score, while Hamblin added an unbeaten 39 (one four, one six) at No.8 after coming in with the Roos 6-97.
Only Newlan, Barber and Hamblin reached double figures for Kangaroo Flat.
Young leg-spinner Liam Bowe was pivotal in the Dragons winning with his career-best return of 4-32 off nine overs.
Fellow spinners Howard (2-25) and recruit Lucas Hutchinson (2-37) took two wickets each, with the trio combining for 8-94 off 26.1 overs.
• Golden Square plundered the opening round’s highest score in its 61-run victory over Strathfieldsaye at Tannery Lane.
Square crunched 7-240 off its 45 overs.
Captain Tim Wood opened and got the innings off to a flyer for Square against his former side.
Wood was aggressive from the outset in his knock of 62, which featured five fours, one six and a five.
Wood’s innings ended in the 19th over with the score on 95 when he was run out by Chris Cullen.
As well as Wood, coach Scott Johnson also played a leading role with the bat for Golden Square.
Johnson top-scored with 78 in what was a knock that included 11 boundaries.
Wood and Johnson shared in a 72-run partnership for the second wicket following the early dismissal of opener Hamish Schumacher (2), playing against his former side.
Jason Johnson added an unbeaten 47 for Golden Square, while Scott Woodman chipped in with 23.
The two Johnsons - Scott and Jason - put on 79 for the fourth wicket.
Jets captain and reigning BDCA Cricketer of the Year Ben Devanny (2-64) was the only multiple wicket-taker for his side, which had already conceded 60 runs in the first 10 overs.
Needing to score at 5.3 runs per over to win, the Jets batted their 45 overs, but were restricted to 7-179 in reply.
After his season was soured by a knee injury last summer, veteran Greg Lyon made the most of his return to top-score for the Jets with an unbeaten 62 batting at No.3.
Lyon batted through the innings after coming in during the 11th over following the fall of Nick Scullie.
In his first innings back at the Jets following 11 seasons at Sandhurst, Scullie made 39 before he was dismissed by Luke Baird (1-27) with the score on 43. Scullie’s 39 included eight boundaries.
Fellow opening recruit Luke Jones scored 25 for the Jets in his first hit with his new club.
Lyon, Scullie and Jones were the only players to score more than 20 for the Jets as spinner Jamie Bysouth took the bowling honours for Golden Square.
Bysouth picked up 4-42 off nine overs, with his victims Ben Devanny (1), Cory Devanny (12), Bodee Scullie (19) and Andrew Stove (6).
It was also a memorable day for Square’s Connor Miller, who took his first wicket in the first XI when he had Jones caught by Bysouth.
Miller later returned the favour for Bysouth when he caught Cory Devanny.
